Matt Thomas — Former CEO & Managing Director Collection House Limited — on the Digital Age, Aligning Culture & Values, & Reflecting in the Wilderness.
Matt Thomas is the Former CEO and Managing Director of Collection House Limited, an ASX 300 listed financial services company, based in Brisbane. Established in 1992, Collection House is Australia’s leading receivables manager with over 900 employees operating in three countries, the company turns over in excess of $140 million. Matt has worked with Collection House in various roles, including IT management, and as CIO and COO. Matt is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and is also a graduate of London Business School’s Proteus Leadership Program.
Adaptability and diversification are central themes to Matt’s life and work, something he attributes to his early experiences. Born in the UK in 1971, Matt was just a few months old when he relocated to Algeria in North Africa with his parents. He spent many of his formative years there before moving to Australia in 1981. The nature of his father’s work meant the family moved frequently and Matt attended five different schools throughout his education. It was a childhood which inspired a global curiousity in Matt and his lifelong love of travel. Upon finishing school, Matt earned a scholarship and began an engineering degree at the University of New South Wales, but fate had other plans. Struggling to make ends meet as a university student, Matt found a part-time job in a debt collection agency where his computer programming skills quickly saw him promoted. Matt left study soon after to establish his own business and the rest as they say, is history. Matt has enjoyed an impressive career with Collection House for 17 years but is due to depart the company in June 2016. He currently lives in Brisbane with his wife and young family.
