Who We Are
People are our differentiator
“Who will be on the team?” It’s the question virtually every prospective client asks, and you may be wondering the same thing. After all, people can be the differentiator between brilliant project outcomes and mediocre ones. That’s why we assess your organisation’s unique needs and then deploy our people accordingly. Pairing clients with “best-fit” team members lays the foundation for a collaborative relationship that yields results— it’s just one more way Coxswain Alliance does things differently.
While each member of Coxswain Alliance offers unique skills and expertise it is through our combined efforts, in partnership with you and your people, that we work as the highest performing team and achieve optimal results for your organisation.
Who we are not
If you’re looking for a mega-agency whose consultants step-in and hand you a prescription for your ills, we’re not the right fit. We’re a lean agency with a closely-knit team of people who work in tandem with your team to resolve your organisation’s pain points.
The Team
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Jonathan Clegg
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Peter Braithwaite
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David Pentecost
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Chris Banks
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Damien Dent
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Divy Gupta
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Trevor Harris
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Mike Kofoed
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Aarsheya Gupta
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John Mullany
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Maree Mullins
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Sheila Nguyen
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Charlie Roach
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Melissa Wilkinson
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Philip Wong
Jonathan Clegg
- Consulting Engagement Leader with sixteen years experience in Operational Consulting in Australasia, South Africa, USA, Europe and Asia.
- Strong focus on engaging consulting work, analysing business issues and delivering project results with business improvement teams.
- Capabilities include Change Management, Operational Excellence, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, Process Re-engineering, Leadership Development & Alignment, Capability Maturity Modelling and Balanced Scorecard Implementation.
Experience
- Underground and Open Cast Mining: Gold, coal, nickel
- Heavy Manufacturing: Structural steel, pulp and paper, packaging – secondary, smelter and foundry operations, nickel concentrating, alumina refining, aircraft manufacture
- Maintenance: Mining and heavy industry
- Health: Safety Environment Community, OHS
- Light Manufacturing: Food, wine, confectionery, poultry, dairy and ice cream, baked goods, seafood, swimwear and underwear, clothing and sportswear
- Printing and Packaging: Primary, coatings (paint and PVC, adhesives)
- Financial Services: Insurance, banking, financial planning, call centres
- Telecommunications: Fixed line and mobile
- Transport: Yellow Fleet, rail operations, long distance trucking
- Retailing: Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), fashion, postal and agency business
Peter Braithwaite
- Consulting Engagement Leader with twenty years international experience in Operational Consulting and Management in Australasia, USA, South Africa, Asia and the Pacific
- Strong focus on client engagement and relationship building, leading teams to install sustainable changes. Skilled in responding to client cultures and business needs, with demonstrated strength in collaborative approaches.
- Capabilities include Change Management, Operational Excellence, Process Re-Engineering, Leadership Development & Alignment, Capability Maturity Modelling and Balanced Scorecard Implementation.
Experience
- Financial Services/Services: Back office processes, call centre functions, outsourced business services, targeted media, engineering and design, gaming and wagering
- Resources/Mining: Underground and open cast mining – coal, lime, gold
- Heavy Manufacturing: Iron and steel production, coal powered energy generation and associated maintenance, materials preparation and handling, procurement and purchasing functions
- Sales: Fast moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), consumer, industrial, business equipment, pharmaceuticals
- Supply Chain: Automotive industry, airline catering
- Light Manufacturing: Food, confectionery, seafood, packaging, automotive, bolt-making, airline catering, warehousing, pharmaceuticals
- Healthcare: Hospital medical/surgical, pathology, clinics, imaging
- Logistics: Postal services – collection, sorting, delivery
- Telecommunications: Internal processes
- Retail: Retailing, postal services
David Pentecost
- Senior business improvement professional with over 20 years experience in business analysis, system design, project and people management and operational improvement.
- Capabilities in management principles such as TQM, Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing are used to design and implement bespoke
Management Operating Systems that assist managers to identify, act and realise improvement opportunities. - Possess high-level skills in change management, organisational & cultural development, management training, and mentoring.
- Experience extends across a wide range of business sectors, including Manufacturing, Construction, Mining, Health, Maintenance, Food manufacturing and processing, Insurance, Telecommunications and various service industries.
