I grew up in a small sea-side village, south of Melbourne in Australia.  While I was at school, my first job was working as a baker in the local wood-fired bakery.  At University, I worked as a waiter in a range of restaurants, from bistro to silver service.  Those jobs seem a world away from the work I do now, and they also taught me important skills about working in a team, how to provide quality service, and how to align with customers so that we work together.

My career began as a mechanical engineer with ABB in Switzerland and ICI in Australia.  I was involved in the design and construction of gas turbines and then chemical plants.

I moved into computer programming, developing in-house software for organisations.  I started in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) market, and went on to food and beverages, and then retail.

At the same time, I started honing my interest in property development.  Building up a portfolio in Australia and the UK, I studied investment theory, crunched the numbers and renovated properties.

For eight years, I worked in investment banking in London.  My roles moved away from software development to business analysis and project management.  As I became more integrated into the business functions, my interest grew in how people and organisations can function effectively.

I saw people struggling to feel fulfilled within their roles, and unsure about where they wanted their future to go.  I saw organisations being stifled by poor communication, unspoken agendas, low motivation and morale, vague leadership and slow responsiveness to the market.

I felt that my future lay in helping people and organisations to grow.  I started with a foundation course in counselling and psychotherapy.  This gave me a good theoretical underpinning, but did not allow me to work within the business world which I had enjoyed.  I moved my focus onto coaching, and developed my skills in that area.

Now I use my unique range of communication, technical, financial and organisational development skills to help individuals and teams to realise their potential.