A Chief Operating Officer and Tech Aficionado Keen on Helping Others
Even before he took the position of chief operating officer at Lumary, Craig Harris had a lifelong desire to make a difference in the lives of others.
He knew early on that in the technology industry he would be able to achieve that.
Craig began his career in the ‘90s in business management at a travel agency. During his time there he witnessed the boom of digital technology, so he pivoted and got involved in the tech world. He believed that digital integration was the future.
“I was in it for the excitement factor, the growth potential and the fact that you’re able to transform an industry by going online,” said Craig.
Over the last 20 years, his mission has always been to find business opportunities where people can grow. In 2008, Craig helped small businesses build their online presence during a time when not many businesses were online but their customers were. Through his involvement, his clients digitally transformed and became more competitive in the digital space.
“Seeing the power of technology transform a market—that’s amazing,” he said.
For Craig, there are three types of technology that make working in the tech industry fascinating—e-commerce, software as a service (SaaS), and digital marketing. Even in his early days in tech, Craig used these pillars to shape his perspective of the changing market and could see the opportunities for technology to provide valuable solutions that could transform real world problems.
While working as COO for multiple businesses, he’s seen first hand the transformative power of technology when it’s properly executed through a strategic growth plan. The technology and software these businesses offered truly impacted their communities for the better—the businesses saw themselves reach new heights in growth, profitability, and market expansion.
Through his continued success as COO, Craig was sent to the Netherlands to execute growth plans in the European market with ReachLocal Europe . There he gained insight on how to operate in international markets, allowing him to help other businesses break into new markets.
“I’m the guy who comes in and works with the team to develop a growth plan and supports the team to execute it,” he said. “I love getting in and working out how a business can continue to grow and become even more successful.”
Before joining Lumary, Craig worked at Deputy—a workforce management platform—as COO. During his tenure, he helped the team grow from 30 to 300 employees and revenue grew ten times in four years. Craig was also key to their successful expansion into the US and UK markets. With a passion for making a difference to his local community, working for Lumary made sense.
“We’re at a point where we need a seasoned COO to support the implementation of Lumary’s strategic plan,” said Lumary CEO, Joseph Mercorella. “Craig’s depth of experience, knowledge and change management capabilities are sure to boost and complement our growing team”.
In a typical day at Lumary, Craig will find ways to not just help the business grow, but to help individuals wanting to break into and grow in the thriving ecosystem of the Australian tech industry—in his spare time he coaches at Startmate, a mentorship organisation helping people break into tech, and he wants to extend that coaching to Lumary staff. He plans on providing support, coaching and feedback to Lumary’s leadership team to better support employees.
“We have to be really clear of what our plan is from top to bottom,” Craig said.
As Lumary’s first COO, Craig wants to see technology enable providers to deliver better care to the communities they serve, and give those who rely on care the opportunity for a more enriched life thanks to the Lumary platform.
“I want to be able to step back and see that Lumary had a huge positive impact on the community,” he said.