Industry Leaders EP17 with Richard Austin

Seton Walsh-Rose sits down with Richard Austin, CEO of Omnii — Australia’s largest fire engineering and fire protection consultancy, working across health, rail, defence, education and major projects from Cross River Rail to Darling Harbour. Richard’s path is anything but linear: hospitality, travel, media, financial services and shared-service procurement before the built environment. He’s also a keen cyclist and co-founder of the apparel business Third Wheel Cycling. 

It’s a practical, wide-ranging conversation about what actually makes a business work — regardless of the sector. Richard makes the case that the fundamentals are universal (people, process, systems, structure and culture), that a CEO’s job is to create the environment rather than be the technical expert, and that AI is best used as an extension of your people, not a replacement for them. He closes on the skill he believes matters most in an increasingly digital world: the courage to pick up the phone. 

Episode Chapters

• 00:10 Welcome & Introduction
• 00:36 What Omnii Is
• 01:10 Why Fire Matters
• 04:11 A Varied History
• 05:00 The Universal Fundamentals
• 05:30 Create the Environment
• 06:50 Strategy vs Execution
• 08:08 Third Wheel Cycling
• 09:55 Community Over Margin
• 12:39 Reading the Markets
• 13:27 Victoria’s ‘Green Shoots’
• 15:20 Queensland & 2032
• 16:27 Migration & Skills
• 17:11 Tax, GDP & Business
• 20:07 An Industry of Small Businesses
• 23:09 AI as Automation
• 23:57 AI Agents in Practice
• 26:52 The Human in the Loop
• 27:23 Robotics Is Coming Fast
• 29:27 What AI Can’t Replace
• 30:26 Shrinking Time Horizons
• 32:36 Skills for the Future
• 33:08 Pick Up the Phone
• 34:31 Learning by Osmosis
• 37:38 Routine & Recommendations
• 41:02 Reflections & Close

Key Takeaways

• The fundamentals are universal
• A CEO doesn’t need to be the technical expert
• Tools, training, then time
• Strategy is worthless in a bottom drawer
• Fire engineering is life safety
• Build for community, not just margin
• The gloom isn’t universal
• AI is an extension, not a replacement
• Autonomous tech is here — legislation is the lag
• Human connection is the skill AI can’t replace

Sound Bites / Quotes:
“There are nuances to every sector — but the underlying fundamentals are the same: people, process, systems, structure, culture.”
— Richard Austin, ~05:00

“As leaders, we have a responsibility to give everyone the tools they need to be successful, train them to use them, and then give them the time to use them effectively.”
— Richard Austin, ~05:30

“It’s not the shiny, sexy element of a building — it’s about life safety. Creating an environment so if something bad happens, people can get out safely.”
— Richard Austin, ~02:03

References & Resources

• Omnii — fire engineering & fire protection (founded 2005, Milton QLD): https://omnii.com.au
• Omnii CEO appointment announcement: https://omnii.com.au/omnii-announces-appointment-of-new-ceo-richard-austin/
• Third Wheel Cycling — Richard’s co-founded cycling apparel business: https://www.thirdwheelcycling.com
  -Cross River Rail (Brisbane) — one of the projects Omnii works on: https://crossriverrail.qld.gov.au
• National Construction Code (NCC) — the standard fire designs must comply with: https://ncc.abcb.gov.au
• Daniel Priestley — entrepreneur cited on business and entrepreneurship: https://www.danielpriestley.com
• The Diary of a CEO (Steven Bartlett) — a regular listen for Richard: https://thediaryofaceo.com
• Mark Boris — ‘Mentored’ podcast, referenced on the federal budget: https://mentored.com.au
• Drive — Daniel Pink (a book raised in the conversation): https://www.danpink.com/books/drive/