Leadership development, talent management, and building a community around acquired businesses are key focus areas for the portfolio

Rob Turner is a product person by trade. Before he became a senior leader at Volaris Group, he was building software and working out what customers did or didn’t find useful about it.

He’s an engaged leader at work and outside work, as a father, a husband, and a keen sportsman — playing field hockey, golf, football, skiing or whatever he can do to keep moving.

But ask him what is most important to his success as a leader, and he starts with people.

“No matter your financial ambitions for a business, if you haven’t got the right people, and you’re not working with those people in the right ways, you’ll fundamentally never achieve them,” he shares about his experience as a leader.

As a leader whose skills were cultivated internally when he joined Volaris Group as part of an acquisition, he has experience at all levels of running a software business. He spent years behind the product, operations, and people leadership of Kinetic, a UK-based student accommodation software company, before it was acquired by Volaris in 2015. Since joining Volaris, he has had the chance to take on even more scope, now leading his own portfolio, including all M&A activity, operations, and importantly, the talent development practices.

I’m a product of the systemised talent management practices we have at Volaris. I’ve been developed and given opportunities to grow more than most can dream of.

A supportive community for business leaders

The second thing that he sees as being most important to his leadership is a supportive community, particularly the one he has found within Volaris.

“Being part of a community of leaders and having suddenly having that access to highly experienced individuals who’ve been in a leadership position for a business of your shape and size … they appreciate the challenges you’re facing as your business changes shape, in a way we wouldn’t necessarily have had without Volaris.”

The Volaris community has also helped him appreciate the diverse leadership styles that can be successful. Working across the breadth of Volaris Group, he meets leaders of different ages, different cultures, and from different geographies. He sees no single leadership style as being right for every situation, and as a result, he sees a lot of opportunity to learn from other leaders.

What got you to where you were before won’t always get you to where you want to be.

Creating more opportunities for leaders

Looking at his own career and leadership legacy, he wants to open doors for leaders who belong to his portfolio.

“I’m a product of the systemized talent management practices we have in Volaris, and the opportunity that was given to me”, he reflects on his journey at Kinetic, and his continued growth as a leader after Kinetic was acquired by Volaris. “I’ve always felt that as a leader, it’s my duty also to give others opportunity.”

His current role as Portfolio Leader gives him the chance to give people opportunity at a larger scale that he was able to in the past. The tally of promotions he has given now runs into the hundreds.

He’s proud to look back at the experience of some people who may never have necessarily thought about wanting to run a business, and see that some of them now lead organizations of their own within the portfolio.

“I find that personally very, very rewarding,” Rob says when he thinks about the positive change he’s brought into people’s careers.

Acquiring software businesses

Within Volaris Group, Rob’s portfolio is home to more than 20 marketing technology (MarTech) and hospitality software businesses, and he is actively looking to acquire in those areas. The portfolio is truly global, with businesses spread across North America, the UK, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific regions.

When looking at companies to acquire, Rob is looking for founders and business leaders who know their companies intimately and have already done well, but are looking for help to get to the next level. That help could come in the form of growth expertise, operational discipline, capital, or even expansion into international markets.

“I’m looking for businesses that have a challenge, and leaders who want support in the community around them that can help them achieve it — not just businesses looking for an exit.”