Experience
- Underground and Open Cut Mining: Gold, coal, nickel
- Manufacturing: Steel, kitchens, brick and block, pipes
- Construction: Civil, commercial
- Services: Printing and packaging, pallets
- Utilities: Water, telecommunications
- Food Processing: Poultry, dairy, baked goods, vitamins
- Financial Services: Insurance
- Healthcare: Medical centres, pathology, imaging, assistance call centres
- Transport: Rail operations
Chris Banks
- A trusted advisor with a penchant for being better each day; 10+ years experience helping leading companies in Financial Services improve service and reduce costs by lifting the performance of staff, systems and processes.
- Six Sigma Black Belt Lean practitioner with Scrum, Agile and Waterfall experience.
- Worked both as a frontline manager leading operational teams and as a Process Improvement and Automation manager, assisting colleagues to deliver change.
- Customer-centric process and performance leader and coach, with experience delivering improvements across leading financial services organisations.
- An approachable person who doesn’t let ego get in the way of progress; known for finding out-of-the-box solutions and facilitating light bulb moments. A strong sense of justice enables the use of facts to make decisions whilst retaining a human touch.
Experience
- Banking: includes Debt Markets, Equities and Futures, Foreign Exchange, Credit Card Disputes, Reconciliations
- Life Insurance: includes Direct, Retail and Group sales channels; Underwriting, Claims, Contact Centres, Complaints
- Superannuation: includes Payments, Pensions, Contributions, Insurance & Claims, Contact Centres
Damien Dent
- Strategic, practical and personal consultant with twenty years experience managing people and projects in Financial Services, Outsourcing and Offshoring, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, and Hospitality.
- Brings an analytical and consultative approach to challenges with deep experience in operations, process improvement, change and risk management.
- Capabilities include project management, strategy and operating model design, process improvement, change management, coaching, business case development and risk management.
Experience
- Financial Services and Insurance: Banking, insurance, wealth management, finance, call centres, business continuity, and procurement
- Outsourcing: 3rd party contract service management, governance, remediation
- Offshoring: business transformation planning and delivery
- Logistics and Supply Chain Management: end-to-end management of fresh produce (procurement, warehousing, logistics, sale), business start-up, transformation
Divy Gupta
- Consultant with 7 years professional experience in operations excellence in manufacturing industry including automobile, FMCG and rail sector.
- Comprehensive experience in improving business processes through data and business analytics focusing on cost reduction while optimising quality.
- Worked as Industrial Engineer managing operational teams, helping them in new manufacturing facilities setup and labour hour reductions.
- Capabilities include Process improvement, Project Management, Business Transformation, Data Analytics, Strategy Development, Facility Design and Plant Setup, Lean Six Sigma,
Leadership, Coaching and Management Operating Systems.
Experience
- Automobile Manufacturing: Ergonomics study and improvement, Motion and time study, Line balancing and Lean management
- Rail Equipment Manufacturing: Production line setup, New technology introduction, Business analytics, Process automation and improvement, 5S and Lean implementation
- Rail Maintenance: Process redesign and optimisation, Value engineering, Waste reduction, Standardisation , Change management and Quality control.
- Startup and Innovation: Business development and Business validation.
Trevor Harris
- An integrated engineer and front line manager who brings analytical reasoning, business understanding and leadership development to teams in order to ensure sustainable impact.
- With 7 years’ experience in Heavy Engineering and Line Management within the Chemical & Energy industry.
- Capabilities include Process Development, Process Design & Commissioning, Process Operation & Optimisation, Business Modelling, Planning & Scheduling, Organisational Reviews & Capacity Modelling, Asset and People Management, Change Management, Leadership Development, Business Administration and Strategy.
