CEO

I believe passionately in the power of entrepreneurial thinking and courageous purpose to unshackle the biggest corporations.

I’ve developed this belief over a 30 year career spent in both huge corporations like Unilever and Diageo and as CEO of loads of entrepreneurial and even start-up businesses. I think this gives me a useful perspective when I’m working with business leaders in big companies to clarify and implement strategy and transform the way their organisations think. I write a lot and speak on purpose, ethics and entrepreneurship and I’ve been a guest lecturer at Cranfield, Henley and Cambridge Judge Business Schools. One of my main interests at Contexis in recent years has been to pursue the ‘holy grail’ of measuring the commercial impact of purpose and show exactly how it drives performance in real businesses. I’ve had the huge honour to work closely with top academics mainly at Cambridge and Plymouth Universities in this ambitious project.

Chair

I am fanatical about building work environments based on trust allowing individuals to bring their true selves to work.

Having spent over 20 years in leadership and Board roles across Europe in Mars Inc, one of the globe’s largest, most successful and sustainable family businesses I’ve seen what is possible when senior executives create a culture of trust and ownership within their organisation. I’ve learned how, by developing work environments which engender  agile and responsive “followship”, leaders can transform their business; not only making it a place where everyone truly contributes but a company they can feel proud of. I understand the secrets of how to evolve a leadership team that is considered by stakeholders as outstanding, is respected by their workforce and has an authenticity of style. I specialise in supporting “C suite” executives to create clarity around their strategy, and to recognise the refinements required to facilitate  successful and sustainable implementation across their business.

Chief Operations Officer

I believe that a sense of ownership is a massive discriminator of performance in all organisations.

As Licensing Director for Unilever, I expanded many Unilever brands into new markets by partnering with fast growth entrepreneurial business and giving them access to Unilever’s brands, knowledge and finance. This was a hugely successful venture, creating a rapid innovation cycle for the company and a new business model for growth. Since then, I’ve worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs bringing clarity and energy to help them build brilliant businesses that they love working in. I’ve seen how the people and behaviours make the most difference to corporate agility and how purpose-led organisations outscore purely profit-led organisation in all aspects of business, regardless of the size of the company. At ContexIs I really enjoy putting together client programmes which drive strategic clarity, trust and ownership into exciting businesses.

CEO, Contexis Australia

I passionately believe magic happens for our communities and planet when employees are empowered in their roles to make courageous decisions that are aligned to just and purposeful outcomes.

What inspires me about Contexis is the privilege of working with clients to ignite individual purpose at leadership level, as they make the transformational shift towards being a purpose-driven organisation. It’s about journeying with them as they uncover their “aha” moments and tying it back to the organisation’s ‘North Star’. I’m driven by the current systems challenge we’re facing at a corporate governance level, and how we bring empathy to the individuals making those moral decisions within the corporate structure. We’re at the most interesting point in history where there is a shift to align decisions to sustainable principles. “Suddenly” we are increasingly seeing systemic changes, at an organisational and project level, creating space for individuals to contribute from a place of genuine ethics. And there is something very inspiring about getting up in the morning and doing something to accelerate and amplify that shift. I’ve always had a deep appreciation for ecology. I admire nature’s iterative approach when solving problems. Nature has no waste. She’s efficient, and constantly evolving solutions by capitalising on the ‘waste’ she produces. I apply these ecological principles in my work by identifying where “waste” has accumulated, and flipping this into an opportunity to innovate.  

Head of the Engine Room

I think it’s obvious that we all share a heartfelt need to be connected and to be useful, and that we all lose out if we can't bring this to our work.

Having spent 18 years working in consumer marketing and innovation for Irn-Bru, Premier Brands and Bacardi-Martini then running my own coaching consultancy, I understands from experience the pressures and rewards of the corporate and the entrepreneur's life. I’ve worked in companies with a genuine long-term perspective and ones for whom next week might as well not exist. Now I lead the Contexis Engine Room – designing and producing systems and transformational programmes that run like clockwork and are easily scalable.

 

I believe that people have the potential to make a lasting contribution to our world through their work.

A thoughtful and customised employee experience has the power to unlock the potential in people to contribute with their whole selves. And so, it follows that an engaged employee will contribute to their organisation’s success and align themselves to activating its purpose. Other than being an employee myself, I first encountered the power of employee experience through supporting organisations as an employment lawyer. I quickly realised I would make the most contribution by proactively shepherding people’s experience at work. For the past 10 years, I partnered with leadership teams in professional services, healthcare and for purpose organisations to positively influence organisational performance through a focus on people and their experience at work. I do this through deep listening, insight coaching, developmental facilitation, human centred design, and nurturing trusting relationships.  

I believe the world longs for guidance and stewardship on how to stick through our shared learning journey.

