PINNACLE GROUP AUSTRALIA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Certified Coach
Ainsley comes from a background in senior HR and OD roles in global organizations' spanning 30+ years. Ainsley has worked across numerous industries and sectors including FMCG and retail. She is passionate about supporting individuals and teams to unlock their potential and tap into their best thinking. Ainsley brings out-of-the-box thinking, a solutions orientation and a focus on creating a better future.
Ainsley is a certified coach and skilled facilitator. She has led the design and delivery of organisation wide change and transformation programs across the region. Ainsley has a good eye for seeing the not-so-obvious elements that are holding individuals, teams or organisations back from best performance. Out of the office, Ainsley is an avid ‘off-the-beaten track' traveller, enjoys living and breathing natural health, reading and Pilates. Her vices are honeycomb chocolate and booking excess vacations!
Bri is a registered Psychologist with a Master of Organisational Psychology and a Graduate Certificate in Career Development and Education. She has over fifteen years'…
Andrew is a Principal Consultant at Pinnacle Group Australia with deep expertise in organisational strategy, change, performance and development. He is an engaged and outcome-focused problem solver who strives to create solutions centred around positive human experience and growth. Andrew has a proven track record collaborating with leaders and utilising a cross-functional toolkit to create lasting value at an individual, team and organisational level. He draws from his background in business and psychology to ensure that problems and opportunities are assessed both above and below the ‘line of visibility'.
Background and experience:
Andrew works with clients across a range of sectors - including Federal and State government, financial services, not-for-profit organisations and health and human services. In addition to his vocation for human-centred strategy and transformation, Andrew brings extensive experience in customer and employee experience, operating model design, workforce optimisation, capability development and service redesign. This is coupled with a deep passion for organisational psychology and the power of creating a workplace environment in which everyone has the opportunity to thrive in their personal and professional lives. He enjoys working with clients at all levels of an organisation and operating through a collaborative, forward-thinking approach.
Prior to joining Pinnacle Group Australia, Andrew worked primarily in management consulting with additional experience in financial analysis, human resources and community engagement.
Andrew is a proud chocoholic who enjoys music, basketball, outdoor adventures and travelling the world at every opportunity. His close relationships are of the utmost importance to him, and he loves meeting new people with new life lessons. Andrew tries to live every day with a commitment to sincerity, integrity and positive social impact.
Megan is a Principal Consultant at Pinnacle Group Australia with a strong focus on supporting individuals and teams to operate at their best. As an…
Bri is a registered Psychologist with a Master of Organisational Psychology and a Graduate Certificate in Career Development and Education.
She has over fifteen years' experience working in a broad range of sectors including government, education, not-for-profit and corporate - including the banking, media, retail and legal industries. Her experience includes the provision of wellbeing coaching, counselling, training, leadership coaching, career transition coaching, outplacement and return to work rehabilitation.
Bri works responsively and flexibly with clients, drawing on professional training in coaching, Acceptance and Commitment Training, Positive Psychology and solution focussed approaches. She has an engaging training style and is passionate about empowering people with skills and knowledge to manage life transitions, and maintain harmony between work and life.
David is an experienced associate with a strong background in community engagement, strategic planning, customer centric process improvement and service design. He has significant experience…
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Performance Consultant and Coach
Described as a genuine, flexible, engaging, and trusted coach and business partner, Catherine injects herself personally into every engagement whilst maintaining objectivity. With extraordinary heart and warmth, she is driven by a relentless pursuit of focused, meaningful, and robust discussions and is committed to the execution of transformational results. Gently
navigating through the hard conversations, she guides individuals, teams, and organisations to find their truth (unsurfaced strengths and limiting behaviours and approaches). She is dedicated to liberating potential and identifying how best to differentiate an individual, team or business to be the best version of themselves or compete in the future marketplace.