Experience
- Engineering: Business Development & Implementation, Plant Optimization, Management of Change, Root Cause Analysis, Value Chain Optimization
- Manufacturing: Inventory Management, Production Scheduling, OH&S, Project Management, Continuous Improvement, Asset Health Monitoring Systems, Work Management Systems
- Lecturing: Reactor Technology
- Education: Masters of Business Administration, Bachelors of Science (Chemical Engineering)
- Aviation: Product Development
- Resources/Mining: Open cut mining, coal production, planning
- Financial Services & Insurance: Back office processes, claims processing, quality assurance, call centres
- Not-for-Profit: Community Housing
- Utilities: Water
Mike Kofoed
- Eight years of front-line leadership roles in the Canadian wood products manufacturing industry, engaging operations crews in the pursuit of safety and production targets. Two years in Australia completing an MBA and taking on projects in financial services, defence and search funds (entrepreneurship through acquisition).
- Hands-on experience of working on the shop floor, communicating KPIs and championing actions to move those KPIs
- Capabilities include Operational Improvement, Production Data Gathering, Financial Statement Analysis, Quality Control, Training and Development, Occupational Health & Safety program delivery, Site Environmental Regulation.
Experience
- Heavy Manufacturing: Plywood, Veneer, Lumber, Plant Maintenance Functions, Shipping and Finished Product Inventory Management
- Resources: Forestry Layout, Harvesting, Hauling, Log Yard Management
- Financial Services: Customer Journey Maps
- Defence: Beneficiary Discovery
- Education: Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Wood Products Processing
Aarsheya Gupta
- Consultant with 7 years’ experience across telecom, IT and education industries, government, and startups in Australia, North America and Asia.
- Certified Project Management Professional and ICP – Agile Coach
- Experience in improving business processes by placing restrictive adherence to theoretical frameworks like agile, waterfall and scrum and promoting the use of customised, pragmatic, and flexible fit-for-purpose models.
- Capabilities include Project Management, Business Transformation, Process Optimisation and Improvement, Business Development, Administration and Strategy and Marketing Management.
Experience
- Telecom: Business Transformation, Process Optimisation and Improvement, Continuous Improvement, Project Management
- Startup and Innovation: Business Development, Strategy, Product Development, Marketing, Business Processes, Partnerships, Venture Funding
- Information Technology: Product Development (Software-as-a-Service and Web/Mobile Apps), Marketing, Sales, Content Management
- Education industry: Product Development (Web/Mobile Apps), Marketing, Business Development, PR
- Education: MBA, Bachelor’s in Engineering (Industrial Engineering)
John Mullany
- Senior Consultant with over twenty years experience in Operational Consulting in Australia, the Pacific, Africa, the United Kingdom and Canada, focussed on the design and sustainable implementation of various initiatives, including business performance improvement, organisational cultural alignment, revenue enhancement, cost reduction, business process engineering and service quality uplift.
- Experienced partner to senior management teams working to implement broad-based organisational alignment and transformation across diverse cultures and stakeholder groups.
- Capabilities include Project Management (PMBOK), Change Management, Operational Excellence, Process Re-engineering, Maintenance and Shutdown Management, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Organisational Re-Design, KPI/Balanced Scorecard Performance Management, Throughput and Yield Enhancement
Experience
- Underground and Open Cut Mining: zinc, gold, coal, nickel
- Heavy Manufacturing: Structural steel, pulp and paper, batteries, packaging, smelter and foundry operations, nickel concentrating, alumina refining, aircraft manufacture
- Maintenance: Mining and heavy industry
- Brewing and Wine: Sourcing, manufacture and distribution
- Light Manufacturing: Food, wine, confectionery, poultry, dairy and ice cream, baked goods, seafood, swimwear and underwear, clothing and sportswear
- Printing and Packaging: Primary, coatings (paint and PVC, adhesives)
- Financial Services: Insurance, banking, financial planning, call centres
- Services: Security, Courier Services,
- Telecommunications: Fixed line and mobile
- Transport: Yellow Fleet, rail operations, long distance trucking
- Retailing and Wholesaling: Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), fashion, postal and agency business
Maree Mullins
- Over twenty years experience as a facilitator of change in both corporate and public sector organisations in Australia and Asia. This includes leading project teams in healthcare, energy and manufacturing sectors on ‘whole of company’ change initiatives involving restructuring, culture change, process change and/or new system implementation.
- Strong focus on Change Management initiatives from scoping needs, designing and developing material to implementation.
- Capabilities include Change Management, Stakeholder Management, Process Reengineering, Employee Skills Training and Business Improvement.
