Meet the Boss - Zancott Recruitment - Cameron Buzzacott

MEET THE BOSS

CAMERON BUZZACOTT Managing Director, Zancott Recruitment

A lot has happened since 2006 when Cameron and a friend partnered to start a business. With a background in recruitment, the partner ran the office while Cameron, a tradie, looked after the sites. After the partner suffered a debilitating motorcycle accident, Cameron had a confronting choice to make. “I bought him out of the business in 2007,” says Cameron. “It was a big risk but a big opportunity. And I had support from family and friends.”

When it began, Zancott Recruitment had a modest 12 people on its books. Today the workforce exceeds 500; it is operating out of three states and expanding to five in 2018. Says Cameron: “We fill anything from project director all the way down to labourer – blue collar, white collar – there is nothing we haven’t done. Our goal is to be the first national 100 per cent Aboriginal-owned recruitment company and we are well on our way to getting there.”

The family owned business was named 2017 NAIDOC Indigenous South Australia Business of the Year. “We are very passionate about Aboriginal advancement and it was good for the team to get recognition for the work we do with Aboriginal people,” he says.

Cameron attributes the growth of Zancott to success in building relationships with

mum and dad operators through to tier ones and primes. “Since 2006 we have probably worked on every major infrastructure project in SA from the small contractor right through to head contractors.

“We have invested heavily in systems and processes and people to evolve with the industry. We have had to compete against national players and even though we are a family business we have done so very successfully by offering a tailored service – thinking outside the square a bit and not being a traditional recruitment company.

“We are passionate about safety which means we place a real focus on training to ensure the talent we provide is in the best possible position to avoid and mitigate injury. When we are working with a client we really try to understand their business and their needs, their practical skills and the culture they are trying to achieve within their business and we try and match the person to those requirements.

“Zancott uses 100 per cent local businesses in its supply chain and we think it is important to support local businesses wherever we can. We are a very safety conscious and driven business. All our consultants are trained in safety practices that can perform functional capacity assessments and they work closely

with our National Safety Manager and internal physiotherapists to come up with ways to mitigate the risk of pre-existing injuries and on-site injuries.

“We are a service level based business and we set service level agreements. With our costs secured, both parties understand the role they need to play to make it successful. Being a small operator working in this space we have had to be competitive and be innovative in our approach. You are only as good as the last person you place and your reputation is everything.”

Cameron recognises the buoyancy of his industry and sees enormous potential ahead. Growth opens the door to both opportunities and challenges, and given the present skill shortage, Zancott is working diligently to train and prepare the next generation of workers. In short, Cameron and his team are incredibly busy managing Zancott’s expansion and the development of its workforce.

Rather than enduring the peaks and valleys of recent years, Cameron desires an industry with a degree of consistency and stability. But he’s found ways to survive and thrive through it all, the highs and the lows, and he remains excited by what the future holds.

Written by John Satterley