Catherine is an organisational performance consultant and coach with over 20 years' experience. She's partnered with Boards, CEOs, executive teams and leaders to provide consulting and coaching across Asia Pacific and America, and in a variety of industries, including Leisure and Event Entertainment, Information Technology, Telecommunications, Financial Services, Banking, Retail, Pharmaceutical, Advertising, Utilities, Mining, FMCG, Manufacturing, Local City Councils and Statutory Bodies.
Catherine brings an incredibly unique view to coaching and development. A Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Criminology, as well as a post-graduate degree in Applied Psychology (not to mention accreditation in a range of organisational and individual measurement tools), has positioned her as an expert in human behaviour.
She uses this to facilitate change initiatives at an individual, team and organisational level, designing and leading a range of successful programs. Whether they are large-scale global interventions or discrete local and individual projects, she consistently delivers against the goals. From raising the confidence and performance of her clients through to developing capability and agility, she delivers coaching that is energetic, passionate, action-oriented and results focused.
Catherine is a self-confessed chocoholic, a big fan of Ed Sheeran tunes, and loves hiking through the Dandenong's, Grampians and Wilson's Promontory, cycling anywhere COVID will allow her and even scootering down the St Kilda esplanade in Melbourne with her girls.
Ainsley comes from a background in senior HR and OD roles in global organizations' spanning 30+ years. Ainsley has worked across numerous industries and sectors…
Chris has vast experience in the government and education sectors working in senior leadership roles in both Australia and Hong Kong. He is a highly experienced consultant as well as a writer, speaker and teacher at both the secondary and university levels. In a parallel sporting career, he was also a two-time Olympian and the Head Coach of the Australian Track and Field Team at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.
Chris recently retired as Deputy Secretary at the Victorian Department of Education and Early Child Development (2009-13). Chris had a leadership role in the development of the Government vision for languages, education, the policy statement, Towards Victoria as a Learning Community, New Directions for School Leaders and Teachers, and preparation for school funding reform (Gonski).
Chris is currently working as a consultant across jurisdictions in Australia on a range of education matters at the provider, region, state and national level. He worked as an in-house consultant for six weeks in Brunei in 2009 on their school accountability reform.
Serving as Deputy Secretary for Education in the Hong Kong Government from 2002 to 2008, Chris had the responsibility for curriculum, assessment and quality assurance for pre-primary, basic education and senior secondary education. During this time, Hong Kong further improved its already high standing in a range of international assessments, including PISA, TIMMS and PIRLS. Prior to this, Chris had a long career in Victorian education where he had a leading role in major reforms supporting school-level decision making, evaluation and review, and school curriculum provision.
Chris has written and spoken extensively to many audiences on education reform and specific school reform agendas. He also taught economics and history at university and secondary levels, prior to moving into educational policy and administration. He was awarded the Public Service Medal (PSM) in the 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours list and was made a Fellow of Monash University in 2013.
Somehow Chris also found the time to be a two-time Olympian, the Head Coach of the Australian Track and Field Team at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, career coach of Olympic marathoners Steve Moneghetti and Kerryn McCann, and current coach of Craig Mottram. He was also awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000.
Chris is addicted to many things including the need to run every day, listen to some music, mostly new/alternative country and sees a film at least once a week. Chris has now retired twice but is practicing it very badly. Chris has too many heroes, but gives pre-eminence to Muhummad Ali, Johnny Cash, Brian Wilson and Orson Welles.
Described as a genuine, flexible, engaging, and trusted coach and business partner, Catherine injects herself personally into every engagement whilst maintaining objectivity. With extraordinary heart…
David is an experienced associate with a strong background in community engagement, strategic planning, customer centric process improvement and service design. He has significant experience in supporting organisations and teams to redefine their strategic direction and use strategic planning frameworks to cascade actions right down to an individual level.
Background and experience:
David brings his experience in process improvement and innovation to business and resource planning to ensure that organisations are considering internal and external influences and identifies improvement opportunities as part of the business planning cycle. Not only does David have experience in identifying these opportunities but can support how the business responds. He has led the design and delivery of organisation wide transformation programs and is a skilled change management practitioner. David is highly skilled in facilitating, with years of diverse experience including community workshops, private sector innovation days and State Government planning days with hundreds of participants. He is passionate about gender equity and has designed and delivered training across various sectors looking to address gender bias in the workplace.
