Kurt Saunderson gave himself an ultimatum. By 30, he’d either take the leap and start his own business or accept he never would.
“I always wanted to run my own insurance building construction business,” the KASE Group Founder and CEO tells The CEO Magazine.
“When I was approaching 30, I thought, ‘If I don’t do it now, I probably never will.’ So I ripped off the Band-Aid and went for it.”
In 2017, with no safety net – just a vision and a relentless work ethic – he left his steady job to build something better. And the risk paid off. What began as a small, family-run business quickly grew into KASE Group, one of Australia’s top players in insurance building repairs.
Laying the foundation
Saunderson started his career as a passionate carpenter. And from the very beginning, he was drawn to more than just building structures.
“I wanted to build something bigger,” he reflects. “I was fascinated by the idea of creating a business that could set new industry standards, solve real-world challenges and disrupt outdated ways of working.”
He also had a keen eye for detail, often noticing what others overlooked.
“I saw gaps in the construction and insurance sectors,” he reveals, saying projects were often reactive, inefficient and wrought with unnecessary delays. “I knew there was a better way.”
While he didn’t quite know it at the time, the seed was planted and would soon grow into KASE Group – a construction business that focused on efficiency, innovation and a relentless commitment to service.
“From starting small to scaling rapidly, our business has always been about taking bold steps, thinking differently and staying ahead of the curve,” Saunderson says. “Today, we’ve grown into a national leader in insurance and construction services – and we’re just getting started.”
It starts with family
When Saunderson opened KASE Group’s doors for business, his first clients were loss adjusting firms within the insurance sector. This early focus naturally led him into insurance building restoration.
“It’s what I knew in the industry. I also fell in love with the variety of work insurance offers,” he shares. “From fire and water to hail claims, it’s something different all the time.”
Once business picked up, Saunderson hired his first employee – his mother.
“She did one day a week for me and then moved into full-time,” he says with a smile. “Then I got my brother and father to come over and be my supervisors and estimators.”
Working together wasn’t new – Saunderson previously worked as a construction manager in the family’s architectural building business.
“We’ve always worked together in our trade business,” he explains. “We’ve come a long way, and we’ve always had a great time together.”
Having this tight-knit foundation in place helped KASE Group secure long-term contracts early on. In fact, just a year after opening its doors, Saunderson says, business was booming.
“We picked up some good contracts with insurers in 2018. And then into 2019 and 2020, we picked up even more solid insurance contracts,” he says.
“Then it was one right after another. Everything sort of fell into place thanks to our high-quality service, transparency and just how honest and hardworking we are.”
The blueprint for growth
Because of the nature of the industry, business stability was practically built in from the get-go.
“The contracts are long-term, and it’s sort of recession-proof – as long as you do a good job and make sure clients are happy, you get continuous revenue,” he points out.
By 2023, KASE Group had grown to the point where private equity investors took notice. Melbourne-based investors Straight Bat saw the potential and acquired a significant stake in the company, injecting the capital needed for further expansion.
“That allowed us to acquire other construction businesses in different states to build out our portfolio,” Saunderson explains. “By the end of March, we’ll be finalizing another acquisition in Victoria, strengthening our national footprint. And we’re just going to keep moving forward.”
With four businesses united under the KASE Group umbrella – KASE Building, KASE Restoration, Adelaide Insurance Builders and Townsend Building Services – the company remains as committed as ever to delivering the exceptional insurance building and restoration services it’s become known for across Australia.
“Our growth strategy is aggressive but calculated,” Saunderson says. “The insurance and construction industries in Australia are changing rapidly, and the companies that thrive will be those that innovate, execute and scale efficiently.”
Becoming a top-four player
Looking toward the next year and a half, Saunderson says he’s keen to enhance each business’ market presence.
“We want to ensure that everybody is high-performing in each business,” he says.
“It’s also important that our customers are getting the very best responses they can get. We’re doing everything we can to bolster the brand within the market. We want to be a top-four player in the industry. That’s going to be the biggest push for us.”
He recognizes the market is consolidating and is positioning KASE Group as a lead actor.
“We’re continuously acquiring high-value businesses that complement our services, expanding our market reach while strengthening our operational capabilities,” he explains.
“But we’re not growing for the sake of growth. We’re focusing on efficiency, margin control and performance-based decision-making, ensuring every acquisition and expansion adds value rather than complexity.”
And in an industry that’s long been transactional, KASE Group is breaking the mold by investing heavily in relationships and providing exceptional service and reliability.
“Being the best in this space isn’t just about revenue. It’s about being the go-to provider that insurers, customers and stakeholders trust implicitly,” Saunderson says.
Staying ahead of the curve
While many of their competitors are stuck in the weeds of outdated processes, KASE Group is investing heavily in technology to stay ahead of the curve.
“Innovation isn’t just a buzzword at KASE – it’s a necessity for survival and growth,” he insists. “The construction and insurance industries have historically been slow to adapt, but we see that as an opportunity.”
