Who we are...

Accelerated Evolution

Brent Sheridan, Director

e: brent.sheridan@accelerated-evolution.com

p: +61 437 064 209

Bio

Over the last 20 years, I’ve developed deep capability in helping large complex organisations come to grips with what is getting in their way and what their opportunities for growth might be. I have helped them articulate their strategy, leadership and organisational outcomes and then helped them deliver those outcomes to realise their growth.

I have successfully worked with complex clients across many organisational levels (simultaneously with Boards, C-suite, senior executive teams through to operational, site -based management teams). While I have specialised in energy and mining & metals industries, I have considerable experience in banking and finance and professional services. I have experience working over multiple jurisdictions and cultures (Australia, North America and Europe) and over a range of business types from blue-chip private organisations to government agencies.

Enough of the routine stuff… Who am I really…?

I am a strong strategic thinker. I enjoy finding patterns and connections in complex fields of facts, opinions and relationships. I get excited when I notice different groups across an organisation talking about the same problem in different ways, and can then bring those groups together to recognise the opportunity, create a goal and mobilise their excitement into action. It gets even better when this has resulted in substantial (and until then, unimagined) commercial and strategic benefit.

In addition, I use my love of patterns when I am designing with clients their strategy formation and implementation. I really enjoy creating bespoke strategy processes with clients that uniquely fit their needs and situation. Clients get a perfectly fitting solution and I stay interested and energised.

One of my referees mentioned that what he valued most about working with me was the ‘no bull’ character of our interaction, especially when something was uncomfortable for me to say or for him to hear. While having these challenging, honest conversations is not always easy for me, it is something that I am good at doing and believe is at the heart of the value I bring to my clients; I discuss with them the things that other people generally avoid.

Michelle Bloom, Director

e: michelle.bloom@accelerated-evolution.com

p: +61 402 741 616

Bio

So this is the place where I get to tell you how credible I am and what wonderful outcomes I’ve created and basically tell you through a 3rd person editorial a list of my outstanding achievements. Well I am not going to do that exactly. What I am going to do is tell you about who I am and what I see as my strengths so that you get a real sense of what I can do for you.

I have extensive experience in strategic organisational consulting, enabling leaders to envisage and achieve unprecedented levels of growth and success. My experience has involved mentoring and partnering with the senior executive teams within large corporate organisations to transform their business and bottom line results.

I am a powerful consultant who knows how to build value in your organisation by maximising your intangible assets. I help people and systems to become unstuck. I help them to get more of what they want. This is really valuable. Most change efforts fail because people don’t attend to the intangible aspects of change, powerful beliefs and values that create motivation and result in action... the messy bits that I love to work with and that am really good at getting to operate effectively.

I understand complexity well...I think strategically and systemically which means I can see things from meta view; I can see what is getting in the way of people functioning effectively together. And I know what to do about it. I am very good at supporting people to move beyond their fears and imagine what’s possible. I love doing that.

I am a trusted executive mentor and love supporting people and organisations to be courageous, authentic and to make robust decisions in the face of uncertainty. My approach is a judicious mix of support and challenge, ‘glue and solvent’, and has resulted from my experience of what works and what does not. My clients get better performance and achieve their business outcomes faster, saving them time and money.

I am deeply committed to creating a legacy of supporting people, organisations and systems to become sustain-agile, enabling the next generation to thrive in our rapidly evolving world.

Independent Associates

Joseph Loewy, Strategic and Creative Visual Communications

e: joseph@redstallion.com.au

Bio

Joseph Loewy, Director of RedStallion has been working in the visual communication field for the last 30 years. As a former Creative Director and Strategy Planner, Joseph is well equipped to assist organisations to develop workable strategic and creative visions. He does this through harnessing the power of visual metaphor in what he has called a ‘Journey Map’.

Journey Maps are more than simple graphic recording of strategy. Although they do often answer the questions, ‘Where have we been, where are we now, where do we want to go and how will we get there?’, they also offer deeper insights into the those questions and the teams that are asking them.

Since starting as an illustrator in Melbourne he has held a variety of positions in the creative area – from Illustrator to National Creative Director, Strategy Planner and Board member of an advertising agency.

It was in his senior management roles that Joseph really had the opportunity to develop his strategic and leadership skills. He turned his creativity to working with individuals and teams to develop innovative solutions for organisations.

In his career Joseph has also facilitated groups in Creative Arts, Performance Management, Conflict Resolution, Communication & Negotiation Skills training and Art Therapy.

Today, Joseph assists leaders and their teams in applying the latest creative thinking to organisational strategy. He uses innovative visual techniques to enhance group creativity. Joseph has developed the use of graphics as an interactive language. He now facilitates the creation of visual 'Strategy Action Maps' for Brand planning and strategic visioning in the corporate/business sector, and 'Purpose Maps' for individuals.