David is an avid wildlife and nature photographer and passionate about linking photography and creativity to the benefits it has on your mental health and well being. David and his fiance Imelda are the proud parents of 5 rescue sheep, 8 rescue goats and two rescue kelpies out on their farm in the Yarra Valley. David loves trail running and spending time in nature appreciating the simple things.
Will is an associate with a background in psychological science and completing his Masters degree, specialising in organisational psychology. Will is passionate about applying scientific…
Elizabeth is a Consultant at Pinnacle Group Australia, with a background in science and international politics. She maintains a strong interest in global health, environmentally sustainable practice, and the impact of culture on society including the role of business in effecting change.
Background and experience:
Elizabeth has completed a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Global Studies, majoring in Microbiology and International Relations respectively, and a Diploma of Language in Mandarin Chinese. She completed part of her studies in France and China, allowing her to develop strong intercultural communication skills. Elizabeth has experience utilising her strong critical thinking skills and scientific research background in professional social impact settings. She has assisted in an operational readiness assessment for a non-profit organisation in the aid sector and has developed recommendations for a project on global sanitation and sustainability as a research intern.
Elizabeth exhibits a high attention to detail in her work and enjoys analysing, synthesising, and conveying the latest best practice research to inform strategic design. She utilises her diverse skillset in her role at Pinnacle to contribute towards the development of thoughtful strategies that deliver positive impact for our clients.
Elizabeth is an avid learner of linguistics and languages, and loves travelling. She finds it hard to resist a good podcast or book, particularly if it's on history or human health and wellbeing. Elizabeth is currently trying to hone her gardening and baking skills, and in her remaining time enjoys relaxing with her friends, family, and her dog Minnie.
Jack is a Senior Consultant with a background in psychological science. He has completed a Masters degree, specialising in organisational psychology. Jack is passionate about using evidence-based approaches to help people and teams operate at their full potential. Jack takes pride in his ability to effectively analyse, interpret, and communicate data to clients and colleagues to help provide insightful advice and strategies. Jack brings determination and creative thinking to problem-solving, that drive him to continuously search for opportunities to optimise processes.
Background and experience:
Jack has experience in the design, delivery, outcome evaluation, and the introduction of gamified systems to support multi-faceted leadership programs. Jack also has a range of experience in designing team development workshops, delivering feedback and coaching plans using psychometric tools, creating content for mental health well-being groups and evaluating performance in assessment centres.
Jack's Master's thesis explored the expression of workplace attitudes through a social media usage, and their relationship to the Big Five traits of Personality. As a consequence of both his university studies and work-experience, Jack developed a keen interest in understanding the impact of leadership and team dynamics, and how these can be leveraged to achieve high performance.
Jess is a Senior Consultant with a strong ability to take the administrative lead and accountability for project work. Jess strives to have a positive…
Jess is a Senior Consultant with a strong ability to take the administrative lead and accountability for project work. Jess strives to have a positive social impact on people not only at PGA but external stakeholders and organisations also. Jess strives to bring fresh ideas to current systems in place to further enhance and create more efficient processes, which in turn allows the team to function more efficiently. Jess' approach to project management is client centered, proactive and well planned. She ensures communication is clear and concise to the client and the broader team at PGA. Her approach to design is to always actively listen and to think outside the box when developing solutions. Jess is our Executive team coordinator extraordinaire and has been managing large mental health programs and ensuring all participants and logistics are in check, ready for our facilitators (including herself) to deliver.
Background and experience:
Jessica has a Graduate Diploma of Psychology at Monash University and has recently completed her honours in Psychology at Monash University and plans to complete a Master in Organisational Psychology. Jessica will be embarking on 2 years of supervised practice to ensure she reflects the required capabilities to be an exceptional psychologist. Jessica has stepped up into a Consultant role bringing an evidence-based approach to her work from her studies. This supports Jessica to underpin her solutions in theoretical knowledge and best practice research.
