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The Canberra Business Podcast
A podcast about all things Canberra Business.
The Canberra Business Podcast
Building A Global Exam Engine From Canberra
What does it take to prove competence when the stakes are sky-high? We sit down with ASPEQ’s Hamish Finlay to unpack how a New Zealand–born exam provider became a global engine for regulators, running high-stakes testing for pilots, trades, healthcare, and emergency services across 25 countries while anchoring leadership, IT, and candidate services right here in Canberra.
Hamish traces the company’s origins to New Zealand’s regulatory reform, where policy and operations were separated and specialized providers took on exams. That shift allowed ASPEQ, owned by the NZ aviation industry to scale from civil aviation into safety-critical sectors. We explore why Canberra is a strategic base: access to skilled talent, proximity to federal stakeholders, a strong lifestyle that retains teams, and resilience against natural disaster risk thanks to cloud-first systems and operational redundancy. The catch? No direct flights between Wellington and Canberra turn easy day trips into two-day hauls, a real bottleneck for trans-Tasman business.
We dig into how ASPEQ adapts to each market: from running full-service exam centers and invigilation in Hong Kong to providing secure booking and delivery platforms where regulators keep their own item banks. Cultural nuance matters; negotiation styles and business norms shift by country and even by Australian state. That complexity shapes growth plans with CASA, ASIC, and beyond, as ASPEQ targets regulated trades and healthcare where competence, safety, and trust are non-negotiable.
Technology is the wildcard. Generative AI raises integrity risks if exams test recall instead of judgment, but it also offers powerful analytics and smarter workflows. Hamish shares how secure delivery and applied assessment keep results meaningful while enabling innovation. With an aging workforce and shortages in the trades, we discuss staged certifications that let people work safely on defined tasks as they progress, speeding entry without lowering standards. We close by tackling non-tariff barriers: they may feel protective at home, but they constrain exporters abroad and erode a rules-based trade environment that small, distant economies rely on.
Subscribe and share your thoughts: should regulators adopt staged certifications more widely, and how should exams evolve to stay AI-resilient? If you enjoyed this conversation, follow the show, leave a review, and pass it on to a colleague who cares about safety, skills, and smart regulation.
Hello and welcome to the Canberra Business Podcast. I'm Greg Harford, your host from the Canberra Business Chamber, and today I'm joined by an international guest, Mr. Hamish Finlay from ASPEC. Hamish, welcome to the podcast. Thanks, Greg. Great to be here. Now tell us a little bit about ASPEC. You do business here in Canberra, you're a member of the Canberra Business Chamber, but what is it that you actually do?
SPEAKER_00:Oh thanks, Greg. ASPEC works with regulators to ensure the competency of those doing the job. So for example, we work with CASA, which is the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia, doing all of the exams for pilots to ensure that they are safe and competent and know what they're doing. We do that in 25 countries all around the world. We work with not only in aviation but with regulated trades, healthcare, and certain professions as well.
SPEAKER_01:So that's must be quite a detailed piece of detailed operation. There's a lot there that you need to do to do to do that. Where did the business start? How did you how did it come to be?
SPEAKER_00:It started about 33 years ago in New Zealand, actually. We were working with the New Zealand government, and the New Zealand government at the time was uh changing the way that they did regulation, and one of the things they were doing was that they moved the um separated the policy from the um from the operations. And part of that was that they looked at exams and assessments across New New Zealand and went, is that really a job of a regulator to actually do the exams and assessments? And the answer to them at that point was no. And so what they started to do was to divest that activity out of the regulators and into a more operational area. And in some cases that was picked up by parts of the private sector. In the case of ASPEC, we um are owned by the New Zealand aviation industry, and we uh then took over the New Zealand civil aviation exams. And because of our scale and the ability to do things efficiently, we were able to start to expand globally and also into other areas. And that meant that we became even more efficient at what we were doing, and so we can deliver exams for regulators far cheaper than what they can, and so and and at a at at and oftentimes a much higher quality as well. So they adopt us and then we we undertake those exams on behalf of them, and then they can be assured that the that the people who are doing the job that they're regulating are competent.