This world is getting more complex by the day. (Think about it: the speed of change will never be as slow as it is today.) Constantly, we need to find new ways. This challenge is true for us as a global community, for every organisation and for each of us individually. I believe that most people are motivated and willing to step up. I provide guidance and support that enables them to convert their intent into impact. I help organisations to make their aspirations reality. Allergic to jargon, I’m pushing my clients to actually empower their workforce; to create true alignment, and to really change mindsets. I help everyone involved to step into the inevitable tension that this will bring, to find new ways to collaborate and to lean into the uncomfortable. My job is to guide you into this journey, through it, and out of it. For the last 20 years, I’ve been deeply involved in leadership and capability development. An expert in human learning as well as in systems thinking, I bring a perspective that is both strategic and pragmatic. After an academic career in business education and instructional psychology, I was a capability expert at Boston Consulting Group in Germany and Australia, working across industries, sectors and regions. I’m a leader at WYSE, a non-for-profit organisation that enables young leaders to make a difference in their communities.

I believe that by attending to both health and productivity, we can directly improve performance for business leaders and their teams. 

I’m a life scientist by background but with a passion for entrepreneurship. I am inspired by working with business leaders and their teams to overcome issues hindering their progress and to develop a clear and very do-able strategy to achieve their vision. In 25 years experience, in a mix of commercial and consulting roles, I have worked with entrepreneurial leaders in businesses large and small, private and listed, throughout Europe and North America, India and China. My special area of interest is in applying my original research background with innovative tools to help business leaders and their teams to feel more energised and be more productive.   Using heart rate variability technology by Firstbeat™, I give clients an in-depth means to understand their physiological response to stress and a heavy workload and to manage their resources more effectively, in and outside of work.

I believe that it takes courage to truly lead.

Courageous leaders dare to go where they have not gone before. I love to work with leaders who want to achieve more; for themselves, for their businesses, and for the people in them. Previously I worked for nearly ten years with DMS as Senior Vice President, tasked with transforming operational efficiency, managing teams through complex projects and several organisational evolutions. I recognised then the interconnected nature of strategy and execution. Ever since, I have worked to bridge the gap between strategy and implementation by understanding both the technical and commercial requirements of the task and the human beliefs and behaviours that can derail progress. I am fortunate to be based in the Cayman Islands but I work around the world, with a particular focus on the US. My aim in advising any client is to connect the human with the commercial, to improve alignment, accountability and to deliver sustainability change.

I believe in the power of storytelling - it's the core of how we connect, build relationships and understand each other.

Drawing from a background in psychology and over 15 years working as a leadership behaviour consultant, it is clear that if organisations are able to continue to thrive in an often competitive, volatile and uncertain environment, that we need to work with leaders to develop not only the skills, but the mindset required to be successful in such a demanding context.

My work therefore focuses on partnering with organisations to build their leadership capability by addressing both the mindset and skills required to drive business results. I am passionate about creating opportunities that challenge and support leaders to understand themselves at a deeper level, so that they can leverage their unique qualities and abilities to create positive change in the teams they lead and for the customers they serve.

I have been fortunate to have spent nearly two decades working across the Asia Pacific and the Middle East regions with some of the world’s leading organisations. While mostly working as a facilitator and coach, in more recent years I have designed numerous leadership development initiatives that have been rolled out across APAC and then adopted as global programs. I love the process of collaborating with clients to create engaging and impactful development initiatives that address their specific business challenges, knowing that what we do together will lead positive change.

 

I believe we all have 'this one life to call our own'  in which we want to be our best, make a difference and leave a legacy.

We can cultivate corporations, governments, and communities to create a purposeful culture that enables people to contribute their unique talents in a meaningful way. And that this happens through enabling leaders to lead with purpose, values, and compassion.  I collaborate with, and am a trusted partner to, clients which provides the opportunity for authentic engagement, learning and growing together, and solid performance outcomes. I have delivered leadership and coaching programs with government, small and large companies, and not for profit agencies across many sectors, including Top 200.  As a psychologist specialising in leadership, resilience and wellbeing in the workplace, I see first-hand the positive impact that leading with purpose, values, trust, and respectful behaviour have on happiness and positive relationships at work… and equally on the balance sheet and performance metrics.  

I believe 'other people' matter, and when we live and lead from this perspective we unlock latent potential and the ability to thrive and flourish. 

I’m passionate about disrupting conventional leadership and people management practices through the lens of positive psychology, neuroscience, emotional intelligence, leadership theory and practice and trauma informed conversation.  Having spent the majority of my career in executive level HR in both ANZ and global organisations I understand the nuances that sit within living systems and have the ability to straddle the commercial realities of organisations whilst driving deep human connections to facilitate change and extraordinary outcomes. My insatiable curiosity for what it means to be human means I’m continually thinking and feeling my way through this great canvass of life!   I love to shine the light on people, to help them on a journey of exploration that seeks to strengthen the connection with self and others.  Safely guiding people through the discomfort that is often hiding in the shadows is central to what I do and often how we become our best selves.  

