Dr Matt Glenn PhD.

Director, Strategy, Capability and Portfolio Management Practice

matt.glenn@ideapartners.co.nz  64 (0) 21 549 121

Matt has over 15 years experience in Executive Management, in the Biotechnology, Biopharmaceutical, Food Ingredients and Chemicals industries. Matt was the Head of Genomics at Genesis R&D, which included the largest DNA sequencing facility in the Southern Hemisphere and a 24×7 integrated Genomic Technologies group employing over 80 staff. As part of the Senior Management Team, Matt was involved in the 2001 ASX/NZX IPO.

In 2003 Matt joined Fonterra to lead the development of Fonterra Ingredients’ Portfolio Management Office. As part of the Innovation Strategy Team, Matt led the implementation of an Innovation Pipeline, Stage Gate and Prioritisation process (Receiving the “2008 Innovation Award”). Matt led the Portfolio, Project and Capability Management systems within Fonterra Ingredients and developed project management and governance practices still being used today.

In 2007, Matt became the General Manager of Research and Business Development at Ballance Agri-Nutrients, where he was responsible for Corporate Strategy, Business Development (M&A), R&D, New Products, PR & Communications and Technical Training.

In 2010 Matt incorporated “Idea Partners”, Matt has worked with a number of small, medium and large Australasian organisations including Fonterra, BNZ, ANZ, Waikato DHB, Counties Manukau DHB, HBL, Aquaflow, FarmIQ, Carbonscape,, Rakon, Hill Laboratories….

Dr Arie Geursen ONZM, PhD

Strategic Capability and Governance Practice

arie.geursen@ideapartners.co.nz  +64 (0) 21 373 884

Arie is an experienced CEO / General Manager with a proven track record of solving problems that face any business but in particular one relying on Innovation in science for its future success.  In 1994 he joined forces with Professor Jim Watson and Drs Paul Tan and Nick Birchall to found Genesis Research Development. Initially he was the Director of Resources (a General Managerial Role compassing finance, human resources, regulatory affairs and project management).  As the company grew he focused on Human Resources including leading the recruitment of high calibre scientists and support staff from New Zealand and around the world to build a formidable science capability that enabled Genesis to successfully list on the New Zealand and Australian Stock Exchanges in 2001.

He was Chief Operating Officer of Virionyx, a small biotechnology company developing passive immunotherapies for infectious diseases including AIDS, from 2001 until 2005, when he developed his own consulting business specializing in providing strategic planning, science management and human resources advice (including organisational development, recruitment of specialised staff internationally, and change and performance management) for New Zealand’s fledgling biotechnology industry in what are often stretched financial circumstances.

He joined Fonterra in 2006 as the General Manager of LactoPharma a joint venture with the University of Auckland the Foundation for Research Science and Technology to build a science and people capability that specialised in the discovery and commercialisation of bioactive ingredients from milk for human health.

As a member of the Fonterra Group Technology lead team he provided leadership and advice to Fonterra’s R&D initiatives with external research providers including the start-up of the Dairy Primary Growth Partnership with the New Zealand Government, DairyNZ and Fonterra.

He was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to science in 2012

Since then Arie joined Idea Partners as a Senior Consultant and Head of the Strategic Capability and Governance Practice.

Steve Morris.

Head of HR Practice

steve.morris@ideapartners.co.nz 64 (0)

Steve works closely with clients to understand their business from both a strategic and operations viewpoint and assists in the development of approaches to managing human resources. He works with clients to develop human resource strategies and programs that provide a competitive advantage and maximize the organization’s investment in people. Steve specializes in Job Analysis, Recruitment and Selection, Training and Development and Capability Management. In addition, Steve continues to research the impact that Emotional Intelligence has in exemplary leadership within organizations.

Steve is a training consultant who has also lectured in HR Management. He also has experience in managing HR consulting firms as well as over 15 years working in school management.

Steve holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Leadership Studies, a Master of Arts, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business and Administration, a Bachelor of Education, a Diploma of Teaching and a Cert. IV Training and Assessment.

Consultancy Services

• Leadership Development
• 360 degree feedback- including the Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI)
• Executive Coaching
• The principles of effective teamwork.

Assessments and Evaluation Services

• Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI
• The Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI)
• The Kolb Team Learning Experience (TLE)

We can also provide you with an associate you can administer the following:

• Inventory of Leadership Styles (ILS)
• Organizational Climate Survey (OCS)

Allan Main.

Intellectual Property and Analysis Practice.

allan.main@ideapartners.co.nz +64 27 562 4659

Allan is a well experienced business consultant. In the thirty-five-plus years since graduating from Massey University, he has worked in most aspects of innovation management, technology strategy and intellectual property management.

The greatest portion (24 years) of that experience was served in the dairy industry latterly with Fonterra, and previously with several of the predecessors that amalgamated in 2001 to form the world’s leading exporter of dairy products.