Lauren is a Senior Consultant who has recently completed a Masters degree, specialising in organisational psychology, she is an accredited psychologist and an organisational Psychology…
John is currently the President of Children's Healthcare Australasia and a part-time Strategic Adviser Health for the NDIA.
From 2005 to 2021 John worked at The Royal Children's Hospital, where he acceded to the role of Chief Executive Officer from 2017 to 2021. During his time at RCH, John played a leadership role in the build and move to the new RCH, implementing the first total EPIC (Inpatient and Outpatient Electronic Medical Record) in Australia, as well as creating the establishment of the Centre for Health Analytics at the Melbourne Children's Campus.
Prior to joining The Royal Children's Hospital, John worked in a variety of senior executive roles with Monash Medical Centres, Southern Health and Dandenong Hospital. John's previous roles include the Chief Executive Officer of the Transport Accident Commission, as well as directorship appointments with Victorian Hospitals Industrial Association (Chair), Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Murdoch Children's Research Institute and The Royal Children's Hospital Foundation.
Leanne has over 30 years' experience in government, health and welfare settings and brings a deep understanding of the challenges and constraints that these working…
Katie is an experienced Associate Director with in-depth knowledge and experience in organisational psychology. She brings an energetic approach to problem solving, has strong conceptual…
As the Founder and Director of Pinnacle Group Australia, Justin works with senior leaders and Boards to design business strategy, drive organisational transformation, and unlock people potential through innovative leadership and team development programs. He is an expert facilitator, leader-developer and innovator whose strong interpersonal skills enable him to have significant and enduring impact on individuals, teams and organisations.
Background and experience:
Justin possesses a unique blend of hands-on leadership experience, Board Director roles, and local and global consulting experience built over 25 years. He has worked as a strategy and leadership development consultant at The Boston Consulting Group and Nous Group working with private, government and not-for-profit clients. His board experience includes working as a senior manager and executive board member with an Australian not-for-profit organisation and as a Board Director at the Heide Museum of Modern Art.
As the Director at Pinnacle, Justin works with executive teams and Boards to set strategic direction, advise on growth strategies to diversify revenue streams, and undertake major organisational reviews to unearth opportunities for improvement and innovation. To complement his strategy work, he develops leadership capability, inculcates team cohesion and sharpens organisational performance. Clients range from publicly listed corporations, State and Federal government departments and authorities, as well as not-for-profit organisations. Project experience spans various sectors including corporate, health, the arts, financial services, education, disability, not-for-profit, and government.
Justin holds a Master of Business Administration (on scholarship) from Melbourne Business School. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts (first class honors) from the University of Melbourne and is a registered psychologist (organisational psychology). He is trained in a number of well-known psychometric tests including the GENOS emotional intelligence assessment.
Katie is an experienced Associate Director with in-depth knowledge and experience in organisational psychology. She brings an energetic approach to problem solving, has strong conceptual and critical thinking, rigorous project management skills, is an accomplished facilitator and builds exceptional and authentic relationships with clients and stakeholders.
Background and experience:
Katie was previously a Senior Consultant at Evaluation Solutions, a boutique Melbourne-based consultancy that specialises in research and evaluation. She gained extensive experience in the design, management, implementation, analysis and reporting of various large-scale research and evaluation projects for both public and private organisations. She worked with clients from a variety of sectors including local councils, state departments, state agencies, not-for-profit organisations, financial services, legal services, retail services, and national and international universities. Many of these assignments have involved Katie working with leaders and teams to identify strategies for improving organisational/leadership performance, satisfaction and engagement. Katie has also worked in recruitment where she became proficient in psychological assessment, diagnostics, behavioural interviewing and cognitive testing.