SPEAKER_01:Now, how big's your operation here in Australia and here in Canberra?
SPEAKER_00:In Canberra, we've got an office of eight people uh just down in Dixon, uh, and we've got very senior members of our organisation. So there's a member of our executive here, and plus also the head of our IT support. And that's done very deliberately because it gives us the ability to run the business from Canberra. Uh, and we've also got our candidate services globally, that function is led from Canberra as well. Across Australia, then we've got um about a hundred um casual and contract SMEs who help either invigilate the exams or um or write the questions for the for our exams globally.
SPEAKER_01:Now you talk about being able to run the business from Canberra, um, but you're a New Zealand company, so why would you want to be able to do that?
SPEAKER_00:Uh for two reasons, really. Um Canberra is a great place to recruit staff. Um so we find highly skilled, highly competent people in Canberra, and so that means that we can be assured that we're going to get good people to do the role for us. The other reason is that New Zealand is quite risky in terms of um uh natural disasters, and so we did want to have certainty that we would be able to deliver our service regardless of what was going on in New Zealand. And so we've we've set up the business so that we've got very little physical infrastructure in New Zealand. A lot of it is a lot of our um IT infrastructure is in the cloud, but we've also got the ability to run the business out of Canberra.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so Canberra is a business continuity plan for our spec. I mean that's that's quite a quite a badge of honour for Canberra.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, well, I hadn't really conceived it as the business continuity plan. I I'd I sort of put it in terms of all of the great things that Canberra has to offer, but actually when you put it like that, that is actually true. But the the fact is that we um you know we could have chosen anywhere, but we did choose Canberra for for a for a whole lot of reasons, including access to the to the federal um to the federal government, but also the other um in inherent benefits of of Canberra.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. And what do you see those being? I mean, obviously workforce um is is part of that, but what are the other things that drew you to set up here?
SPEAKER_00:Well, it's kind of well it was about the workforce, and so when you think about what is it that that work you know uh a strong, well, well-educated workforce need, they they don't just need you know a roof over their heads and and a job. They need all of the other things that come with a with a with a good lifestyle, you know, all of the the ability to go and do stuff that those cultural and social elements that come with it, some of the economic elements, um, which mean that it that it is a great city to live in. And so that then attracts and retains the staff.
SPEAKER_01:One of the challenges that there must be running an operation out of Wellington and having an office in Canberra is the connectivity between the two cities. There's no direct connections back to New Zealand or to Wellington. Is that something that is a is a challenge for you?
SPEAKER_00:It it really is. Um a modern-day business perspective, the internet connectivity and and all of that, that's fantastic, right? No issues there. Uh from a from an ability to travel backwards and forwards to between the two capitals, that's a honestly, that's a bit of a nightmare. And Greg, you'll appreciate this. You know, once upon a time there was a direct flight from Wellington to Canberra, and it was a dream. You could almost do a day trip to Canberra. Um, now I have to come away for two days. Um, and that's that's fine, but it is it is a bit of a nuisance. And I think that's probably a bit of a hindrance for for the whole of Canberra. It's not the easiest place to get to. Um but once you're here, it's great.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and certainly uh there's been a lot of discussion about um kick-starting flights back to New Zealand, which I think would be a big help if we can we can make those happen. So we'll we'll add you to the list of people calling for that.
SPEAKER_00:Oh look, the the dream would be um Wellington, Canberra, Singapore for us, because you know our fourth biggest client is in Singapore as well. But also once you get to Singapore, it's it's you're you're you're on the way to the rest of the world.
SPEAKER_01:So you you're operating across a very diverse range of geographies. Um have you actually got people in all those markets?