Experience
- Automotive: Business process re-engineering
- Financial Services/Insurance: Change management, transformation of back office services, teller sales training, customer service
- Healthcare: Re-structure for commercialisation (surgical)
- Infrastructure: Re-structure for commercialisation (power utility), accounts receivables (rail service)
- Light Manufacturing/Packaging: Waste/yield management, portion control
- Manufacturing: Waste/yield management, quality control
- Mining: Operational safety, waste/yield management, change management for new system implementation
- Retail: Sales and customer service training
- Services: Change management for new system implementation, customer service training
Sheila Nguyen
Dr Sheila Nguyen has had several learning opportunities in life (aka missteps & mistakes), and as a result, she is continually motivated to do things better over time. As a firm believer in the aphorism, ‘a rising tide lifts all boats,’ she enthusiastically shares her love for learning with others so that everyone will lift to ‘their own greatness.’
Her learning opportunities came from working with licensing/marketing (PGA Tour, USA), corporate consulting (William Morris Agency, Beverly Hills, USA), and as part of the broadcasting team at the 2010 Asian Games (Guangzhou, China) with clients such as NHK, Al-Jazeera, KBS, and CCTV. Sheila is a member of Baseball Victoria’s Board of Directors and is part of the Committee for Melbourne business leadership program. She is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Associate certified (since 2011) and recently passed her National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) assessor exam.
Her adrenaline comes from being the Director of the Master of Business (Sport Management) Program at Deakin University (Melbourne, Australia) and in her role as the Executive Director of Sports Environment Alliance (SEA), a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to leading, educating and empowering the sport industry and its partners in ecological consciousness.
She enjoys moonlighting as a Coxswain Alliance team member!
Charlie Roach
- Consultant with over 20 years’ international experience across multiple industries in senior and executive management and consulting roles.
- Compelling leadership skills, sound commercial acumen and strategic thinking have contributed to a solid track record of significantly improving business outcomes and robust people development.
- Capabilities include Project and Change Management, Management Systems Design, Process Improvement, Organisational and Leadership Development.
Experience
- Contact Centres: Outsourcing and In-House, Workforce Management, Vendor Management, Operations, Sales and Customer Service, Shared Services Management (Quality Assurance, Contracts, Procurement), Client Relationship Management, Project Management, Technology, new business acquisitions
- Product Distribution: FMCG, Industrial Products, Scientific Products.
- Insurance, Technology Services, Telecommunications, Education, Energy, Retail.
Melissa Wilkinson
- Senior Consultant and Project Leader with ten years consulting experience working on projects ranging from organisational redesign, IT strategy, employee engagement and cultural change.
- Demonstrated success in analysing the client organisation, partnering with clients to develop solutions that meet the business’ needs and delivering project outcomes to achieve measurable benefits.
- Capabilities include Change Management, Operational Improvement and Excellence, Facilitation and Training, Coaching, Organisational Development, Learning and Development, Project Management.
Experience
- Financial Services: Back office processes, customer services
- Healthcare: Medical centres, pathology, imaging, clinical trials
- Human Resources: HR processes, learning and development, organisational development
- IT: IT strategy
- Manufacturing: Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) – pulp and paper
- Resources/Mining: Bauxite, alumina
- Retail: Multi-location retail stores, multi-location light industrial/co-operative
- Sales: FMCG
Philip Wong
- Senior Consultant and Project Leader with twenty years professional experience in military, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and resources sectors.
- Frontline management experience in manufacturing, services and military environments.
- Currently a serving officer in the Australian Army Reserve having held both leadership and instructional postings.
