Mitchell Matera was named First Amongst Equals at Business News' 40under40 awards on Friday night.
Mitchell Matera was just 24 years of age when he established Maali Group but he brought a lot of experience to his new role.
That came from his own work but also the combined business experience of his dad, Michael, and his uncles and extended family such as Wally, Phillip, Peter and Gerry.
“That’s a huge factor to where I’m at now,” Mr Matera said.
“They are all people I’ve looked up to.
“I’ve watched the challenges they have gone through; they have been very open with me to talk about what worked, what didn’t, what they would do better.”
Mitchell Matera did an electrical apprenticeship after school and, like many others, worked fly-in, fly-out in the resources sector.
He was making good money but also enjoyed working with his dad, who owned a small business in the waste industry.
A proud Noongar man, Mr Matera wanted to run his own business.
“I wanted to take what I’d learnt from dad over the years and adapt that into a business I could control,” he said.
From the outset, his business plan included a focus on Aboriginal employment and creating a career path for staff.
“That became part of my ethos, creating careers over a job,” Mr Matera said.
“I wanted to drive a program that had wrap-around tutoring and mentoring support so there was more retention.”
This approach reflected his own observations as a young Aboriginal apprentice, where he saw a lack of real on-site support or sustainable career pathways for Indigenous people.
Mr Matera took a big plunge when he established contracting services company Maali – not only did he leave a secure job, he and his wife, Montana, agreed to sell their house and their cars to fund the business.
Money was tight in the early days, with Mr Matera having to work night shift as a security guard to pay the bills.
Four years on, the business has achieved spectacular growth.
Its annual revenue has grown to about $35 million and staff numbers have hit 275.
That includes 64 Indigenous staff, with a goal to lift that to 35 per cent of total staff.
Maali has 24 apprentices and trainees on its books.
The business has won work from clients across the state.
“The South West has been amazing for us, everyone has their eyes on the Pilbara but there’s plenty of work in the rest of the state,” Mr Matera said.
That includes in the Goldfields, where its clients include Lynas Rare Earths and gold miner Regis Resources.
“One of the most important has been Regis,” he said.
“We had an opportunity to provide one sparkie and that grew to five and grew to 10 and grew to 30.
“We now have well over 50 staff out there doing their maintenance and sustaining capex work.
“They have been the most amazing client, we provided some of the first Aboriginal apprentices they’d ever had on site.”
Mr Matera said he was especially proud that a lot of Maali people have transitioned to permanent employees with Regis.
In the South West, it has won work with Main Roads WA, the Public Transport Authority and contractor Fulton Hogan.
He said Maali was the first Aboriginal business to be engaged directly by the PTA for electrical maintenance.
Maali also has a presence in the Pilbara, where it works directly for BHP and indirectly for Woodside via contractors Programmed and Monadelphous.
Its Pilbara work is undertaken through MGM Alliance, a 100 per cent Aboriginal-owned business that was established as a joint venture between Mr Matera and Pilbara-based directors Denise Dann and Richard Walker.
Reflecting on Maali’s rapid growth, Mr Matera offers a surprising explanation.
“A lot of that has come from saying no more than we said yes,” he said.
“I’ve seen how risky lump-sum work and projects can be.
“We still say no to a lot of risky jobs, we have to make sure we don’t blow ourselves up.”
Instead, the focus is on careful cash-flow management and getting longer-term contracts with the right clients.
“We are keen to work with clients that share our values, support us and give us continuity of work,” he said.
“People that believe in us and give us a lot of flexibility.”
Mr Matera said Maali’s Aboriginal engagement strategy was built on three pillars.
The first is employment and staff development.
A notable initiative in this regard is the Mila Birdal program, which supports Year 11 and 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders through a school-based electrical pre-apprenticeship.
Beyond formal programs, Mr Matera does more than most employers.
He has paid for housing for homeless apprentices, paid traffic fines so they keep their driver’s licence, covered debts and created payment plans to keep apprentices or trainees on their path.
“I never give up on them,” he said.
Maali’s second pillar is to diversify its supply chain and support other Indigenous businesses.
For example, Biliya Mentoring mentors its apprentices and trainees and Djoona Training and Consultancy provides cultural awareness training for employees in the Noongar regions.
A third pillar is community engagement and support through attending career expos, sponsoring local events and organisations and work with mentors for its training program.
Mr Matera said he had needed to overcome many challenges, including scepticism about his age and wariness by clients about whether Maali could deliver.
“Some clients are hesitant to accept our Indigenous employees due to perceived cultural and safety risks,” he said.
“I show them our successes and invite them to be part of our solution.”
