“The more you give, the more you get back.” Sean’s life motto, which he credits to the influence of his Polish grandfather, is what attracted Sean to the healthcare space. Arriving in Australia as a migrant after World War II, Sean’s grandfather taught him the value of helping others, which is something he has never forgotten.
After dabbling in construction and real estate, Sean built a successful career for himself in FMCG. After learning about a small social enterprise selling medical consumables to provide opportunities for people with spinal cord injuries, Sean’s fate was sealed.
“BrightSky Australia was small when I started but I could see they were doing great things. I found it incredibly rewarding to build that business, knowing that every time a nurse or hospital ordered from us, they were helping to fund support services such as attended carers for people living with spinal cord injuries. I loved the way we were able to help these people remain active in their communities and achieve their life goals,” he explains.
Supporting others who can’t always support themselves is something Sean has been able to continue at Winc as our Head of Facilities (Care). Sean works with our aged care customers, hospitals and childcare centres to ensure they have the very best solutions. He pioneered the development of a proprietary Site Survey App which our 14 specially trained Health, Hygiene and Safety experts now use to help assess our customers’ needs. This technology and approach, which is unique to Winc, helps our people to understand the problem onsite, quantify the risk and identify the best possible solution for our care customers. Australia’s first slip resistant shoe – produced by Bata – and developed specifically for use in the Aged and Healthcare environment, is another example of how Sean has found innovative solutions for his customers. These shoes will be ranged from April.
Sean actively participates in the Winc Community Ambassador program, volunteering his time for organisations such as Girls Academy and Foodbank. He also actively encourages his team to volunteer a day of their time to assist in aged care facilities.
“By spending a day with the people our customers care for we learn and gain so much. Older Australians in aged care facilities deserve a good quality of life. By understanding the challenges of the sector first-hand, we’re better able to work out how we, as both individuals and an organisation, can contribute,” Sean adds.
Further indulging his passion for social good, Sean has been a driving force behind our Winc Disaster Relief program. Winc Disaster Relief is a $250,000 pledge to support bushfire affected communities around the country with the goods they need now, or for the long road ahead. Through Winc, Sean has helped bushfire affected communities by offering a range of essentials such as P2 masks, personal care products, water and coffee supplies which have been picked, packed and delivered – free of charge – to deliver support where it is most needed.
“I love my job at Winc. I feel like I make a difference, giving me a real sense of purpose. I know I’m only one person but with the backing of Winc and my team I feel like we’re actively contributing to making the world a better place,” says Sean.
