In good health: How Dr. Shetty has evolved Omega to “create opportunities for others”

Omega Industries has grown from a door-to-door operation into a global powerhouse. As the brand enters a new era, Dr. Namrata Shetty reveals how stewardship and social responsibility continue to anchor its success.

Dr. Namrata Shetty has always been a keen observer.

The director and principal psychiatrist of Omega Healthcare once watched on as her father, Kan Shetty, changed his family’s future by spotting a small advertisement in the paper and sensing a large opportunity.

In 2000, after leaving his accounting career, Shetty bought a then-small paint manufacturing company, Omega, which was for sale in The Sydney Morning Herald, with “very few overheads”. Shetty rolled up his sleeves and built the brand by hand-labelling cans and selling them door-to-door to industrial clients. Over time, he transformed the single-factory operation into a diversified group. In 25 years, it spanned manufacturing, hospitality, and property.

The Omega Group navigated a series of acquisitions, which began in 2007 when APCO Coatings came knocking. As the business became more complex, Shetty remained true to one poignant piece of advice: “No one should ever feel hesitant to speak to you. You risk ending up high in the castle and forgetting the ground it is built on.”

This line of thinking had a lasting impact on Dr. Shetty, who pursued a psychiatric career, earning the title of Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP), and focusing her work on psychiatric disorders in the geriatric population. She has taken the Omega name into new frontiers.

“Leadership is not simply about direction,” says Dr. Shetty. “It is also about remaining open to insight from the wider environment around you.”

Central to the Shetty family’s growth of Omega Industries is its social responsibility efforts. The company now boasts over 700 employees across 10 countries, including brands such as APCO Coatings Australia, Poolkote, Omega Paints, Hydrotech Ink, Rustblock, Quickline, and Berger Paints Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Dr. Shetty has specifically spearheaded Omega Healthcare, which stands as the embodiment of the modern direction of the company.

“A pivotal realisation in my career was recognising that my role was not simply to help grow the businesses in our family enterprise, but to think about how they would continue to evolve,” she says. “The responsibility now is to ensure that what began with one individual can continue to support many people and grow across generations.”

Q&A

Scaling across multiple sectors often comes with growing pains. What’s the toughest challenge you’ve overcome, and what did it teach you?

One of the greatest challenges has been working across industries with very different environments. Within the Omega Group, this spans manufacturing, hospitality, health and property development, including Del Rio Resort. Each sector has its own regulatory framework, operating rhythm, and economic pressures. Navigating these differences requires adaptability and a willingness to learn from experts in those industries. This reinforced for me that leadership often involves bringing together diverse perspectives and letting expertise inform better decisions. Ultimately, true leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about recognising the right insight and knowing when to act.

In your field, what major shifts or trends do you believe leaders cannot afford to ignore right now?

One major shift across many industries is the increasing accountability expected from businesses. Stakeholders now expect far greater transparency in how companies operate and make decisions. Customers, employees, and regulators have more visibility than a decade ago. This means leadership is no longer just about driving growth. It also requires a strong sense of responsibility for how businesses interact with their broader communities.

How do you define success today, and has that definition changed over time?

Earlier in my career, success was measured by growth and achievement, recognised by milestones completed. Over time, my perspective has shifted. I now think about success more in terms of stewardship. Building something meaningful carries a responsibility to ensure it remains strong and beneficial for the people connected to it. Success, therefore, becomes less about individual milestones and more about whether the institutions you are involved in continue to create opportunities for others over the long term.

What’s the boldest goal you’ve set yourself for the next five years?

Over the next five years, my focus is on strengthening and expanding the Omega Group businesses while developing opportunities in hospitality and property. The ambition is not just scale but to ensure the businesses evolve while staying grounded in the values that allowed their growth. Ultimately, the goal is to build enterprises that remain strong and relevant into the future.

What advice would you give your younger self starting out?

I would remind my younger self that careers rarely unfold in a straight line. Early in life, there is often pressure to define a single path and follow it perfectly. In reality, every role, challenge, or even non-start teaches something valuable about people, systems, and decision-making. An important habit for me is maintaining a commitment to learning. I enjoy reading widely, meeting people from different industries, and studying various fields because each perspective offers another way to understand the world. If you remain curious and learn from each experience, you become more adaptable. When you develop that mindset, specific circumstances matter less because you trust your ability to navigate any terrain.

Learn more at https://omegaind.com.au/