Former Atturra figure Duncan Hayes on starting up again

Alchemy Technology Consulting has gone live, headed up by Duncan Hayes, previously the managing director of Atturra Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and Ryan Grunwaldt.

Techpartner.news caught up with Perth-based Hayes about the new venture, which will focus on business process automation, integration and workflow solutions.

TPN: What's the immediate plan for the company?

Duncan Hayes: The startup will target key business functions including human resources, project portfolio management, enterprise asset management and technology operations, with a strategic focus on SAP and ServiceNow platforms.

We will focus on our strengths in line of business processes automation, integration and workflow in human resources, project portfolio management, enterprise asset management and technology operations.

TPN: Do you have customers already?

Hayes: We absolutely have clients we are working with already.

Our relationships have been built on many years of collaboration, joint learning and trust. No two clients are the same, they have similar challenges, we all do, but they are unique in process, people and maturity across different business functions.

TPN: Any new hires?

Hayes: We have a few actually but can’t say who just yet.

[Techpartner.news spotted that Amanda Cox has joined Alchemy as the startup's client engagement director; Cox is also Perth based, and held a similar position at Atturra.]

TPN: Does artificial intelligence feature in Alchemy's strategy?

Hayes: Most business processes we feel can be vastly improved and automated by capturing information in a central platform and ensuring we're prompted to take action at the right time using workflow, follow up using registers and dashboards.

Typically connecting systems with integration and configuring simple user interfaces, that fit the role of the person trying to manage so many things at once, makes sense too.

Orchestration using AI agents represents a great next step, and it's real, now.

Alchemy aims to address inefficiencies in enterprise business processes where data is still manually transferred between departments and systems.

Hayes: So many processes and so much data is still manually pushed around within and between departments of an enterprise, its slow, hard to scale without more people and mistakes can happen which is expensive or worse, very unsafe.

Think about HR, procurement and finance with they’re systems of record, still on boarding and off boarding personnel is problematic and requires careful administration.

End month is hectic within finance – so much email and spreadsheets.  We’ve lived it and we know how to help using SAP and servicenow.

TPN: Looking back at Attura's acquisition of Hayes Information Systems and Communications in 2022...

Hayes: It would be worth noting our sale price to Atturra was $16.5 million.

$8.5 million at completion, and a further $7.98 million post hitting earn-out targets.

Actually a good news story, we hit all our targets and Atturra paid out the remainder with zero hassle. This is quite commendable I’m told.

TPN: What were the drivers for that, hitting the earn-out targets?

Hayes: Atturra kept our team together which made all the difference.

There are some brilliant operators at Atturra too, I have learnt a huge amount during my time there.

We made the right decision to sell to Atturra, they honoured all their commitments, culturally we were aligned and the team was focused on helping us achieve our earn out.

I didn't leave because of anything negative, I just felt another start-up was where I want to be.

The support from our clients and our mates has been massive, we couldn’t have dreamt for more.