2026 Winner: Young Alumnus Award, Griffith Business School
Bachelor of Business; Bachelor of Commerce, 2020
Joseph Hardy is the Founder and CEO of Harwell Home Care, a national healthcare organisation supporting veterans and their families. Since graduating from Griffith University in 2020, he has built purpose-driven businesses focused on improving healthcare access, workforce sustainability and community impact, combining commercial leadership with compassionate care.
What inspired you to pursue your current career path?
I have always loved business and leadership. During my degrees, and every day since, I’ve worked to put myself in a position where I can influence others toward outcomes that matter for the organisation and for society. As I’ve moved through my career, I’ve founded several businesses, with the current two moving fast. I love the idea of purpose meeting profit, led through servant leadership and my ability to inspire people to make change. One person can do a lot. 500 moving towards a single purpose can do more.
Can you share a valuable lesson you learned from a setback or failure in your career?
Where to start? I have registered more than 14 companies, two have made it. I’ve been terminated for questioning something, yelled at for speaking up, and I kept pushing to get to where I wanted to be. I knew I was more than just a job.
The biggest lesson from everything I’ve failed at: showing up every time, beats 99% of the competition. In most situations, I don’t win because I am the smartest. I win because I am the hardest worker and will always show up, even after a defeat. Grit and determination are the only factors truly linked to success.
How do you approach leadership in your work and community involvement?
All of my organisations have a simple rule: Manager is not to be used in ANY title.
I think a strong leader has many tools in their leadership toolbelt; however, servant leadership should be one used often. I think the new age of organisations, as the world moves, is about giving to society rather than trying to take as much as possible.
It’s a new age where organisations truly serve their community and their people, all while still making money for shareholders.
What impact are you most proud of having?
I think a person as an individual is amazing and can do so much on their own. What I’m proud of is that my impact is now multiplied across more than 550 people nationally, changing lives through the ideas we put into action.
I see this as a serious responsibility I have every day.
Why does your work matter?
One of our team leaders shared a photo of the team at the funeral of one of our clients who passed away in our care. This isn’t uncommon, given the age and illness of the clients we’re striving to keep at home. But the realisation hit me that for many of them, this organisation and our people will be the last they deal with in this life. We can make that closing chapter peaceful for both them and their family. That’s a huge burden, and a huge opportunity.
At the funerals we’re invited to, we’re often thanked by name as the reason someone had a peaceful passing, and the chance to close their life with happiness.
Can you share a specific initiative or current project you are working on that excites you?
We have recently been approved under the new Support at Home Program, enabling us to support more older Australians to live happier, healthier lives in their own homes for longer.
Is there a fictional character/setting that closely resembles your career/work?
Probably Ted Lasso. Not because I coach football, but because of how he leads, he cares more about the person in front of him than the scoreboard, leads with belief before results, and turns a club nobody rated into something people care about because the culture changed first. In the end, this gets the outcome.
What does it mean to you to be recognised by Griffith?
A huge amount. 3 of the 6 people in my family have a degree, but none have been recognised for what came after it.
In school I was always treated like an underperformer, never achieved awards, never praised, often put down by teachers. Recently I was laughing reading my early report cards which consistently say “Needs to apply himself to succeed”.
From university onward, I knew my value, what I was capable of, and how much I could accomplish. The mental barrier shows itself on occasion, but moments like this confirm it.
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