Guardian Childcare Alliance
Tom Hardwick
CEO
Guardian Childcare Alliance is a leading owner and operator of childcare centres, and is currently the third largest operator of private childcare services in Australia. The group currently owns and manages more than 50 childcare centres across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, providing education and care for over 4,500 children.
The group was founded by Tom Hardwick and Anthony Smith in 2004, and they have grown the business organically and through acquisition to be one of Australia’s leading providers of childcare services. Wolseley is delighted to be partnering with a high calibre leadership team in Tom and Anthony, and will support the management team to accelerate the growth of the business through selectively investing in additional high quality centres that meet stringent investment criteria. Wolseley will seek to create additional value through its board representation and the provision of pragmatic strategic and operational input.
Tom was most recently the Director of Funds Management at Abacus Property Group, and his responsibilities included the creation and management of Abacus’ childcare business. He was formerly a partner at Corrs Chambers Westgarth. Anthony is a highly regarded leader in this sector with over a decade’s experience running groups of childcare centres.
Wolseley Private Equity is represented on the Board of Guardian Childcare Alliance by Richard Burrows (Chairman), Michael Murphy (Director), and James Todd (Director).
