About Ian

My abiding interest in all my activities is the development of people's capabilities and relationships (including my own), their identification of opportunities and the magnitude of what people can achieve and contribute in their lives.

I have seen this through my experiences in my youth (as an actuary, Rhodes Scholar and international tennis player) and in the subsequent years through leadership positions in businesses and not-for-profit organisations - and above all as a husband, parent of three and a sibling of five and more recently a grandfather of two.

Over the past twenty years I have coached dozens of CEO's and senior executives through Foresight’s Global Coaching and have mentored many more in career transitions. I have also been chairman and a director or CEO of around 30 companies.

I am currently chairman of RGA Reinsurance Australia and a director of Milton Corporation, the Purves Environmental Fund and the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists. I also serve as an adjunct professor at the faculty of business at the University of Technology, Sydney. 

I have a number of degrees including a recently conferred Honorary Doctor of Business from Macquarie University. The subject I most wish I had studied in my youth is psychology so I have somewhat made up for that in my readings in the past two decades.

My book Investing in Your Life (Wiley 2009) inspired much of the thinking behind the Four Lenses, especially the Opportunity and Impact Lenses. You can learn more about this book by clicking on the links below. 

About Jess

I am a career and creativity coach who holds a Masters of Education (Career Development) and specialises in working with young adults and artists. I am particularly interested in what shapes our individual sense of identity and how we can each learn to set up sustainable practices in all aspects of our physical, mental, social and spiritual lives.   

Having worked as a professional singer and songwriter for the past 11 years I have experienced and witnessed many of the career and life challenges being faced by emerging and established artists. Since completing my Bachelor of Music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music I have been lucky enough to tour and perform around the world including shows at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, concerts in Mumbai and music festivals in Italy. Closer to home my work with bands including Toucan, Rufus and Timmy Trumpet has given me the opportunity to tour nationally in back to back Big Day Out tours, Falls Festival, Listen Out Festival and major national tours with Rufus and artists such as The Kooks. 

After noticing high rates of injury and minimal career development support for myself and other students at university I began my studies into career development. While on the road touring I studied my Graduate Certificate in the Career Counselling of Elite Performers (Victoria University), followed by a broader preventative health focus including a Graduate Certificate in Social Health and Counselling majoring in drugs and alcohol (Macquarie University) and my Certificate Three and Four in Fitness (FIA Fitnation) - including working as a personal trainer from 2013 to 2015. My Masters of Education in Career Development has also led me to work with organisations including The Australian Women’s National Soccer Team, the Macquarie University Elite Athlete program, over 40 high schools around NSW and the development of a workshop titled ‘a sustainable approach to a career in the arts,’ which focuses on personal development tools and resources for emerging artists.

As well as music and research I have always greatly enjoyed sport, being an avid sailor and snowboarder. From ski seasons in Japan, to my proudest sporting achievement of winning a bronze medal in the World University Games in Crete, I cannot get enough of sport and the outdoors. I am also known for my hand drawn Christmas cards and love of plant-based nutrition. For more information about my business CareerSet you can click on the button to the right.