I believe in  empowering and inspire leaders to activate human potential at work. 

I am a facilitator, coach, author and consultant driven by an aspiration to meaningfully contribute to the activation of human potential at work.

Over the last three years I have worked with a range of organisations including; The Australian Tax Office, The Victorian Department of Health, Holden, Mirvac, NSW Department of Transport, Goodstart Early Learning, Only About Children, SAP, BlackRock, Procter & Gamble, AIG, RMIT and Westfund as a leadership trainer, coach, co-creator, facilitator, speaker and strategic advisor.

Those who work with me can expect to transform their relationship with themselves and with those they lead by reconnecting to their most positively powerful ways of being, cultivating trust from the inside out. I have enjoyed a long and successful leadership career having spent over two decades leading teams both in Australia and overseas in large multi-national organisations. At Bupa, I held the role of Global Director of Employee Experience & Wellbeing and was responsible for the activation of Bupa’s purpose “Longer, Healthier, Happier Lives” for their 86,000 employees.  In 2019 I established my coaching, facilitation and consulting business and established the Centre for Self Fidelity in 2021.  I also work for Thrive Global as an Executive Coach and Facilitator; Thrive Global is an organisation founded and led by Arianna Huffington whose  mission is to help individuals, companies and communities improve their well-being and performance and unlock their greatest potential.    

I believe life is too short to work without purposeful impact.

Financial success without meaning is hollow, and fulfilling work without suitable reward is unsustainable.  I love exploring how Boards, Executives, Departments and Teams might create cultures that enable people to serve, build, grow and thrive. Across my career in international banking, consulting, retail operations, not-for-profits and fintech startups, I know the importance of aligning the goals of individuals, teams, and their organisations in accordance with humanity and our planet. All our futures depend on it. I’ve talked people around on their strategy but I’ve never convinced someone to abandon their passion. Along the way I’ve learned to connect the two as much as possible, and prepare to be surprised by the possibilities they unlock. I believe leadership is about moving first, eating last, playing with rules, and helping others achieve beyond their dreams.  

I believe that knowing who you are and why you are really here makes all the difference. 

I began my career in the law because it was what I was told I ‘should’ do.  But I finally worked out what I really like doing, what I’m really good at doing, what I’m really meant to do.

As an evidence-based Coaching Psychology Consultant, I engage clients in collaborative, solution-focused conversations to encourage deep personal insight and facilitate bold personal change.  I work in private practice, and I also consult to large organisations. But wherever I go, you’ll always find me deeply curious.    I am interested in finding out all about who you really are and how you want to show up in the world so that the life and career you build can be authentic, sustainable, and deeply satisfying  

I believe that when leaders are clear on their purpose, live their values and encourage people to use their own talent and strengths, they can create cultures that inspire people to believe in themselves and live their potential.

A registered psychologist, I have worked with organisations across the world delivering leadership development, executive coaching and professional development programs. I particularly love to work with leaders and their teams to equip them with the resilience skills and knowledge to manage change, improve performance, be agile, innovative and grow as leaders.

I use my background in neuroscience, positive psychology and organisational psychology to design and deliver highly effective executive coaching programs and leadership team workshops for clients who have included Top 200 listed companies, government agencies, law firms, consulting firms, and private organisations.  Leading workshops and coaching senior management and their teams to become champions of their organisational strategy and change programs, I help leaders use their strengths and build their capability to engage effectively with their teams; influencing upwards with stakeholders; and working collaboratively with their peers when leading change.

I am a Senior Associate for the Melbourne Business School, Melbourne University in Australia, where I design and deliver leadership programs for global & Australian companies, and also a Senior Associate with the Positivity Institute and an active member of the Australian Psychological Society.

 

I believe that by challenging employees to know themselves better, and to develop the curiosity to know their colleagues and clients better too, we can positively transform organisations.

Drawing from a background in psychology and over 15 years working as a leadership behaviour consultant, it is clear that if organisations are able to continue to thrive in an often competitive, volatile and uncertain environment, that we need to work with leaders to develop not only the skills, but the mindset required to be successful in such a demanding context.

My work therefore focuses on partnering with organisations to build their leadership capability by addressing both the mindset and skills required to drive business results. I am passionate about creating opportunities that challenge and support leaders to understand themselves at a deeper level, so that they can leverage their unique qualities and abilities to create positive change in the teams they lead and for the customers they serve.

