Sarina Russo


Sarina Russo is the founder of The Sarina Russo Group.

Early life

She was born in Castiglione di Sicilia, Italy. Her father Antonio immigrated to Brisbane in 1952, followed by her mother, Maria, and Sarina, Rita and Giuseppe, in 1956. Russo attended St Stephen's Primary School and All Hallows' School.

Career

She worked as a legal secretary and as a part-time typing teacher. Russo launched "The Office Business Academy" in 1979.
In recognition of sustained, outstanding entrepreneurial achievement, Ernst & Young recognised Russo as their "2018 Champion of Entrepreneurship".
As at 2018, Sarina Russo Job Access operates across more than 200 sites, employs more than 1000 people and helped elevate Russo to the 12th spot on the BRW Women’s Rich List in 2015.
The Sarina Russo Group is made up of: Sarina Russo Job Access Australia; Sarina Russo Recruitment; Sarina Russo Apprenticeships; VOICE Psychologists and Allied Professionals, Sarina Russo Institute, Russo Business School, James Cook University Brisbane, Sarina Russo White House, Sarina Russo Global Initiative and Sarina Investments.
Sarina Russo Job Access won a major contract in June 2015 with the Federal Government worth $606M from 2015-2020. This contract has reportedly helped Russo expand the business from 25 to 95 offices to provide Jobactive and Apprenticeship programs for job seekers. Not long after winning this contract the company was accused of dumping thousands of documents containing jobseeker's confidential data in a skip bin.
Russo is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, Queensland Premier’s Annastacia Palaszczuk's Advisory Board, Women’s Leadership Board of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, the Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World, and a former Trustee of the Jupiter’s Casino Community Benefit Fund since 1995.
Russo is financial contributor to both major Australian political parties, but gives over twice as much to the Liberal Party than Labor.