As CEO of Revelian, an Australian based company specialising in data-driven human behaviour insights, Cherie Curtis is trusted by top employers around the world. Her company’s psychometric assessments and analysis are essential for their hiring and development decisions. This undeniable intrigue and curiosity of human behaviour is apart of who Cherie is, even when she began as an intern in 2000. Previously known as Onetest, Cherie steadily worked her way through the ranks whilst completing her Master in Organisational Psychology. During her time there she fell in love with the company’s pioneering of online psychometric assessments in Australia. She steadily progressed to the Head of Psychology in 2003, then onto CEO in 2015, which she accepted without hesitation.
To rise through the ranks such as this, Cherie drew inspiration from not just the philosophy of her company, but through her team and clients too. “I work with an exceptional group of people who are leaders in their field, so it’s very easy to be inspired every day when the quality of professionalism is so high. Secondly, I am inspired by our clients and their desire to hire and develop the right people for their businesses.”
She faces daily challenges, quoting collaboration and working relationships with colleagues as one of the most valuable skills when overcoming adversity. “I know I don’t have all the answers, and I believe if we take on ideas, feedback and perspectives from the team, we can solve almost any problem.” But at the end of the day, as the CEO, Cherie must make some tough decisions. “Learning to really own my decisions has allowed me to become more comfortable and accustomed to this challenging aspect of my role.”
Cherie is inspired by her team, her clients and the desire to grow and develop her team to be the best they can be. “I am so passionate about the role psychology has to play in the workplace. I believe we are all lucky to live in an era where more and more organisations are focusing on looking beyond a piece of paper that says that someone is ‘skilled’ in a certain area. Companies today genuinely want to hire people who ‘fit’ with their business and who have potential leadership qualities as part of their DNA.”
When discussing important leadership qualities, Cherie rates treating people as people as the most valuable characteristic a leader can possess. “My job as a leader is to understand our people and I really do care about them and what they think. It’s important to be able to understand what motivates each staff member and give them that motivation. Just because something works for me doesn’t mean that it will suffice for those that I work with.”
Readers also enjoyed this story about SBS kicking goals in women’s soccer broadcasting.
