Online workplace establishes local presence to support the start-up ecosystem and help entrepreneurs reap the benefits of hiring online.
As we previously announced at Startup West and here in //SN, Elance-oDesk have appointed Leigh Pember as their Perth City Manager. Well, now its official.
The company has expanded to Western Australia following significant growth in the region. Over the last 12 months, Elance-oDesk has seen regional business registrations on the platform grow by 32% and job postings grow by 52%.
In Perth, Mr. Pember will work closely with the start-up community as well as SMEs, introducing them to the benefits and best practices of online working – using online workplaces such as Elance.com and oDesk.com to find and hire skilled freelancers for short- and long-term projects. Leigh will be highly visible in the Perth business community, networking, attending meetups, speaking at and even hosting his own events.
Country Manager for Elance-oDesk Kyri Theos said the opportunity for Perth start-ups to harness the global talent pool and hire talent online was immense.
“We are thrilled to appoint someone in Western Australia locally to support businesses with their hiring needs. There is a strong start-up ecosystem emerging in Perth with the support of some active entrepreneurs, co-working spaces, meetup groups and accelerators. The city is well placed to reinvest the wealth it has generated through energy and resources into fast-growth industries, tech start-ups, and innovative SMEs. However finding the talent needed to scale such businesses – especially tech talent – is challenging due to the city’s geographic isolation. We know this because the top skills in demand by Western Australian businesses are PHP, HTML, WordPress and graphic design. This is why we see a great opportunity for Elance-oDesk here.”
“Leigh’s in-depth knowledge of the local start-up scene and its unique issues – having worked in the sector for six years – will be a great asset to the Elance-oDesk team and our West Australian clients,” he said.
Mr Pember said, “I have a real passion and enthusiasm for local start-ups, and this role will allow me to have a direct and positive impact. I look forward to helping West Australian entrepreneurs grow their business through new technology and new ways of working.”
In Australia, Elance-oDesk has a Country Manager, Kyri Theos, and four dedicated City Managers looking after Melbourne / Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and now Perth. As an increasingly connected and independent workforce goes online, talent—like software, shopping and communications before it—is shifting to the cloud. This shift is making it faster and easier for businesses to hire for the skills they need, when they need them, while freeing professionals from set time and place work.
Leigh holds regular oDesk training sessions at Spacecubed. He helps business learn about online hiring and also teaches best practice for freelancers. Visit Elance-Odesk at http://elance-odesk.com/
