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Client Approach

CIOs usually call me when they're facing one of two scenarios: they've just stepped into a new role and need to build their leadership team, or they're midway through a major initiative and realise the current team can't execute what's needed.

Either way, the challenge is the same - you need senior people who can translate strategy into delivery, and you need them to work as a cohesive unit, not just a collection of talented individuals.

Here's how I work:

I approach this differently than most executive search firms.

Most recruiters fill roles sequentially - one search, one hire, next search. I think about the entire leadership layer you're building. Which roles need to come first? Which leaders need to complement each other? Where might personalities clash? What's the right sequencing to create momentum?

This comes from building a complete leadership team for an ASX 200 CIO - nine senior leaders over 18 months. I learned that the order matters. The team chemistry matters. Getting the first few hires right creates a foundation that makes the next ones easier.

I don't start with job descriptions. I start by understanding what you're actually trying to achieve. What's the board asking you to deliver? Where are the capability gaps in your current team? What's the team dynamic you need to create? What's working, what's not?

From there, we design the roles together - not just titles, but the specific experience, leadership style, and execution capability that will actually work in your environment. This is where my background matters: I spent 10 years working in business development at a systems integrator, which meant I was constantly in rooms with CIOs and their leadership teams making complex decisions about technology delivery. I understand the pressures you're facing because I've been in that world.

Then I go find those people. Not the ones actively searching, but the ones already making an impact and delivering outcomes somewhere else. The leaders who get multiple offers when they do move.

This approach has worked for some complex builds:

For an ASX 200 healthcare and consumer goods company, the new CIO needed to stand up his entire leadership function from scratch. Over 18 months, we placed his Chief Information Security Officer, GM Strategy & Architecture, GM Digital & Enterprise Applications, and six other critical roles across AI, data governance, platforms, and engagement. Nine placements. One cohesive team.

For a major infrastructure operator, I worked with their technology leadership on seven senior appointments across service operations, architecture, and data analytics, helping reshape how the function operated.

What you get is a connected leadership layer.

Not nine individual hires. Not seven separate placements. But teams where people understand each other's domains, speak the same language about delivery, and can move at the pace your business requires.

That's the difference between filling roles and building a team.

Candidate Approach

I work with senior IT leaders directly to help them land their next role.

It starts with understanding how you actually work, not just what you've done. What you're looking for, what you're trying to avoid, what kind of environment brings out your best.

From there, I help you position for the roles that are right for you. Not with generic career advice. With insight from someone who's in the room when CIOs make hiring decisions.

I've been on the candidate side too. The processes I use now come from what wasn't there when I needed it.