My interest in the power of leadership and its potential for positive impact developed over 25 years ago when I worked as a photographer documenting life around the world – from the townships of South Africa and the slums of Bangkok, to the Australian outback and riots in London.

This hard look at life showed me how people survive and persevere in realities very different to our own. I also witnessed how leadership can make a difference in the face of great adversity.

Our brains are complex so you shouldn’t trust just anyone with it. Many leadership approaches and change programmes fail because they only scratch the surface of why people behave the way they do.

I’ve worked and trained extensively with the internationally renowned Neuroleadership Group which brings a science based approach to achieving organisational change that resonates and lasts. Why? Because it takes into account the tricky nature of our brains and our innate responses to leadership approaches.

I’ve worked with more than eighty organisations of all types and sizes facing a range of challenges and opportunities. This includes working directly with small and medium sized businesses, through to large scale multi-agency initiatives such as the $2.4bn infrastructure post-earthquake rebuild of Christchurch.

The tools and strategies I use with clients come from working in these high-performance collaborative environments where leadership is key.

Recognising that NGOs and Not-for-profits have the same leadership needs as any other business – but not the same budgets – I’ve made it my mission to work in the sector consistently over the last decade, supporting the likes of WWF NZ, Kaibosh, The Red Cross, Forest & Bird, The Sustainability Network and Predator Free New Zealand.