Testimonials

What Fiona’s clients have said

“Having worked with Fiona on several large-scale transformation projects, I am always impressed by her deep commitment to understanding the culture of an organisation by quickly and effectively building rapport with key players. Through building strong relationships, analysing feedback and checking climate, Fiona successfully makes solid recommendations that advance company culture whilst aligning with strategic drivers.”

Caroline Boyce, Senior Workplace Strategy Consultant, Lendlease

“Fiona brings a unique combination of empathy, adaptability and experience into her approach to truly making a difference in designing and leading outcomes in complex environments. One of the best change agents I’ve ever worked with.”

Monica Klyscz, Global Head of Property, BHP

"It was excellent to join Fiona to moderate the panel after her keynote address at the recent Women in Water Directors Network event. She brought a fresh perspective and gave us a new way to think about culture. We’ve had an enormous amount of positive feedback from attendees about how valuable and interesting they found the session."

Fiona Rowland, Non Executive Director, Melbourne Water

"I was very inspired by Fiona's culture masterclass - her content and presentation skills are excellent.”

Soph Jones-Kelly, CEO at Acacia Environmental Management

“I’ve worked with and known Fiona for over a decade. She is a thorough professional who distinguishes herself through her expertise in culture change, leadership and what it takes to effectively make change happen, combined with a genuine passion for getting the right strategic outcome for clients.”

Graeme Chipp, Partner, Strategic Project Partners

“Fiona provided us with exceptional support in transforming our culture to support our new strategic direction and integrated operating rhythm. The outcomes for our team have been outstanding and enduring.”

Magnus Gittins, Director, AGSM Executive Education 

“Fiona is one of the rare people you come across in your career who truly inspires. She has an instinctive understanding for where people are at which is matched with an equal amount of genuine caring. She asks the hard questions and challenges you to go deeper and harder to find solutions you never thought possible. She is smart, insightful and engaging and she absolutely delivers absolutely all the time. Spending time in her company is worth every moment.”

Allison Robison, General Manager, Employee Transition, National Australia Bank

“Fiona's understanding of how certain behaviours drive certain outcomes made her the ideal partner while I was working in corporate communication. In today's environment, organisations need to be more thoughtful and deliberate about culture and Fiona has the knowledge and expertise to help with this.”

Kelly Quirke, Corporate Affairs Leader

“Fiona’s culture masterclass for my CEO group was highly engaging. Across the board our members found it useful, commenting that it was both enlightening and thought provoking. A number of them plan to use her diagnostic with their teams."

David Simpson FAICD, Chairman, Edge Group

“Fiona’s culture masterclass was incredibly valuable to our organisation and came at a time when we needed to provide greater clarity on the importance of our culture. We had a very high level of engagement from every member of the leadership team who attended, many of whom actively use the language and ideas now in day-to-day conversations, reiterating the importance of what we heard and what we learnt from Fiona. We would recommend Fiona’s Rules of Belonging Masterclass to any leaders and teams who want to take action on culture.”

Belinda Perisic FCPHR | General Manager, Coulter Roache

 “Fiona is one of a very rare breed, a genuine change agent.  She is courageous and pure of intent when it comes to inducing genuine and positive change in organisations, teams and individuals.  And always with great energy.”

Andrew Howard, Chief Operating Officer, Rest Super

“Fiona’s workshop at the annual Australian Retail Credit Association Summit was a real highlight for me. We had a very high level of engagement from the large group of our members who attended. It was clear that it resonated strongly with them. It was just what we’d hoped for.”

Mike Laing, CEO, Australian Retail Credit Association (ARCA)

"Fiona's culture masterclass was a fascinating insight into the human mind and it all made a lot of sense. I got so much from the session and really enjoyed the learning.”

Adam Eid, State Manager LCS Electrical & Data

"Fiona’s culture masterclass was a very interesting and engaging session. The feedback from our members was excellent - they really enjoyed the opportunity to discuss the content and to ask Fiona questions.”

Maria Richardson, Membership Development and Delivery Manager, Institute of Managers and Leaders

"I wanted to drop you a line and say how good your presentation was. Workplace psychology plays a major role in how we deliver for our clients and your presentation was on point and well received.”

Jared Wade, CEO of A1 Office

“Fiona’s culture masterclass at the CEO Institute was so engaging and relevant. Everyone truly appreciated it.”

Bob Johnson, Chairman, Pronto Software

"I had the pleasure of attending Fiona’s culture masterclass presentation - it helped me understand many of the dysfunctional team dynamics I've observed in my career as a senior exec. Exec's who can lead and execute at speed and scale whilst remaining human central are critical in today's world. Fiona’s ability to highlight the issues in these areas and then provide real world solutions are exemplary. I highly recommend any organisation engage with Fiona and her team!”

