{"id":17380,"date":"2026-04-01T13:57:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T02:57:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.millerleith.com.au\/?p=17380"},"modified":"2026-04-01T14:45:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T03:45:22","slug":"from-founders-to-the-next-chapter-stephen-borg-and-joe-sette-reflect-on-miller-leith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.millerleith.com.au\/from-founders-to-the-next-chapter-stephen-borg-and-joe-sette-reflect-on-miller-leith\/","title":{"rendered":"From Founders to the Next Chapter: Stephen Borg and Joe Sette Reflect on Miller Leith"},"content":{"rendered":"

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We\u2019re sitting on a velvet couch in Miller Leith Melbourne’s Collins Street office reception.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a small detail, but one that has quietly become part of Miller Leith\u2019s identity. The couch greets everyone as they walk in, a place where people feel comfortable enough to have real conversations about their careers, their business and what comes next.<\/p>\n

That idea traces back to 2012, when Miller Leith began with two founders in a small Melbourne office.<\/p>\n

No executive team. No national footprint. Just Stephen Borg and Joe Sette, determined to build something meaningful for the clients, candidates and industries they cared deeply about.<\/p>\n

More than a decade on, the business has grown well beyond that first office. But for Stephen and Joe, what has mattered most hasn\u2019t changed.<\/p>\n

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\u201cJoe and I built Miller Leith side by side,\u201d Stephen says. \u201cOne of the things I\u2019m most proud of is how that partnership has grown into something much bigger than the two of us.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Where They Started\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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More than a decade later, Miller Leith has grown across the eastern seaboard, built a team of experienced specialists and expanded into consulting, deepening how the business partners across the industry.<\/p>\n

And every office features the now-recognisable velvet couch.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt actually started with a stock image of an armchair,\u201d Stephen explains. \u201cAs the team grew, the brand grew with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Miller Leith\u2019s tenth anniversary, that armchair had evolved into the now-signature couch sitting in each office reception, but the meaning behind it hasn\u2019t changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt represents a moment where people feel comfortable having their most open conversations, whether that\u2019s about their career, their business or what comes next,\u201d Stephen says.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s always been the spirit of Miller Leith,\u201d Joe adds.<\/p>\n

When asked what stands out from the early years, Joe reflects on the effort they put into building partnerships.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019d drive 150 kilometres for a conversation, and we still do, Showing up in person and really understanding what sits beneath the surface has always been part of how we work,\u201d Joe says.\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Those early placements, Stephen explains, often carried huge weight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s probably what\u2019s evolved most over time,\u201d Stephen says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat started as conversations about hiring naturally became broader discussions about capability, structure and performance. Expanding into consulting came from listening to what our clients actually needed from us, and being able to support them more holistically.\u201d<\/p>\n

What stays with you<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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When asked which day he would relive, Joe doesn\u2019t choose a milestone. Instead, he talks about the everyday moments.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sounds cliche, but it\u2019s the every day things,\u201d Joe says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWalking into the office and seeing the team of passionate people who genuinely care about what they do.\u201d<\/p>\n

There have been plenty of defining moments along the way, from backing themselves to start the business in 2012, to growing beyond a single office, to embedding in a 9-day fortnight rhythm, and a service offering that covers the entire career lifecycle.<\/p>\n

Winning SEEK\u2019s Medium Recruitment Agency of the Year is one that stands out.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThere was this mix of pride and disbelief, looking around at the team and realising how far we\u2019d come,” Stephen says.<\/p>\n

But for both founders, it always comes back to the same thing.<\/p>\n

The people.<\/p>\n

What comes next<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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