As such, the Group has implemented technology that improves efficiency, accuracy and customer experience across the company.
“We’ve invested in robotics and AI to streamline our administrative tasks,” he says. “Now, we’re working toward making sure our supervisors can spend more time on the ground with the tradespeople and the customers rather than doing that back-end support.”
While self-operating cranes and autonomous excavators aren’t part of KASE Group’s AI toolkit yet, Saunderson says the team is making good use of tools that do some heavy lifting in the administration department.
“Some of the coolest ways we’re leveraging AI are with inbox triages,” he says. “We have robotics that does reporting. And our AI chatbot helps us respond to emails and organize our diaries.”
However, he’s quick to point out that innovation isn’t just about tech.
“It’s also about rethinking processes, culture and customer engagement. Every decision we make is rooted in continuous improvement and a willingness to challenge outdated industry norms,” he notes.
Investing in people
As great as AI is, Saunderson says KASE Group’s greatest investment to date has been in its people.
“We’re a tight-knit group,” he says. “It’s like a sporting organization – everyone works hard, but we also make sure we have fun along the way.”
This is especially important given the nature of the industry.
“We operate in an industry that is fast-moving and often high-pressure, but we’ve built a culture where problems get solved, opportunities get created and success is shared,” he adds.
“We hold ourselves to a high standard, and we expect the same from our teams. That said, we also believe in genuine leadership – being transparent, making tough calls when needed and backing our people to succeed.”
What they don’t do, though, is waste time on unnecessary bureaucracy.
“Our team thrives on ownership, initiative and delivering real results,” he says. “We know motivation doesn’t come from slogans or superficial perks. Instead, it comes from the basics of good business – having a clear vision, great leadership and a culture of winning.”
In addition, KASE Group supports and empowers its people by providing real opportunities for growth and celebrating their wins.
“When people see a clear path for advancement, they’re more invested in the companies they work for,” he says. “We want our people to build their careers with us – not just work for us – and that makes all the difference.”
Growing pains
While Saunderson may make it look easy, scaling a business at pace hasn’t been without its difficulties. In fact, one of the biggest challenges – and surprises – was integrating new acquisitions into the KASE Group culture.
“The more businesses you acquire, the more personalities you get. Businesses also operate in different ways. I assumed that when we bought a business, people would automatically love being part of KASE,” he admits.
“But every company has its own way of operating, and expecting them to instantly adopt the KASE way was unrealistic.”
While Saunderson didn’t expect these challenges, they’ve taught him – and the team – a great deal, and they’re better for it.
“We’ve learned to lean on each other and make sure everyone’s on the same page going forward,” he says. “And when we had our Christmas party where all the different brands came together, it was a phenomenal event. It really helped everyone feel like part of the same team.”
Beyond the initial culture shock, the acquisitions also brought cash flow challenges and operational inefficiencies.
“Each business we acquire comes with its own revenue streams and financial complexities,” Saunderson explains. “Managing that while maintaining service levels and reliability has been a learning curve.”
Still, his philosophy is to tackle problems head-on: “I follow a one-three-one approach where you basically identify one problem, come up with three solutions and pick one to go with. And when you make a decision, back yourself, because you will always come out of it on the other side. And oftentimes, it’s not as bad as you originally thought.”
Next-level leadership
Saunderson’s leadership style has been key to KASE Group’s rapid rise. His team describes him as energizing, decisive and solutions-focused but also deeply invested in the wellbeing of the business and its people.
“I lead by example,” he says. “I don’t mind getting my hands dirty, and I care about the team.”
To him, leading with transparency is key, and it’s something he prides his leadership team on.
“They’re clear on where we’re going and how we’ll get there,” he says. “This clarity creates alignment and momentum.”
He is also a firm believer in the power of relationships.
“The right people make all the difference,” he insists. “You have to surround yourself with people who are smarter and hungrier than you. No business grows in isolation, and the biggest asset you have is a high-performing team that buys into your vision.”
He, for one, is fortunate to have had some incredible mentors over the course of his career.
“The GM of Holcim Concrete was a fantastic mentor of mine when I first started in business. But the person who has helped take my leadership to the next level would be Jovita Gartlan, the Chair of our board,” he says.
“She has done a lot for my career over the past 18 months, elevating me to the next level in terms of my understanding of leadership and how important it is. She’s someone that I really look up to in terms of leadership. I like how she approaches hard conversations in meetings and just the way she operates is amazing.”
Leading the way
For Saunderson, the proudest moment of his career isn’t a specific acquisition or financial milestone – although there have been plenty. It’s proving the skeptics wrong.
“When we started, competitors told us we wouldn’t make it in the market,” he says. “Now, we’re about to be a top-four player in the country.
“KASE Group is in a defining stage of growth, and we have a clear vision for where we are headed. The next few years will be about scaling, refining and dominating our space.
“We aren’t interested in following the market – we’re here to lead it.”
