Child Care Staff & Management Team

Guardian Childcare Alliance has achieved a child care industry leadership position, thanks to the support of a great staff and management team....

Guardian Childcare Alliance is proud to be acknowledged as a leader in the child care industry; something that can only be achieved if you have the support of a great team. Since our earliest days, Guardian has always focused on attracting, retaining and developing great team members at centre level, regionally and in our corporate support office.

On these pages you can learn more about our childcare management team and be confident in our personal commitment to quality child care at every level of our company.

Tom Hardwick - Chief Executive Officer

Tom founded Guardian Childcare Alliance with Anthony Smith in 2004, and was actively involved in steering the business through its early stages of growth, while acquiring its initial portfolio of centres. Today as CEO, Tom is responsible for the group's general corporate strategy as well as the growth of the business through acquisitions. Before joining Guardian full time in late 2010, Tom held roles in property investment banking and most recently was the Director of Funds Management at Abacus Property Group. Prior roles include time as a lawyer with a national law firm specialising in industrial relations, time in management consulting leading organisational change projects and as a General Manager for a logistics business. Tom is a mad cyclist, and in his spare time, runs three childcare centres with his wife and plays taxi-driver to his three kids.

Anthony Smith - Chief Operating Officer

Anthony commenced his career in the hospitality industry and rapidly gained a reputation for professionalism and a "can do" approach, reaching the level of National Operations Manager for an Australian hotel company.
After related roles in IT, medical services and with a big 4 accounting firm, Anthony was again drawn toward an operational role in a true service and people industry that influences so many young Australian lives. Following a role as a senior manager with a major Australian childcare group, Anthony saw the need to provide exceptional service to centre owners and early childhood educators.

"Through my own professional experience and as a parent myself of 3 primary/preschool aged children, I can relate to each of the stakeholders who we provide a service for - team members, parents and of course the children - and their varying needs. Of greatest importance is that we do our job well, providing the best environment for children whilst professionally and viably managing the centres we are responsible for..."Managed by Guardian Childcare Alliance" is setting a standard that others aspire to achieve."