SPEAKER_00:Not necessarily. Um it depends on the needs of that that particular state or that that regulator that we're working with. So in some cases, like Pakistan, like Hong Kong, for example, we have um we have a set of exam centers and and vigilators, people who supervise exams work for us in Hong Kong. Um, and the Hong Kong um clients they will use our IT systems to um to book and manage the exams, and we'll run the exams through our um our exam system. Some clients will just use the exam system for booking and and undertaking the exams, and we'll do their own question bank work, but we'll also invigilate the exams as well. So really we're quite flexible in how we um uh roll out our service depending on the needs of that particular regulator.
SPEAKER_01:And is there is there much difference do you find between um running the operation in different markets? Like what are what are the the big challenges you find in in some places compared to others?
SPEAKER_00:Look, it it is it's um it's probably a bit cliched, but it it is definitely true that every single country, every single place that we work in, uh there are distinct cultural business uh differences in the way that they do business and the way that they interact with each other. So you do have to be very flexible in that respect, but also um you know respectful and try to understand those differences because if you you know you make the mistake once, it's probably okay. Make the mistake twice, you're not going to get another meeting.
SPEAKER_01:So, talking about some of those distinct cultural differences, um what was your experience setting up an office in Canberra? What were what were the differences between doing business here in Australia versus versus New Zealand and were there any surprises in that?
SPEAKER_00:I I'll have to be honest, I was um I wasn't here when we set up the Canberra office. Um that was about we set up in Canberra um more than 20 years ago. Um, and so we made a long-term commitment to Canberra. We initially came here because we had a client here, but the longer we've been here, the more we've become strong advocates of of being in Canberra, and and we won't be moving out of Canberra in a hurry. In terms of setting up, it's it's always the usual things I've you know from what I've heard about setting up a new place, is is around you know, understanding the rules and regulations that that go with setting up in that particular place, you know, the rules around business and government and tax and all of those sorts of things, where to find venues, how to employ staff, what are the rules when it comes to employee staff? Um, even you know, the the simple things like how to open a bank account can be quite uh difficult. I and and you know that was the the sorts of things that you find anywhere, but you know, I I can't draw any uh distinct differences from Canberra because I wasn't here.
SPEAKER_01:And and now um how long have you been in your role, Hamish?
SPEAKER_00:Uh just is just over three years.
SPEAKER_01:So so three years in, I mean, how how do you how do you find the difference between operating in Australia versus New Zealand? Are the are there things that stand out to you as as as materially different? Um or does does each market just have its own sort of peculiarities?
SPEAKER_00:They they all do have their own peculiarities. And and the the thing about Australia is is that and we were talking about this earlier, is that it is seven, eight distinct countries in its own right. Um and business practice is slightly different, particularly around the regulations across each of those those countries, so those those states. So there's there's that consideration. Um, in terms of um some of the employment rules, regulations, laws are uh are different and in some cases quite constraining to a business that is that is growing and expanding and is wanting to have some flexibility in in how it works with its with its workforce, and also that the workforce often wants flexibility back. And you find yourself sometimes having to say no we can't do that, that's against the law. Um we also uh find that um in terms of business practice, there's some you know there are differences in negotiating styles between New Zealanders and and Australians, you know. Um I guess with Australians you never die wandering.
SPEAKER_01:So growth you've touched on um a moment ago. Do you do you see further growth in your operation here in Canberra?
SPEAKER_00:Um yeah, we really do. We are um very much focused on on growth in into Australia, working with regulators at both the sort of state and federal level. Um we believe that the work we've done with CASA and some of the work we're doing with with ASIC put us in a good position to demonstrate that we can provide uh a good service, a reliable uh service across the whole of Australia. And so we will be looking to work with other with other regulators across New Zealand. I put uh business development increased that in in Australia, and it's definitely a focus of the business over the coming years to to grow in Australia.
SPEAKER_01:And it's not just aviation, right? I mean the origins are in aviation, but but what what sort of sectors do you do you work across?
