Knowledge hub

John is well known as an exemplary leader of tertiary institutions, with a long history of improving their performance academically, financially, and operationally, often by bringing about major transformations.

He has held senior leadership positions at the University of Melbourne and Griffith University and is the former Vice-Chancellor of La Trobe University, where he achieved a dramatic improvement in the university’s performance.

He was also Interim Vice Chancellor at the University of Wollongong from June 2024 to February 2025.

John brings this experience to help improve organisational performance for clients in education, corporate, and government. John describes himself as an accessible leader who builds partnerships to achieve the best outcome for everyone he works with. His experience across all aspects of management is important in building connections in this regard, as well as finding solutions to complex problems in seemingly impossible situations.

John is an Officer of the Order of Australia, awarded for service to higher education and the professions.

Mike is a Partner in KordaMentha’s Public Sector team, specialising in Defence and National Security. He has more than 30 years of experience in commercial and defence roles, focusing on strategy, program design, and stakeholder management.

Mike is adept at addressing complex program turnaround challenges, particularly when performance is impacted by multiple stakeholders across government and business sectors. He provides honest evidenced options enabling leaders to intervene effectively in critical situations involving capital, sustainment, estate, people, and data elements.

Mike has contributed significantly to the strategic development of the Australian Defence Force. He has been involved in high-level consultations and policy development, including his role as a member of the Defence White Paper Expert Panel. His insights have shaped national defence strategies and policies, ensuring they align with contemporary needs and future challenges.

Sophie supports organisations to achieve material, measurable performance improvement.

She works alongside Boards and Executives when value is on the line to implement operational and people improvement that get results and to realise the benefits committed to as part of complex transactions.

With a depth of experience on the most ambitious and complex transformation agendas, she has a track record of results on performance turnarounds, mergers and acquisitions.

Sophie’s absolute focus is on successful implementation.