In keeping with his personal mission, ‘To inspire, facilitate and unleash the creative power in myself and others’, Joseph facilitates learning and dynamic ideas generation by encouraging individuals to use their own creativity and channel this to achieve individual and organisational goals. He has an understanding of the diverse areas of the working environment including the private, public and community sectors.

http://www.redstallion.com.au/

Philip Oldfield, Whole-of-Organisation Mobilisation

e: philip.oldfield@accelerated-evolution.com

Bio

My background includes an early interest in political and economic research which occupied the first three years of my professional life after graduating.

The lack of sufficient interpersonal engagement and a strong interest in the psychology of human behavior led to further studies and culminated in gestalt training in the mid eighties.

My most recent work has been with a family owned and run company in the building sector which has been rapidly expanding. The issues that arise in this company involve both the dynamics of the family and the strategic needs of the business and these at times appear to be unintentionally overlapping. I have noticed over the years working in other larger organizations and companies that there are similar unintended dynamics and outcomes. These can be hard to pin down and are best understood in terms of depth psychology and field theory. Looking through this lens can make strategy and systems thinking go from being just two dimensional.

I leave the nuts and bolts of formulating of how we will tailor specific offerings to an organization to my experienced colleagues and put my focus on the emerging patterns and dynamics that unfold as the work progresses so we remain flexible and incisive.

Over the last 24 years my mentoring work with CEO’s and others at the upper management levels has a holistic and in depth psychological component where these insights can lead to the removal of blocks to performance, increased clarity and better relationships with peers and subordinates.

Having been a major player in developing what is now the largest gestalt therapy post graduate training program in Australia over the last 11 years I understand the interplay between good management systems and strategy and good communication.

I have considerable experience in team building through experiential learning and working with groups to unlock their full capacity. I am continually energized and delighted to be involved in this work and especially when the road ahead seems impossibly rocky and the task next to impossible.

http://www.gestaltsydney.com/index.htm

Mark Stanley, Governance, Risk and Compliance

e: mps.mail@gmail.com

Bio

Mark brings to the Accelerated Evolution team deep and wide experience in the architecture and implementation of comprehensive governance, risk and complience (GRC) frameworks.

Mark's expertise is in providing a sufficiently strategic set of concepts and tools to intagrate risk, assurance and mitigation across the whole of an organisation, providing management and Board committees with the correct information at the right level so they can take appropriate action.

His insights and assistance support the organisationally responsible people to recognise not only the potential dangers to the organisation, but also to leverage the upside and future opportunities.

Mark has built and sold several consulting businesses and continues to engage in the world of business through Makebook, his new on-line publishing and content sharing service.

http://www.makebook.com/

Graciela Szwarcberg, Organisational Effectiveness

e: gszwarcberg@gmail.com

Bio

Graciela is an accomplished professional in Leadership, Organisational Development and Culture Change. She brings more than 15 years as a facilitator and executive coach assisting organisations and their leaders to achieve their full potential. Her insightful, passionate and influential skills are well recognised and sought to facilitate behavioural changes that achieve business outcomes.

Graciela has worked with executives, senior managers and their teams across diverse industries. She is a specialist in Executive strategy analysis & development. She has spent over 15 years developing and implementing strategic intent, vision, goals, and cultural values with organisations.

Degrees held:
Master of Management, University of Technology Sydney
Post Graduate Studies in Narrative Therapy, Macquarie University, Sydney
Degree in Social Psychology (hon.), School Of Social Psychology, Argentina
Degree in Communication Science (hon.) University of Lomas de Zamora, Argentina

Graciela has worked extensively in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and USA. She has completed projects in Indonesia and has executive coaching clients in Australia, UK and NZ.

Elisa Weeden, Supporting Client Outcomes

e: elisa.weeden@accelerated-evolution.com

Bio

I always wanted to be a flight attendant (or in my day an Air Hostess) when I grew up, but I was too short.

During my career I have moved through the retail, recruitment and banking sectors concentrating on developing managers, mentors and leaders, via face to face events, project management, blended learning solutions and design and implementation of Leadership strategies.

I am not just the “can do “person but the “will do person” and gain a great sense of achievement from seeing a project through from inception to finish and review. I get excited when I experience something new that works, be it an event or system and immediately want to share this with whoever is nearby (this can be frustrating if you are sitting next to me in the office).

What makes me feel that I have succeeded is seeing others succeed, this is a constant driver and as a result I am often very passionate about my projects.

I want people to be taken on an exciting journey where they feel safe, enjoy the experience and arrive at their destination ready to move forward...........just like an Air Hostess.

Who we are...

Accelerated Evolution

Independent Associates

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