About Aurora Expeditions
Based in Sydney, Australia, Aurora Expeditions operates a fleet of smaller, purpose-built ships designed for low-impact expeditions to some of the world’s most far-flung and untouched places. Cruises visit both polar circles — the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle — based on seasonal conditions, as well as other remote coasts including Iceland, Scotland, and Costa Rica. Adventures are led by experienced guides, who take passengers on shore in a fleet of inflatable boats, lead rock-climbing and scuba expeditions, and tour remote, bio-diverse coastlines in sea kayaks.
Aurora Expeditions’ mission is to provide travelers with the unforgettable adventure of a lifetime. The Australian-owned expedition company has been at the forefront of experiential travel for more than three decades, offering remarkable smallgroup cruise expeditions to some of the world’s most remote locations. To extend Aurora Expeditions’ reach to its clearly defined customer profile, the company expanded beyond Australia, with G-P as its partner to enable swift international hiring and worldwide customer reach.
Opening the gates to unrivaled adventures
From the beginning, Aurora Expeditions was destined to be different. Its co-founders had a passion for adventure, exploring wild places and sharing their experiences with friends. In 1991, Aurora Expeditions was born with a simple mission: to take small groups of travelers on voyages of discovery to regions that inspired them, creating lifelong ambassadors for the preservation and protection of these sacred places. More than three decades later, that pioneering spirit burns just as brightly. Adventures are led by experienced guides, who take passengers on shore in a fleet of inflatable boats, lead rockclimbing and scuba expeditions, and tour remote, bio-diverse coastlines in sea kayaks. This environmentally conscious company has always focused on innovation and is proud to be certified 100% Climate Neutral as part of an ongoing active sustainability plan to help make a positive impact on the planet. In keeping with this ethos, Aurora Expeditions maintains a flexible and innovative business model.
Engaging adventure-seeking clientele
Finding adventurous clients to visit off-the-beaten-path destinations requires an active and engaged marketing and sales effort. With a clearly defined customer profile for its unique cruise offering, Aurora Expeditions found it necessary to place sales professionals in a variety of jurisdictions, while maintaining the company headquarters in Sydney.
Tapping into new markets proved critical to the company’s success. As more markets were identified and targeted worldwide, the need arose to place dedicated staff in remote locations across the globe. When it looked to recruit team members in countries such as the U.S. and U.K., Aurora Expeditions found the process time-consuming, costly, and challenging. Expansion into new regions meant the company had to either establish a legal entity in the target country and then employ team members in accordance with local labor laws, taxation rules, and payroll requirements — or hire individuals contracted to the Australia-based legal entity.
“For a business with limited resources, this level of administration is not only unwanted but can create additional compliance issues to the point where it becomes a consideration as to whether it is worthwhile to pursue.”, said Mick Mag, Chief Financial at Aurora Expeditions.
“Setting up a legal entity in a new country is not only time-consuming but also creates additional layers of complexity around compliance and other potential local requirements.
Mick Mag
Chief Financial Officer at Aurora Expeditions
Navigating international seas with G-P
While researching alternative ways to gain a foothold in new markets, Aurora Expeditions discovered the global employment products offered by G-P. G-P’s worldwide entity infrastructure allows companies to hire in any jurisdiction in a fully compliant manner within a matter of minutes.
Using G-P Meridian Prime™, Aurora Expeditions can hire employees with a customized, watertight local contract through a single end-to-end technology platform. It was important for Aurora Expeditions to provide new hires with standard employee entitlements in their country of employment.
“Instead of the complexities and difficulties involved with setting up our own entity, such as finding legal representatives, insurance agents, and accountants in new markets, we can use a single platform that enables us to hire team members in just a few clicks,” said Mag.
“G-P gives us the flexibility we need while ensuring we are totally compliant with all the local rules and laws in that particular country.
Mick Mag
Chief Financial Officer at Aurora Expeditions
As pioneers of the employer of record (EOR) industry, G-P has added multiple layers of functionality to its industry-leading Global Growth Platform™. The G-P platform was a natural choice for Aurora Expeditions, which ran a lean management team and had limited time and resources for administration and legal work.
“As well as saving time and eliminating the need for complex and inefficient solutions, the G-P platform is very easy to use,” added Mag. “G-P offers choices at various points of the hiring process. For example, you can choose between different insurance providers. It is an intuitive platform and makes the process of hiring very simple.”
Conquering new territories
Aurora Expeditions now has the flexibility to hire employees in any of the 180+ countries G-P currently operates in, quickly and compliantly, without the need to set up a legal entity in that location.
“The time and effort involved in locating and employing team members in new jurisdictions has gone from being a complex burden to being a simple and efficient process,” said Mag.
In addition to providing the peace of mind that comes with full compliance, the G-P platform also streamlines the entire HR process — from onboarding to payroll — with just one login and one global partner.
“Since we run a fairly unusual business model — with a high proportion of our employees working in diverse markets — it makes a lot of sense to have the daily tasks of managing that workforce taken care of by one unified platform,” added Mag.
“G-P makes life easier for us. We can find and employ people much faster and can manage our workforce with a simple, intuitive interface.
Mick Mag
Chief Financial Officer at Aurora Expeditions
Glimpsing into the future
Aurora Expeditions now has employees in Australia, the U.K., the U.S., Canada, and France — with plans to soon expand into Asia. With the help of G-P’s industry-leading technology and in-country expertise, Aurora Expeditions will continue developing its global footprint and expanding into new markets. G-P’s suite of global employment products will continue empowering the company to overcome geographic restrictions and limited resources, playing an important role in its ongoing global success.