During that time he primarily operated at the interface of technology and marketing, and became Fonterra’s Intellectual Property Manager during his last five years with the company.

As an innovation practitioner who has worked in real businesses in real markets Allan takes a commercially pragmatic approach to intellectual property, regarding an IP portfolio as a business asset for competitive advantage.

Darrin Brinsden

Project & Program Practice

darrin.brinsden@ideapartners.co.nz +64 21 400 998

Darrin is an experienced leader in Governance / Programme / Portfolio / PMO assurance. His recent career has spanned leadership roles where he engages as a trusted consultant. He has experience in areas of strategy, change and delivery competency with a focus on strategic alignment, governance, policy, planning and structure.

He is a strong relationship builder spanning executive teams to affected stakeholders. He has a strong interest in assurance, governance, mentoring, imparting knowledge and leading enterprise wide strategic transformation.

Darrin develops and manages the transition of large PMO capabilities and mentors organisations along their maturity development roadmaps.  His experience covers start-up, federation, organisational process mapping and quality assurance of PMOs across a spectrum of organisations.

He has consulted and led teams across many sectors in PMO capability development, delivery, strategy translation and business architecture. His skills complement business line change programs, coaching and sharing knowledge where affecting changed behaviours is a key outcome.

Darrin  holds a PMP qualification (since 2007), is an MSP Advanced Practitioner, as well as a PRINCE2 practitioner and is a CA Clarity Functional Consultant.

Mark Young

Change Management Practice

mark.young@ideapartners.co.nz 64 (0) 21 607 095

Mark is a highly experienced change/project management consultant with extensive skills gained over 28 years in various senior consulting and management roles.

Mark offers a wide range of specialist consulting services to clients throughout the full change lifecycle.  These include structured approaches to problem definition, project setup, stakeholder engagement and resolving project disputes/issues.

Mark takes pride in a successful track record of assisting organisations through difficult business/IT change initiatives.  This is achieved through a combination of utilising best practice techniques, career lessons and a naturally collaborative working style.

Mark’s person values are Integrity, Teamwork, Simplicity, and Fun.

Peter Foster

Training & Development Practice

peter.foster@ideapartners.co.nz +64 (0) 21 726 882

Peter is a training and development professional with over 30 years working on projects. Peter has been a Project Manager, Programme Manager, and Change Manager over his career.

Peter is experience in developing and delivering training in project management and general business skills across all levels of an organisation. Peter has worked in a number of industries including government, telecommunications, finance and banking, health and technology

Peter’s background is in electrical engineering and information technology and he is an Accredited PRINCE2 Project Management Trainer

Peter has lived and worked in New Zealand, Australia and delivered training globally.

Dr Rob Steadman, PhD.

Business Process Improvement and Project Management Practice.

rob.steadman@ideapartners.co.nz +64 (0) 22 420 4444

Rob is a well-rounded and highly experienced (17+ years) Senior Program & Project Manager with both PMP and Prince 2 qualifications and a Ph.D in an engineering discipline.  He has worked as a project, program and portfolio manager in the public and private sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, IT and retail.

Change and risk management are particular specialities, and Rob is a member of the Troubled Projects Special Interest Group of the Project Management Institute.

His academic training has given him highly developed problem-solving and analytical skills, and the ability to develop effective solutions to complex problems.  He is a strong communicator – both written and oral – at all stakeholder levels to CXX.

Rob leads by establishing clear and unambiguous expectations, and by setting a strong and consistent example.  He has a record of delivering highly technical projects and programs to demanding timelines, and taking innovative ideas from concept to commercialisation.

Jenny Symonds

Change Management Practice.

jenny.symonds@ideapartners.co.nz +64 (0) 21 220 8321

Jenny is a results-driven finance professional with broad banking experience spanning 15 years. She specialises in change management, business improvement, organisational transformation and project management in complex environments. She has worked for multinational financial organisations including BNZ, Westpac, HSBC, RBS, Standard Bank and ABN Amro.

Jenny brings with her senior expertise in pure change management, process improvement, leadership, capability and development frameworks, stakeholder management, strategic execution and organisational culture change.

She is recognised as an industry leader and mentor in the analysis, design and implementation of well-structured, targeted and disciplined change management strategies for business program and organisational transformations. Jenny can quickly grasp large, complex and dynamic environments and flex according to organisational conditions, to deliver a successful change management program – fit for purpose.

Jenny’s experience includes heading up a change management practice leading large teams, to developing methodologies and capability frameworks at an enterprise and a project level. This mix of leadership and practical, value-added solution design ensures client’s benefits are realised and sustainable.

Jenny has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree with a double major in management and marketing from Otago University in Dunedin, New Zealand. She is certified in PROSCI as a change management professional and is actively involved in the professional development of change management through the Change Management Institute NZ.