Matthew Ryan, Head of Business Operations Tyrepower

“It was excellent to have Fiona facilitate a whole day workshop on designing and creating a preferred culture for our school. Working with the Executive Team she did a masterful job of drawing out the wisdom of the team and helping us organise our thoughts so that we came away with complete clarity about where to focus our efforts. I’ve already incorporated the key themes in my all staff address and it's cascading effectively down through the layers. I can recommend her to anyone wanting help to isolate the culture shifts that will make the biggest difference.”

Vincent Feeney, Principal, St Francis Xavier College

 “I’ve found massive value in what Fiona has done for us today. We wouldn’t have been able to have a workshop of this quality without Fiona because she’s very objective in what she does and she can jump in and understand our business very quickly.”

Soyun Punyadasa, Director at CMP Consulting Engineering Group

“I have really loved working with Fiona and have learned so much from her experience and wisdom. My manager tells me he is delighted with the changes I’ve made and has received lots of positive feedback from others. I would recommend Fiona as a coach to anyone who wants to become a better leader.”

Janet Bourne, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Slater + Gordon

“Fiona has been a tremendous coach and has helped me significantly as I transition into a leadership role within the university. She has helped me clarify levels of work, given me useful strategies for people management, and helped me define a culture of learning within my team. Her passion for helping people in senior leadership roles, combined with her empathy and pragmatism, made her a dream to work with. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with Fiona, and have learned so much from our sessions together.”

Yen Ying Lim, Associate Professor, Monash University; Director, ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre in Optimal Ageing

“I loved my time working with Fiona, her warmth, dedication and professionalism are always a privilege to be in the company of.”

Michael Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer at Epoch Financial

"I had a beautiful experience working with Fiona. She really helped me to take new perspectives on ways of thinking and working that I hadn’t seen before. She pushed me when I needed it but always created a really safe atmosphere so that I could explore what I thought free of judgment. I have great confidence in recommending her as an executive coach.”

Narelle Stefanac, Growth Director, RMIT Online

“Fiona is one of the most generous, genuine, thoughtful, empathic individuals I know. It's difficult to find the words that say enough about her commitment to doing work that makes a difference on an organisational/societal scale. She is highly capable at understanding organisations from many angles with great compassion and optimism.”

Dayle O’Brien, Organisational Development - OD - Culture & Design - Leadership - Coaching

“I have been delighted to complete Fiona’s ‘step-up executive coaching’ program. Fiona supported me in transitioning into my most senior role with a new focus on culture. Her vast experience and expertise, embedded use of diagnostic tools and (most importantly) her warmth and insight provided me with enormous support and set me up for success. I highly recommend Fiona and her coaching program.”

Ellen Hooper, Associate Director Capability and Culture, Monash College

“Fiona is a passionate and relentless leader of change who recognises ecosystems of organisational culture at both strategic and operational levels. She understands the pivotal role culture plays in the execution of an organisation's strategy to achieve commercial success. Fiona understands how important it is to assess, nurture and manage the health of your culture, just as you would any other key asset. Fiona is not one to be daunted by the complexity this challenge, she embraces it. She is a genuine and caring human who is wonderful to work with, and I would jump at the chance to do so again.”

Louise Long, Design leader

 “Fiona’s culture keynote at our HR team strategy off-site was extremely thought-provoking and exactly the kind of prompt we needed to further examine the intersection between HR strategy and culture in our planning process. The feedback was really positive. We’ve also had the opportunity to work with Fiona in delivering culture change mentoring for key members of our HR team. Highly recommended.”

Gary Schweizer, EGM Human Resources, Yancoal Australia Ltd

“What a pleasure it was to have worked with Fiona. I reported to Fiona for a short period of time during a HR transformation and I couldn’t have asked for a better person to provide support, understanding and direction during a period of uncertainty. She sought out to understand the team as individuals and made sure that the work they were doing aligned to strengths and career interests. Fiona was comfortably able to work through ambiguity with excitement and passion and showed genuine dedication to Nabs cultural transformation. She’s one of a kind!”

Carly Arkinstall, Senior Manager | Psychologist | Talent, Leadership & Capability 

“I initially attended group training with Fiona and then one on one coaching. I found Fiona’s style of coaching extremely helpful as I develop into my role as a senior leader. There were so many ‘why didn’t I think of that earlier’ moments that have remained front of mind and really helped me post training, such as when to delegate, and how to keep my direct reports engaged and motivated. Fiona always had examples seemingly at the ready to answer my questions. The one on one coaching went to the next level to help me understand how to use my own personality traits to my advantage when dealing with senior stakeholders. Overall Fiona’s sessions were engaging, and I came away with strategies that have already been tremendously useful in my role. I would highly recommend Fiona to anyone taking on new leadership roles within their organisation.”