I have been fortunate to have spent nearly two decades working across the Asia Pacific and the Middle East regions with some of the world’s leading organisations. While mostly working as a facilitator and coach, in more recent years I have designed numerous leadership development initiatives that have been rolled out across APAC and then adopted as global programs. I love the process of collaborating with clients to create engaging and impactful development initiatives that address their specific business challenges, knowing that what we do together will lead positive change.

 

I believe in positively influencing the world, and the organisations within it, through the power of 'the ripple effect'. 

With 18 years experience in leadership, transformation and operational excellence, I thrive on guiding leaders to re-frame challenges into opportunities; think differently; make ethical decisions; and deliver meaningful outcomes to employees, customers and the communities in which they operate.  Having worked across organisations ranging from small Australian start-ups to international relief aid organisations, I love fostering structure, process and purpose in nebulous situations - equipping emerging and current leaders with the next-generation transformation tools they need to drive organisational sustainability and growth.  I’m energised by building connections with others – and helping them build purposeful connections too. And I believe data and analytics, alignment to purpose, and a deep understanding of your customer, are key to making the best decisions.  

I believe in helping people to show up more fully in their lives, so that they build deep human connections and the the courage to realise their potential to contribute to the world.

Having spent many years in the Boardroom as a non-executive director and consultant, I am deeply passionate about bringing courage, curiosity, connection, and humanity to life in boards and executive teams to help organisations and leaders to think boldly, explore challenges, evolve, and achieve together. I have partnered organisations as a consultant, learning designer, facilitator and coach to unlock potential and performance for over 20 years.  My work spans professional services, higher education, finance, FMCG, transport & logistics, utilities, law enforcement, construction, media, advertising, retail and for purpose organisations. I love exploring the intersection between leadership practices and positive psychology with clients.  I create space for people to explore possibilities, challenge and experiment with ideas and ways of being which deepen their understanding of themselves and others.  I believe that this work enables leaders and teams to grow connection, build trust and collaborate to create the context and clarity to translate strategy into performance and achieve impactful outcomes in their work and beyond.  

I am driven by the belief that an enabling ecosystem of connections, resources and knowledge, can empower individuals to drive 'purpose aligned action' within their organisations to create social and environmental value.

An Architect by background, I now work as a professional ‘generalist’ across the areas of strategic and participatory design, facilitation, social innovation, business and enterprise development, corporate social responsibility, shared value, partnership brokering and capacity building.

I draw on over 10 years of national and international experience in both the private and for-purpose sectors developing successful programs and initiatives within organisations and delivering value on major projects for clients.

I have a deep understanding of the social sector, including the existing and emerging challenges facing communities in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.  I also understand the drivers and pathways to influence business practice and create shared value.  My work focuses around initiatives and collaborations that look to shift social and environmental challenges through building new capabilities, developing new ways of doing business and creating opportunities for purpose aligned innovation.

 

I’m a business psychologist and PhD with a fascination for what motivates and drives human behaviour and how this can impact business outcomes.

My work challenges individuals to address the real issues which deliver business outcomes through personal growth. In particular, how attitudes and personality influence and inform decision making and the process of change. I have many years experience in academic research and working as a business psychologist and coach, and I’ve discovered that there are a number of key factors which stand out above others, namely because of their impact on behaviour – CONFIDENCE, OPENNESS and COMMITMENT. Working with different cultures and industry sectors across the globe, these core elements remain constant factors.

I believe the power of your message is in its authenticity, authority and energy. It’s more about how you communicate than what you actually say.

I began my coaching career after many years as a producer and manager at the BBC and in the independent sector. I’ve since found myself training people in an amazing mix of locations – from the back of speed boats to a shoot with the Sugarbabes – and in a range of situations – from helping authors handle a political media storm to preparing CEOs and board directors to deliver/deliver high profile strategy speeches with confidence and conviction. I work with with many top executives and businesses, transforming the way they communicate both internally and externally. I believe in presenting with authenticity, authority and energy and that the credibility and impact of your message is as much about how you communicate, as it is about the power of your content.

I love to build relationships of trust so we can work on the things that really matter.

My passion is to empower business owners to fulfil their potential; building their businesses while helping them explore their dreams and fears so they can have high growth from a more relaxed, happy business, in which the owner/founder is doing far less. I like a bloody-minded client and a boardroom tussle - they are a sign of commitment and determination to achieve more. Over the last 16 years I’ve delivered thousands of hours coaching, mentoring and advising businesses in a wide variety of sectors. Prior to this I spent 25 years as an entrepreneur, founding and growing a number of businesses nationally and internationally that were sold successfully.

I believe it is not just about the money, it’s about what makes a business tick.

I’ve worked in the SME market for over 18 years now, and love understanding what makes a business tick and seeing how I can add extra value to my clients by molding a tailored service. A methodical planner who loves to be organized, the challenge of managing the finances for a fast-growing business like Contexis is the kind of work that gets me out of bed in the morning.