FIVE MINUTES WITH ...
How does a 20-year friendship help the leadership duo behind Genasys Technologies , which provides a SaaS platform for the insurance industry ?
Q . CAN YOU TELL US WHEN YOU FIRST MET AND WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE ?
» Craig Olivier ( CO ): It would have been around 1998 or 1999 – back when I wore my Kurt Cobain sunglasses everywhere , as André loves to remind me . I was already working for Genasys , so we had Steve ( Genasys ’ founder and André ’ s father ) as a common connection , but we actually met at a bar where I was DJing . We were friends long before we worked together , which has been key to our working relationship and the success of our business . We ’ ve always made it fun .
Q YOU ’ RE FRIENDS AS WELL AS BUSINESS PARTNERS . IS THAT SOMETHING THAT ’ S BEEN IMPORTANT TO YOU IN BUSINESS ?
» André Symes ( AS ): Craig and I have been friends for 20 years , and we ’ ve been business partners for over 10 years , so we ’ ve always found that we ’ re greater than the sum of our parts .
We ’ ve always been aligned in how we want to scale Genasys in a sustainable way . Though we have different skill sets , they ’ re incredibly complementary . We both focus on the areas where we can effect base change and , together , that becomes a strong , positive outcome for Genasys .
What ’ s great is that the nature of our relationship enables us to challenge each other ’ s concepts and ideas . Even though our titles have recently changed from co-CEOs to Group CEO and Group CTO , we ’ re still the dual leaders of the business .
When Craig and I convinced our shareholders to dip the Genasys toe into UK markets , we set off to knock on many doors , sometimes getting lost along the way . But that was a real bonding experience for us because , when you ’ re doing something as difficult as breaking into new markets on a bootstrap budget , having your bestie with you on that journey certainly makes it a lot easier and a lot of fun .
Q . WHAT DID YOU WANT TO DO AS A JOB WHEN YOU WERE CHILDREN ?
» CO : My ambition was to be a professional surfer – that ’ s what I spent most of my time doing while I was at school and college . I love the ocean . Since moving back to Cape Town to head up our Product and Innovation Campus , I ’ ve bought a new wetsuit and new surfboard , and you can find me catching a wave whenever I can . I ’ m loving being back in the water .
AS : From about the age of six or seven , I was really into architectural drawing . I loved designing houses and buildings and when I happened to find a 3D drawing programme on my parents ’ PC , I was in my element . I really wanted to become an architect .
Q . WHO WAS YOUR CHILDHOOD HERO AND WHY ?
» CO : Do you remember the original series of MacGyver from the 1980s ? Well , I wanted to be Angus ‘ Mac ’ MacGyver . I used to absolutely love it . What I liked was his troubleshooting approach , taking ordinary objects when solving real-world problems . And , at the end of every show , there was always something that I ’ d seen
22 July 2023