Katie's passion lies within the people development space and Katie has spent a lot of her time at Pinnacle in leadership development, team development and training. Katie enjoys working with individuals and teams at all levels in an organisation to develop awareness and support individuals and groups to move from acceptance to action, resulting in both short term and long term improvement and impact.
A registered psychologist, Katie has completed her Masters of Organisational Psychology at Monash University after graduating with first class honours from Victoria University. She is also a full member of the Australian Psychological Society.
Andrew is a Principal Consultant at Pinnacle Group Australia with deep expertise in organisational strategy, change, performance and development. He is an engaged and outcome-focused…
Lauren is a Senior Consultant who has recently completed a Masters degree, specialising in organisational psychology, she is an accredited psychologist and an organisational Psychology registrar. Lauren is passionate about developing people to reach their full potential in organisations. With a background in psychological science she applies evidence-based approaches to optimise individual, team and organisational performance. Lauren harnesses her bright, bubbly and energetic passion to partner with client's to support the recognition of their strengths and work together in partnership to identify opportunities for growth and potential.
Background and experience:
Lauren holds a broad range of experience in business management, human resources and organisational development in the retail sector owning her own business, The Little Things in Life. Her business experience combined with her academic training has provided Lauren with strong abilities to analyse, interpret, and communicate best practice research and translate latest evidence based approaches into practical advice and strategies for clients. Lauren approaches her work with precision, passion and pride which drives her to search for continual improvement in organisations. She is interested in the people development space and has experience in psychological assessment, debriefs, coaching, design, delivery and outcome evaluation for a range of programs spanning from mental health support, to graduate work-readiness and senior leadership development programs. Lauren's Master's thesis explored the role of organisational identity in workplace performance and how to enhance organisational selection and development practices.
Elizabeth is a Consultant at Pinnacle Group Australia, with a background in science and international politics. She maintains a strong interest in global health, environmentally…
Leanne has over 30 years' experience in government, health and welfare settings and brings a deep understanding of the challenges and constraints that these working environments can present. She is an Allied Health practitioner and qualified social worker with extensive and diverse experience in leadership and management.
Leanne has worked extensively in the public sector across a range of fields including Child and Family Welfare, Youth Justice, Disability, Information Technology and Health Services. Much of this work has included individual and team development with a focus on staff well-being and engagement as underpinnings of building dynamic and flexible teams.
With a keen interest in process improvement, Leanne has a reputation for creating innovative solutions. With post graduate studies in Health Services Management, she is able to work with health care providers to explore their current practices, identify gaps and risks and then forge new ways ahead.
She is an engaging presenter with a record of maximising use of existing resources to provide best quality services. Drawing on her clinical and managerial expertise, she is able to facilitate conversations that lead to positive change.
Mary has over 10 years experience as a counselling psychologist followed by 20 years as a Partner and Director of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Mary's deep expertise and knowledge of the people side of business, combined with her psychology background, have enabled her work with senior executives to deliver change, drive performance and achieve a competitive advantage through people.
Mary Barlow is a former Partner and Director of the Boston Consulting Group. During her time with BCG, she supported clients in the areas of leadership, executive teamwork, change management, culture change and strategic human resources. She was also BCGs global topic expert on leadership and culture and the Asia Pacific regional leader of BCG's Women's Initiative aimed at attracting and retaining high performing females.
Mary's experience includes:
Working with a broad range of top executive teams to improve their ability to lead organisational change and to transform their workforce for high performance
Working with senior leadership teams to help them improve their leadership and team effectiveness
Designing and supporting the rollout of the infrastructure needed to develop a high performance workforce culture
Designing and supporting culture change programs for a broad range of companies
Conducting Board and senior executive leadership reviews
Coaching CEOs and members of senior leadership teams on leadership, culture and change challenges
Mary completed over 100 significant assignments for major clients around the world in financial services, consumer goods, pharmaceutical, energy, mining, utilities, transport and distribution businesses and within Government and the public sector. She is a trusted confidante of a number of Australian Chairman, Directors, CEOs and Government leaders and advised the senior leaders of two Top 20 Fortune companies domiciled in UK and Europe over an eight year period.