Scott Manderson, Senior Director DBM Consultants

“It was great to see Fiona’s keynote at the VPA annual conference. She got the whole room singing and laughing as well as giving us some really valuable insights into how culture works and how we can change it. I would recommend her for anyone looking for a speaker who can deliver a combination of meaning and fun.”

Malcolm Elliott, President, Australian Primary Principals Association

“Fiona’s presentation was engaging, meaningful and fun for our delegates. They had a laugh and a chance to reflect on the culture they’re building at the same time. Just what we’d hoped for.”

Anne-Maree Kliman, President, Victorian Principals Association

“Fiona’s culture keynote at our executive team strategy off-site was extremely thought-provoking and exactly the kind of prompt we needed to further examine the intersection between strategy and culture in our planning process. All the feedback we’ve received was extremely positive.”

Brett Winter, CEO, GeelongPort

“Fiona did a fantastic job of engaging my team on our away day. She shared some really practical frameworks and tips and we all came away knowing exactly how we would tackle the next phase of our work - as well as what was important to ensure we were communicating with real impact. If you’re looking for a knowledgeable and professional guide for a team event, Fiona is just what you need. And the icebreaker she led gave us all a great laugh. It was engaging, fun and insightful. I have received glowing reports from team members from the session, with everyone commenting how much they enjoyed it.”

Xenia Haysom, Director Professional Placements, Swinburne University of Technology

“Fiona is a really great presence. She is able to command attention and hold an audience, but with a relaxed manner.  Over the day she created activities, breaking the group into small focussed teams to workshop ideas.  I like the way she was able to interact with the teams to create perspective and generate new thinking.”

Greg Chalmers, Director at CMP Consulting Engineering Group

"Fiona’s presentation was great. The topic of culture was important, helpful, relevant and thought-provoking. She’s an extremely knowledgeable speaker and one I really enjoyed working with as Chair.”

Michael Stillwell, Director Stillwell Motor Company and Syndicate Chair CEO Institute.

“Fiona’s presentation at the CEO Institute was one of the best I’ve seen in many years. I took copious notes and would recommend her as a speaker to anyone who is interested in learning more about the way culture really works in organisations. You won’t be sorry.”

David Danzinger, Managing Director Pilbeam Living

“Fiona is a fantastic, energetic, and professional speaker, using her extensive knowledge to involve her audience to creative a lively presentation. Fiona’s genuine approach and passion really shines through her understanding of her audience, leaving them with practical knowledge they can implement into their businesses and personal lives.”

Claudia Capurso, National Professional Development Coordinator, Institute of Public Accountants

“Fiona drove the culture diagnostic for Monash College and very effectively engaged our executives and Board in the process. The result has been used ever since to guide our strategic planning and priorities. She expertly designed and facilitated the strategic planning retreat for senior leaders and the annual leadership and strategy day for all people leaders. She’s a compelling presenter who combines deep expertise with warmth and authority to ensure every participant was motivated to take action. She has played a key role in the shift of our culture.”

Julie Coleman, Executive Director People & Culture, Monash College

“I thoroughly enjoyed working with Fiona. Her practical insights into what drives behaviour and how to inspire action were invaluable. Fiona blends a deep understanding of corporate culture with commercial needs and strategy which takes culture into the realm of the every day tool rather than the academic approach taken by the more ‘academic' consultants. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a commercial approach to culture change.”

Ben Dunn, Chief Marketing Officer, Daisee

“I worked closely with Fiona Robertson leading a major capability and people change journey at NAB. Fiona is passionate about enabling sustainable culture change and is able to engage and inspire leaders and colleagues to aim high and deliver results in practical value-adding ways for customers. An intensely values driven leader and change agent, Fiona has the commitment, conviction and authenticity to spark and sustain meaningful change aligned with an organisation’s strategy.”

Paul Freeman, CEO, Medfin Finance

“I reported directly to Fiona whilst working in the Culture team at NAB. Fiona's thought leadership in this space and passionate to drive cultural change in organizations was evident in all that she did. Fiona was excellent at communicating and 'bring people on the change journey' in a way that made sense to them. As a leader, Fiona was supportive and collaborative and I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with her!”

Victoria Patten, People Team at National Australia Bank

“Fiona’s dynamic approach to engaging the business in the process of cultural change ensures everybody gets on the same page. Advocacy for change from within the business builds momentum and Fiona gets the connections really well, and that’s the key. Delivering key messages and engaging with the leaders to get them to help build the ‘moment’ is a great and rare skill.”

