Selected work

Change is only useful when it lands.

These are not pristine consulting engagements. They are messy operating situations with real customers, real commercial pressure and people whose working lives depended on how it went. Where figures appear, they are either public or mine to share, and I have kept them in context.

CASE 01

Insurtech turnaround

Turning around Wilbur, a claims technology business

Situation

Wilbur is the claims technology business of Claim Central. When I became divisional CEO, product delivery had stalled and commercial confidence was fading, in a market where insurers expect their suppliers to meet strict security and regulatory standards.

Problem

The business needed more than a new roadmap. It needed clear ownership, a credible delivery rhythm and the trust of customers, and it had to reach the security and compliance bar that enterprise insurance customers require.

Approach

I reset priorities around the few outcomes that mattered, rebuilt the product and engineering operating rhythm, established the company’s first CISO function and stayed close to enterprise customers while delivery recovered.

Outcome

Product delivery restarted, enterprise customers were secured and commercial momentum returned. Wilbur achieved CPS234 compliance and ISO 27001 certification.

CASE 02

SaaS turnaround

Turning around a $19M+ ARR SaaS product at MRI Software

Situation

An APAC SaaS product at MRI Software, carrying more than $19M in ARR, needed a turnaround. I am not able to name the product publicly.

Problem

A product with that much revenue behind it leaves little room for experiments. It needed clear ownership, a credible delivery rhythm and the confidence of customers and the wider business.

Approach

I reset priorities around the few outcomes that mattered, rebuilt the product operating rhythm with engineering and stayed close to customers while delivery improved.

Outcome

The turnaround of a SaaS product with more than $19M in ARR.

CASE 03

Product and engineering transformation

Improving capability while changing the cost base

Situation

MRI Software’s APAC portfolio had grown through scale and acquisition. Product and engineering capacity was fragmented, and the operating model made consistent execution difficult.

Problem

The transformation had to improve delivery and simplify the organisation while also producing a materially better cost base. Neither objective could come at the expense of the other.

Approach

As VP Product, I redesigned how product and engineering worked across the region, clarified accountability, consolidated delivery capability and transitioned 82% of development and QA capacity to our GDC in India.

Outcome

The new model improved delivery capability and produced $6.2M in savings over three years, while creating a stronger base for AI-enabled product and operating workflows.

CASE 04

Platform separation and scale

Building the technology organisation behind an ASX listing

Situation

Domain was moving from a division of Fairfax into a standalone listed company while its digital business and technology demands were growing rapidly.

Problem

Technology had to separate cleanly from the parent company, support continued growth and stand up as a capable organisation in its own right, all at the same time.

Approach

As CTO and CIO, I led the technology elements of the separation, managed a $45M budget and grew the organisation from 48 to 230 people, building the platforms, teams and operational capability required for independence.

Outcome

The separation supported Domain’s ASX listing and left the business with the scale and capability to operate and grow independently.

CASE 05

Product-led transformation

Turning digital disruption into a subscription business

Situation

Fairfax Media was navigating a structural shift from print to digital across some of Australia’s best-known news brands.

Problem

The company needed to extract more value from digital products, introduce paid subscriptions and bring previously distributed product and technology capability together.

Approach

I helped centralise a 170+ person product and technology organisation and led the launch of digital subscription products across The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review.

Outcome

The products created more than $60M in annual subscription revenue and gave the organisation a repeatable digital product capability during a period of intense disruption.

CASE 06

Acquisition

Bringing an ASX-listed PropTech company into MRI Software

Situation

PropTech Group (ASX:PTG), owner of VaultRE and other real estate software brands, was a listed company with its own products, customers and people. MRI Software wanted to deepen its position in Australian real estate software, and its share of the Sales CRM market was roughly 8%.

Problem

A listed target means a public process, a board to convince and a price the market will judge. The deal also had to make sense for the product and technology teams who would live with the result.

Approach

I called the PTG CEO and established their interest, then connected them with MRI’s acquisition team. I took part in the full due diligence process and, after the acquisition closed, led the onboarding. Product and technology leaders are often brought in late to confirm a deal someone else shaped. I would rather be in the room while it is still being shaped.

Outcome

MRI Software announced a scheme of arrangement in October 2022 at A$0.60 cash per share, an implied equity value of about A$93.4M. The acquisition completed in February 2023. MRI’s share of Sales CRMs in Australia went from roughly 8% to roughly 45%.

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