SPEAKER_00:So we we we do work in um so we we're targeting in in Australia, and but this is also globally um a lot of the regulated traits. So, for example, in New Zealand we do all of the certifying exams for the electricians and the plumbers, the gas fitters and the drain layers. We also work in in health care with with midwives and in an emergency management as well, with so New Zealand Fire and Emergency and the New Zealand Police, um, providing exams for for them to ensure that those for people doing that work are competent. Um we see that opportunity in Australia as well, particularly in sort of some of those sort of safety conscious um businesses and industries in within New Zealand, uh within Australia, so you know, health and safety, um, you know, the those regulated trades.
SPEAKER_01:Um Hamish, I guess just to come back to Canberra and doing business here, and and obviously um you know it's it's fantastic that you're a long-term uh Canberra business. Um 20 years is is is a is a very long time to have sort of kept uh kept an operation going and to be growing that. Um you're seeing future growth potential here on this side of the Tasman and in Canberra, but what are the what are the big challenges that you see in the market?
SPEAKER_00:Um we obviously we we live in a in an area of rapid technological change, so the way that um assessments are being undertaken is potentially going to change incredibly rapidly with the with the rise of certain types of AI models. Um it is both a potential benefit and uh a threat to us as well, though. Because of the way that we conduct our exams, it means that it is very difficult for people to use some of these AIs to answer the the questions and to rely too much on the technology and not necessarily deliver a safe solution from their own competence. So, you know, there are some advantages there, but also there is the way that we conduct our business, the way we run our systems, is also going to potentially change due to due to this technology change. Um there are other sort of geopolitical changes as well. You know, we're an international business, like many Australian and New Zealand businesses rely on global trade in order to survive. And so the the uncertainty that's going on in the global environment at the moment is is obviously worrying to us as everybody else, particularly when you start to see sort of non-tariff trade barriers jump up. Um, and you know that that means it's very difficult for us to continue to do business. Um, but you know, other challenges we're seeing, obviously, there's an increased competition, but that's always good for business anyway. Um, you know, and you know, we starting to see a bit of an aging workforce as well. So we you know, particularly in a in a lot of trades, we're going to start seeing shortages. So, you know, how do we, as uh as an exam provider, as a as a final assessment, how do we make sure that what we're doing is not slowing down the people getting, you know, being competent and actually starting to join the workforce. So often you'll see in in many regulated trades, there's this sort of big bang, you sit the exam at the end and then you're certified, and away you go. Whereas some of the trades we're working with in New Zealand are actually doing it in a staged approach. So they'll do a little bit and then they'll get certified, and you can do that particular piece of the job and then move on to the next piece. And so for us, it's about working with the regulators to understand how that's going to change the way that they're looking at their regulated workforce.
SPEAKER_01:Just um touching on non-tariff protectionist barriers, which you sort of mentioned. Um, you know, the the idea um is is common in some quarters that actually it's a great idea to put these measures in place because they help uh protect local industry, protect local jobs. Have you got a view on that?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I do. Um I you know, I at first blush it seems like a really good idea. Um and that's fine if you're a local business and you know you're you're quite satisfied with your you know, you've got enough to buy a boat and you've got a holiday house and you've got your whatever. Um but if you want to expand globally or you want to, you've got you know serious ambition about your business, when you start to grow outside of Australia and New Zealand, you start tripping over those barriers on the other side. And they seriously restrict your ability to grow. And it's very difficult when you're from a very small country, a very long way away, to actually be able to function in a in an in an environment that is not rules-based. And so for me, looking at that kind of, oh, well, why don't we do that? It means it's just going to make it so much harder for our exporters because there will be a bit of tit for tat on that.
SPEAKER_01:Well, Hamish Findlay from Aspec, um, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today. It's been really interesting learning a little bit more about the business, and I certainly wish you uh all the very best in your growth aspirations and hope uh that you can continue to grow here in Canberra and indeed in Australia.
SPEAKER_00:Thanks very much, Greg.
SPEAKER_01:Thanks for joining us. Um don't forget, if you're not following us already, you can follow the Canberra Business Podcast on your favourite podcast platform to uh keep up to date with the latest episodes. Thanks very much. Catch you next time.