Allura Partners has successfully placed Adrian Kemp as Chief Operating Officer at Young Academics Early Learning Centre, a family-owned early education provider operating 60 centres across Greater Sydney and the Illawarra region.  

Adrian, who joined Young Academics in October 2025, has been tasked with instilling operational discipline and driving compliance across the network as the business enters its next phase of rapid expansion. 

Founded in 2009 by James Kazzi, Young Academics Early Learning Centre has already experienced substantial growth over the past 16 years. Now under the leadership of CEO Ian Fionda, and supported by a minority investment from Seidler Equity Australia earlier this year, the company has ambitious plans to double its presence.  

Young Academics engaged Allura Partners to identify a seasoned COO capable of bringing structure, consistency, and scalability to the growth of this multi-site operation.  

The executive search was led by James Curtis, Principal at Allura Partners, in collaboration with Jenny Yang, Engagement Manager. “The brief was to secure a pragmatic, hands-on operator with proven experience in managing distributed workforces and driving performance across complex, multi-site businesses,” James explained. 

Working closely with Ian Fionda and the Seidler team, James and Jenny moved quickly to identify candidates with the required expertise and a commitment to maintaining the quality and compliance standards that underpin success in early education. Their extensive search campaign looked beyond the early education sector to include industries where operational discipline, staff retention, occupancy management, and network consistency are critical success factors. 

“We sought out candidates from healthcare, retail, and other service-oriented businesses with similar operational challenges,” James observed. 

Adrian Kemp, who was working with BUPA Optical & Hearing at the time, proved to be the ideal candidate for Young Academics at this pivotal stage. Having driven consistency and performance across the healthcare organisation’s Australian network, he had acquired the deep multi-site operational expertise needed. 

“Young Academics is at an inflection point where operational discipline becomes the foundation for sustainable growth, and Adrian will bring that discipline to the role,” James said. “His track record perfectly balances growth with operational rigour… His hands-on approach and proven ability to bring structure to complex, distributed operations made him the ideal fit.” 

About Young Academics Early Learning Centre 

Young Academics Early Learning Centre is a family-owned early education provider operating 60 centres across Greater Sydney and the Illawarra. Founded in 2009 by James Kazzi, the business has grown steadily to become a significant player in the NSW early education market. 

About Seidler Equity Partners 

Seidler Equity Partners is a US-founded private equity firm, and its subsidiary Seidler Equity Australia is Sydney-based. The firm partners with founder-led and family-owned mid-market businesses to support expansion, operational improvement, and long-term value creation.