Celebrating 20 Years - Ambition Day

We're incredibly proud to recently celebrate Ambition Day, celebrating our 20th year of Ambition.

Our journey has seen the company grow and expand now holding offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and London. From our humble yet adventurous beginnings when our founders Nick & Paul took their road trip through the Nullarbor Plain and decided to start a "different way" of recruitment building better futures for our candidates, clients and our employees.

We hear from our leaders as they reflect on the last 20 years of Ambition.

Nick Waterworth | Co-Founder & CEO, Global

It was 20 years ago to this very day that Paul Lyons and I did our own little start-up (before they were called start-ups!) and launched Ambition. And what a journey it has been. As with any journey, there have been peaks and valleys, but we're proud to have worked with a bunch of amazing people who have helped us build a business that now spans 5 countries and 4 brands, Ambition, Watermark Search International, AccountAbility Recruitment, and HaTCH powered by Ambition. Thanks to all our clients, candidates, and colleagues (present and past) who have made an impact. Our mission is 'Building Better Futures' and so hopefully it has been a win, win relationship. Here's to the next 20...

Chris Aukland | Regional Managing Director, Asia

Reflecting on 20 years since Nick Waterworth and Paul Lyons first started Ambition and opened our doors for business back in 1999, I find myself reflecting back to the first time I was interviewed for the role to join Ambition by the founder, Paul Lyons, and his answer to my question - Why should I join Ambition?. His answer at the time was “We’re different”. I did not think too much of it at the time as many organisations make similar claims but fast forward four years and I feel an immense amount of pride to work for a business that really is different.

I genuinely believe we are making a real difference through being truly committed to bringing to life our mission of ‘Building Better Futures’ for our candidates, clients, colleagues and the wider communities we operate in. Like all businesses, there are highs and lows and there has been many in our 20-year journey. As a business, we continue to grow and evolve but our commitment to delivering personalised high-quality service and going above and beyond for our clients and candidates remains the same. Our core PRIDE values of Passion, Resourcefulness, Integrity, Drive and Enjoyment underpin everything we do as a business and this means not only are we making a real difference to the lives of working professionals and helping our clients grow their businesses, but we have also created a unique culture which makes Ambition (and now Hatch Powered by Ambition) such a great place to work in whichever office you visit around the world! I am extremely excited to see what we can achieve in the next 20 years!

Nicky Acuna Ocana | Managing Director, UK

Ambition is 20 years old, how times have changed since the inception of the business in 1999. Not just in the business world with the GFC and the introduction of a new generation in the workforce but also with the embracing of diversity and inclusion in business.

I have been lucky enough to be part of the Ambition story for 11 years when Ambition UK was launched in the London market. During this period of time, our UK business has gone from strength to strength and has been refocused to specialise purely in Professional Services recruitment, covering; Finance & Accounting, Business Development & Marketing, Insolvency, Restructuring, Corporate Finance and Business Support.

We have become true market specialists, following Ambition’s philosophy of being inch wide and mile deep with our business focus. Much has changed in 20 years, but our core values have remained the same. When I speak to candidates, clients and potential consultants, I often get asked; "what makes us different from other companies?" My answer is always: our people.

Every individual that works for Ambition plays a part in making our culture so unique. People care about what they do on a day to basis and work hard to make an impact. I feel honoured and fortunate to be part of the Ambition story and to have worked with some very talented people, some of whom have moved on to different roles and careers and others who have become entwined in being part of the Ambition fabric. 20 years is a great milestone for us to have achieved/reached, I can’t wait to see what the next 20 years bring!

Michael Nette | Managing Director, Singapore

This year, Ambition celebrates its 20th birthday. Here in Singapore, we’ve recently had our record month of helping our clients and candidates “Build Better Futures” across South-East Asia and means:

For our Clients, continuing to help them find high calibre talent to enable growth for their businesses. At Ambition, we have been extremely fortunate to be working with some amazing businesses, from multinational banks moving through their digital transformations, to the internet unicorns building their software R&D centres here.

For our Candidates, we are continuing to find great career opportunities for the people in our local communities. I’m personally extremely proud to see our teams build genuine relationships with our professionals and provide excellent coaching and advice to enable success in securing their dream jobs.

For our Employees, it’s continuing to provide rewarding and fulfilling career opportunities for our staff in an innovative and fun environment. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented group of people every day.