Since her retirement from BCG, Mary has supported former clients locally and internationally on leadership and change issues and has conducted Board and executive leadership reviews for ASX companies, Partnerships and Not for Profit organisations. She acts as a coach to a number of CEOs and senior leaders and is also a member of the Australian Ballet Foundation Board.
Mary has a Bachelor of Science from Melbourne University where she majored in Pure and Applied Mathematics and Psychology and a Diploma of Education. She commenced her career teaching Mathematics to Applied Science and Engineering students and worked for twelve years as a counselling psychologist before entering consulting in 1988.
Mary is passionate about helping individuals realise their full potential as leaders and supporting them to discover how to bring out the best in others. She is an advocate of Ben Zander's ‘Art of Possibility' approach to leadership, and believes anyone who wants to enhance their leadership effectiveness can do so with a little thought and practice.
Chris has vast experience in the government and education sectors working in senior leadership roles in both Australia and Hong Kong. He is a highly…
Megan is a Principal Consultant at Pinnacle Group Australia with a strong focus on supporting individuals and teams to operate at their best. As an experienced facilitator, coach and consultant, Megan's warmth quickly puts clients at ease so that the important work can happen. Her deep listening skills and ability to stay curious and ask the challenging questions enable clients to reach new heights.
Background and experience:
Megan is an established Executive, Leadership and Team Coach, with a foundation of 14 years personally leading individuals and teams in the higher education and IT sectors to strive to be their best. Megan is driven by a deep knowledge and experience of organisational success being tightly coupled with an outstanding team climate and a visionary and supportive organisational culture.
Megan has experience coaching both individuals and teams, enabling teams to explore and implement critical foundations to success, empowering individuals and teams to leverage the power of their strengths, designing and facilitating leadership programs and developing and delivering culture enhancement strategies.
Megan enjoys working with individuals and teams in organisations to develop their awareness of what to harness to propel themselves forward and what new habits and systems to trial and embed to reach their desired outcomes and goals. She works below the surface on the interior condition of the individual and team so that the exterior condition may benefit.
As an ICF accredited coach with a Bachelor of Education and a raft of diagnostic tool credentials, Megan's approach to supporting the development and growth of clients is one that promotes building ground-breaking awareness and leveraging this awareness to experiment with new ways of operating. Her commitment to sustainable growth sees clients walk away from an engagement having gained lifelong awareness and capability.
Zoe has over 20 years experience in accounting and finance with dexterity across a number of other business functions including IT and management. She is…
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Research Associate
Will is an associate with a background in psychological science and completing his Masters degree, specialising in organisational psychology. Will is passionate about applying scientific research methods to understand and solve complex issues in the workplace. Will takes pride in his ability to synthesise, analyse, and translate qualitative and quantitative data to develop innovative, data-driven solutions and strategies for a variety of stakeholders. Will possesses strong problem-solving, research and education skills that help clients apply evidence-based approaches to create practical solutions across a number of modern organisational issues.
John is currently the President of Children's Healthcare Australasia and a part-time Strategic Adviser Health for the NDIA. From 2005 to 2021 John worked at…
Job Titles:
- Accountant
- Finance Manager
Zoe has over 20 years experience in accounting and finance with dexterity across a number of other business functions including IT and management. She is a highly motivated, organised, meticulous and efficient team member with vast experience in analysis, reporting and process improvement.
Background and experience:
Zoe is a fully qualified CPA accountant who has held senior financial accounting and Finance Manager roles across a diverse range of companies. Her passions in the environment lead her to work for Climate Bridge Ltd as their Group Financial Controller where she looked after 8 companies across 5 countries (United Kingdom, Germany, China, British Virgin Islands and Australia.) and more recently working for Northmore Gordon Group as their Group Finance Manager.
Zoe holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Deakin University and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne.
Jack is a Senior Consultant with a background in psychological science. He has completed a Masters degree, specialising in organisational psychology. Jack is passionate about…