Developed for schools by schools

Hear our story and why we're proudly developed with the help of schools.

A quick history...

In 2009, Compass founders John de la Motte and Lucas Filer met over a team lunch. While chowing down on their cafeteria sandwiches they bonded over their unapologetically nerdy love for education technology.

John and Lucas were sure there was a way to use technology to improve processes in school communities; a way of making tech part of everyday activities, like ordering a pie in the canteen, or letting parents know how their kids were performing in class.

After months of white-boarding and long days spent writing thousands of lines of code, Compass 1.0 came to life. However, the journey had only just begun and with the valuable input of foundational schools John and Lucas were able to add new features to the platform to meet school's needs.

Fast forward a decade and Compass' school management ecosystem is now used in more than 2,000 schools in Australia and beyond: from Melbourne to Mountrath (that’s in Ireland!), Toronto to Toowoomba.
It’s no longer just John and Lucas eating sandwiches at the lunch table. Now they’re joined by 200 members of the Compass team, delivering smart school management solutions around the world.

Compass now offer a comprehensive suite of modules that connects the entire school community. Schools are now able to simplify processes and reduce their administrative burden so everyone can focus on achieving their school's version of success.

Not bad for an idea formed over a lunch break.

The Compass timeline

Started in 2009, Compass was built to provide school communities with leading edge technology.

2007

  • John and Lucas complete their studies at Swinburne University and Monash University respectively.

2008

  • Aged 22, John and Lucas connect over their passion for education technology, working at AXA Australia.

2009

  • John and Lucas begin building Compass from Lucas’ parent’s garage in Vermont South.

2011

  • We move out of the home office and move into a small office in Kew.
  • We hire two more staff, and release the first version of CompassKiosk.

2012

  • We gain our first interstate customer, launch the Compass Mobile App, and the team swells to 10.
  • CompassPay is launched

2013

  • We launch TalkingPoints Digital Signage, introduce Purchase Ordering, CompassOne and the team grows to 25.

2014

  • We move our headquarters to Balwyn North, and the team grows to 50.
  • The new Compass mobile apps are launched for Android and iOS

2015

  • We celebrate our 1000th school and Compass HQ is opened in Balwyn North.
  • Compass is selected as the student management solution for over 700 Catholic schools.

2016

  • We launch our first school in Ireland.
  • Compass Guardian is launched.
  • We partner with TechnologyOne and Compass Billing is launched.

2017

  • Compass expands across three floors at Compass HQ.
  • Compass data center links upgraded to over 10Gb.
  • Compass becomes an ISP.

2018

  • Cashless Canteens and Online Ordering is launched.
  • We partner with MSP Photography.

2019

  • CompassTix is launched.
  • The Compass team grows to 145.

2020

  • Pulse is launched.
  • Compass HQ says goodbye to Balwyn North and makes Hawthorn our new home.

2021

  • Compass launches in England.
  • The Compass team grows to 200 employees and we reach our 2,000th school

Our Values

Remember how important values were for your school? It’s the same at Compass. Our values guide how and why we work

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Work to WOW!

Dynamic, enthusiastic, motivated: we aspire to break new ground. Guided by research, we constantly iterate and improve to deliver the best solution to meet the needs of our customers. We work to set the benchmark to always help.

Do it yesterday.

We plan and we prioritise but we are still agile and responsive. We work with passion and urgency, but we measure and consider variables, to deliver a    high-quality solution. ‘Be Prepared’ is being ready, not reactive. We walk before we run, so we can outperform the competition and reach amazing heights they couldn’t conceive.

Conquer the impossible.

When we face challenges together, few problems are unsolvable. We play to each other’s strengths and work collaboratively to achieve our shared objectives. We’re constantly creating products we stand behind in a workplace we’re proud of.

Be the school.

Teachers and students, principals and admin staff, parents, and guardians: school communities make Compass. They are the reason we work tirelessly to make their lives easier and help them bring their school’s vision to life. We understand their needs, goals and ambitions in order to do our best work.

Like what we stand for? Join our team!

Our leadership team

Meet the leaders who guide our team of 200+ enthusiastic and skilled individuals
John de la Motte
Co-Founder, CEO
Lucas Filer
Co-Founder
Travis Gandy
Chief Operating Officer
Janet Ha Le
Chief Financial Officer
Wendy Hamson
Chief Revenue Officer
Neil Spence
WA State Manager
Catherine Elliot-Jones
Griddle Executive Officer
Owen McGowan
Manager - Ireland
Vivian Chang
Head of Sales Operations
Brad Fry
Legal Counsel
Jerome Muldoon
Chief Customer Officer
Aswin Lakshman
Chief Technology Officer
Andrew Gierens
Senior Solutions Architect
Kyrim Steele
Senior Solutions Architect
Mark Humphries
General Manager - Delivery
Chris Garey
Senior Schools Engagement Manager - QLD, NT
Sharee Feist
Manager - Schools Engagement - WA
Marie Sabey
Manager - Schools Engagement - NSW
Karen Cornish
Manager - Schools Engagement - NSW
Kate Dalton
Manager - Customer Success - VIC, NSW, SA
Joseph Cooper
Manager - Customer Success - QLD, NT
Kumaran Keyes
Development Team Lead - Ireland
Kirsti Taylor
General Manager - New Markets
Caitlin Doyle
Senior Schools Advisor

Ready for a tour? Discover why we're Australia's fastest growing school management system provider.