Steve Tucker, Chairman Koda Capital, Executive Chairman Prodigy Investment Partners

“The key to building value in organisations is linking strategy with culture. Strategy without culture is a car without an engine. Fiona helped our organisation make that connection explicit, realistic and practical.”

Evan Dwyer, Chief Executive Officer, RedZed

“I can’t speak highly enough of Fiona and the impact she has! Commercial in her approach, she’s an absolute guru on culture change and how leadership teams can pull this lever in a variety of ways to drive growth/profitability as well as employee engagement and employment brand. Her secret weapon is her disarming nature coupled with an ability to draw spot-on insights during conversations or team interactions, wrapped up by her deep knowledge on culture change - both theoretical and from practical experience. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Fiona as a leading culture change consultant in Melbourne.”

Claire Hopkins, General Manager, Delivery and Partnerships, RMIT Online

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Fiona Robertson in a number of settings over a dozen years.  Fiona has a remarkable capacity to bring people together to work through even the most complex and ambiguous of challenges, to drive shifts in culture supporting execution of strategy.  She is an engaging and stimulating colleague, presenter and facilitator, and establishes strong and effective working relationships with people at all levels of the organisations with which she works.  Fiona is a holistic thinker, deeply committed to the work she does with her clients and is able to sustain herself and others through the inevitable twists and turns of making organisational progress.”

Jon Eddy, Culture, Leadership Development and Team Consultant

“Fiona is one of the best Organisational Development practitioners I have ever met and her experience and expertise is outstanding. Her abilities as a coach, sounding board, facilitator, speaker and Organisational Development leader are exceptional in my view.”

Jane Barker, Head of People & Culture, Transport Accident Commission

“I enjoy working with Fiona, not only because she is a great person but because she makes data-driven decisions. It’s not hard to reinforce the notion that an organisation needs a culture that will enable the strategy. What Fiona seeks to do is measure an organisation’s culture so that she can engage senior leaders in discussions based on tangible changes needed. I have seen Fiona do this to great effect at NAB to understand the culture now, where it needs to be in the future and the steps required to get there.”

Dr Colin Couzin-Wood, Principal Consultant, Right Management

“Fiona brings a truly collaborative approach and helps organisations stay focused on the most important strategic and commercial outcomes.”

Paul Carter, Chief Customer Officer, Consumer and Wealth, BNZ

“Fiona is an experienced and effective management consultant. She truly understands people, their behaviour and the drivers that enable cultural change. Fiona has successfully delivered purpose driven strategies that have shaped organisational culture. I have witnessed first-hand Fiona’s passion and drive when engaging with a large audience to spark intrigue and excitement. Her ability to influence senior executives to lead and demonstrate the required behaviours for cultural change has resulted in the successful implementation of sustained changed behaviours and practices.”

Patrick Harrop, Senior Consultant, Portfolio Strategy Commercial Property, National Australia Bank

“When you meet Fiona, you instantly see that she is passionate, pragmatic and fascinated by organisational culture. She is someone that can easily put theory into practical application which is important as you walk away feeling empowered not defeated. I also really enjoy the genuine care she shows and that she doesn’t shy away from the hard questions, feedback and understanding that in reality, changing an organisation’s culture is challenging.  The investment of time has been well worth it and I can now name the things I see that I struggled to name previously.”

Lindsay Wilson Barker, Head of People Services, Remuneration & Recognition 

“The LDP is very useful in connecting me with other leaders, sharing and improving our leadership challenges, using strategies that are practical and relevant to a broad range of industries and roles. Fiona is engaging and focussed on ensuring the program provides maximum benefit to each person through a diverse program of activities.”

Sharon Cook, Monash University

“Fiona facilitated some important sessions with my team to help us build a more trusting and empathetic culture. These made a significant difference immediately which increased over time. I subsequently worked with Fiona 1 on 1 to help embed the changes we started in the team sessions and found it tremendously valuable. Through the unpacking of a personal profile I was able to identify where preferences towards detail and control were stifling my team's growth and my ability to delegate. The changes I’ve made have empowered them and given me more time to think.”

Michael Hall, Head of Open Programs at AGSM

“Fiona is an outstanding and highly skilled consultant. I worked with Fiona on several strategic leadership projects in the culture and leadership development space including strategy, board reports, leadership program design, engagement and culture surveys. She also designed and facilitated several strategic leadership off-sites with our senior team which were highly successful. Fiona is a seasoned professional who develops strong stakeholder relationships, trust and confidence quickly and delivers high quality business outcomes. I would wholeheartedly recommend Fiona for culture, change, leadership, strategy, facilitation and coaching work.”

Sarah Austin, Learning and Organisational Development at Monash College