- Capabilities include Operational Analysis, Process Mapping, Operational Excellence, Training, Coaching, Leadership Development, Strategy Development, Change Management, Quality Management, Pharmaceutical Research & Development, Team & Project Management
Experience
- Financial Services and Insurance: Back office processes, call centers, claims processing, customer service, new business and underwriting
- Healthcare: Cord blood banking, cold chain logistics and distribution, medical laboratory services, clinical trials, QC/QA systems, research and development
- International Aid/Development: Capacity development, strategic communication, liaison, impact assessments
- Manufacturing: Pharmaceuticals, Quality systems development and management
- Military: Operations planning, operations evaluation, command, training and instruction, civil-military co-operation, civil-military liaison
- Not-For-Profit: Community housing
- Resources/Mining: Open cut mining, drilling and blasting, coal processing, alumina refining
- Services: Analytical laboratory services, community relations, emergency services, environmental services, human resources
- Utilities: Electricity, water
We Support
WE RELISH the clients we work with and the collaborative work we engage in with them. We also believe in ‘putting back’ – in both a planned and an ad hoc manner. The latter is usually how we respond to causes that our clients are interested in, or the support our people provide personally.
More formally, we support a range of organisations that have ‘touched’ us in some way:
- We put money to a range of cancer & children’s health organisations.
- We support medical research for Mitochondrial disease because of its impact on a member of our group.
- We provide support to an organisation that provides critical services to the refugee community.
- One of our group is a long-term, active member of the Australian Army reserve. Working at officer level, he dedicates many of his personal hours to the reserve, and is supported by Coxswain Alliance and his colleagues for extended deployments.
- One of our group is a Foundation Board member and chair of one of the support groups at the Art Gallery of NSW. An organisation that receives no government funding for the acquisition of art, this activity, combined with monetary support, contributes to the legacy we leave future generations.
- We are a sponsor of the Sydney Symphony, with a particular emphasis on how their broad educational approaches provide much needed support back to our community. We regularly use their Fellowship program to demonstrate to corporates the journey that young, extremely talented players take to build their careers.
As you can see, a broad range, reflecting who Coxswain Alliance is and where we want to assist others in making a difference. Click the tabs below to see details of some of the areas we provide support to.
Who We Support
Australian Mitochondrial
Disease Foundation
The AMDF, a not-for-profit organisation, was formed in 2009 with a vision to cure mitochondrial disease (mito). Mito is a debilitation genetic disorder that robs the body’s cells of energy, causing multiple organ dysfunction or failure and often death. There is no cure and few effective treatments. Our mission is comprised of three core elements: fostering research, providing support, and promoting education.
www.amdf.org.au
1300 977 180
info@amdf.org.au
Suite 4, Level 6
9–13 Young Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Defence Reserves Support
Coxswain Alliance is a Supportive Employer of Defence Reservists. We have been accredited as a Supportive Employer for more than six years. Defence Reserves Support administers the Supportive Employer community nationally.
The benefits of being a Supportive Employer are numerous and the skills, qualities, confidence and experience that a Reservist learns through Defence service is exceptional. Defence Reserves Support provides opportunities for employers to participate in employer engagement activities such as Exercise Executive Stretch or Boss Lift, where employers have the opportunity to participate in similar activities that Reservists do whilst out on field training. Coxswain Alliance has participated in a number of these activities and was honoured to receive a Employer Support Award in 2016.
Jennifer Duke
Operations Manager – NSW
Defence Reserves Support
jennifer.duke@defence.gov.au
+61 2 9393 2868
Art Gallery of New South Wales
The AGNSW, established in 1871, is a core Australian museum presenting international and Australian art across a wide range of media. Their mission is to both build a collection for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations, and to curate and present shows to current audiences that enhance our understanding of the world we live in. This is often done in collaboration with other museums locally and internationally. The development of the collection and the presentation of shows is made possible through a wide range of funding sources, from grants, corporate and private sponsorship and benefaction or donations from a vast range of sources, including many individual donors.
www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au
Jane Wynter, Head of Philanthropy
Art Gallery Road, The Domain, Sydney NSW 2000
+61 2 9225 1818
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1932 by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra has evolved into one of the world’s finest orchestras. The SSO gives more than a hundred performances in Australia each year – serving the people of Sydney and NSW, and, through broadcasts, the Australian and international communities. In addition, international tours to Europe, the USA and throughout Asia have earned the SSO worldwide recognition. The SSO’s award-winning education program is central to its commitment to the future of live symphonic music, and it promotes the work of Australian composers through performances, recordings and commissions.
Yvonne Zammit, Director, External Relations
yvonne.zammit@sydneysymphony.com
+61 2 8215 4612
