CULTURE: AUTHENTICITY, COURAGEOUS, UNITED AND OPTIMISTIC SilverChef’s culture is intentionally people-first. “Values aren’t wall art,” Mangan says. “We want a place where people show up as themselves. Authenticity unlocks curiosity, and curiosity unlocks performance.” Every few months, executives host onboarding conversations with new hires to listen—not lecture. Three themes recur: 1. Be yourself – Psychological safety to contribute ideas and dissent. 2. Stay curious – Learn the operator’s reality; design products and processes around it. 3. Help – A practical impulse to help new starters, colleagues, customers, and communities—and then do what you say you’ll do. It matches Mangan’s own arc. A former chef (“a hospitality tragic,” he laughs), he moved from kitchens to selling frozen seafood, then to leading a commercial equipment dealership specialising in kitchen design and fitout, where he first encountered Rent-Try-Buy. He kept telling operators about it, English took notice, and eight years later—after key commercial roles in sales, marketing,certified use and operations—Mangan was asked to become CEO. “I feel lucky every day,” he says. “It’s a company built by and for hospitality people. Our industry are creative and passionate about their craft and that’s what drives them to success, we love being a part of their journey.” WHY THE MODEL WORKS IN TODAY’S MARKET Access to capital remains tough across geographies. Many operators—especially start-ups or multisite growers—struggle to secure bank finance for equipment or to manage cash-intensive upgrades. SilverChef’s model addresses three friction points: 84 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 07, ISSUE 10
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