Our Founder
At COS, we believe that strong foundations lead to lasting success and no one embodied this more than our founder, Dominique Lyone. His journey was one of resilience, determination, and an unwavering commitment to service and social responsibility.
Dominique’s story began in 1967, when he and his family immigrated to Australia following the Six-Day War. At just 13 years old, he arrived in a new country with little more than determination and a willingness to work hard. Those early years were marked by financial hardship, but it was the support of Australian charities that helped his family rebuild their lives. This generosity left a profound impact on Dominique, shaping his lifelong belief that businesses should be a force for good.
As soon as he was legally able to Dominique joined the work force, getting a job as a telegram boy for the Randwick Post Office. The job paid $15 a week, which went straight back into the household. More roles followed, including a few jobs in factories here and there. Eventually he saw a job advertised for a typewriter mechanic and he was intrigued.
Dominique’s father had owned a typewriter business in Egypt, so he was confident he could handle the role, but he was turned down due to having no formal mechanical experience. His interest was piqued, so he went about finding another role in the field. After making call after call to every typewriter company in town he found one willing to take on an apprentice.
In the basement of the typewriter company was a small stationery store. This is where Dominique’s love affair with office supplies began. He noticed the men in the fancy suits who drove better cars and made their own hours. They were the salesmen, and he set his sights on becoming one himself.
Dominique started to dress the part, buying himself suits and ties and wearing them to his typewriter mechanic job. His determination paid off, and he was given an opportunity to enter sales. On his first day as a salesman, he made more money than he had the entire previous week, he knew his future would be in sales.
Although doing very well in this sales role, Dominique and a colleague decided to start their own business. Within 3 months, in 1977 the pair had registered the name Complete Office Supplies and began trading in a tiny room in Parramatta. By the mid-80’s COS had employed 15-20 people and Dominique decided to expand into retail.
Within a year, he’d lost the lot, but Dominique wasn’t willing to give up. He was determined to be a success. Soon came the whispers about the Internet. Though most of his customers believed it to be a passing fad and didn’t believe they’d ever use it, Dominique saw the potential of online shopping. He invested in new technology to build a website that he promoted as a cost-saving tool for corporations and the Australian Government.
The foresight paid off. For over 45 years, COS has remained the largest privately owned and family-operated office supplies company in Australia. Dominique believed that success was about more than just business – it was about people, relationships, and service. His experiences shaped COS’s core values: hard work, resilience, innovation, and giving back.
Beyond business, Dominique was deeply passionate about charity and social responsibility. Having experienced firsthand the impact of generosity, he created the Lyone Foundation, which focuses on supporting underfunded charities across Australia. He believed that businesses should be a force for good, and that philosophy remains at the heart of COS today.
Though Dominique sadly passed away in 2024, his legacy lives on. His daughters, Belinda and Amie Lyone, who have shared his passion for over 15 years, took on the role of Co-CEOs in 2021, ensuring that COS remains a family-led business driven by the same principles he championed.
At COS, we don’t just sell office supplies we help businesses, schools and hospitals create workplaces that are healthy, safe and productive. And at the core of it all is the vision of one man who took a chance, embraced challenges, and built something truly exceptional.
