Gavin Lockwood
Associate, Wellington

Gavin is an independent consultant, facilitator and coach. Since 2011 he has worked with individuals and teams from around 30 organisations.

Gavin has an excellent understanding of the opportunities and challenges that face leaders in the public sector. He worked in a range of senior roles over 15 years in Treasury, the Ministry of Fisheries, and through the merger of the Ministries of Agriculture & Forestry and Fisheries. That included roles at the Deputy Chief Executive level. Prior to that, he worked at the Prime Minister's Department in Canberra.

Gavin is experienced in strategy development, turning strategy into action, and leading substantial change in organisations. He understands what it takes to achieve the behavioural and cultural changes that make a tangible difference to performance, and is skilled in the real-world application of a wide range of relevant frameworks and models.

Gavin is an accredited coach, through the NeuroLeadership Group, and accredited in a range of diagnostic tools. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) and Master of Arts from the University of Melbourne, and has undertaken a wide range of training related to leadership and organisation development, including Stanford University's Executive Programme in Strategy and Organisation.

Nicky Benson
Associate, Auckland

Nicky is an expert in helping executives, teams and organisations develop courage to lead change. Drawing on decades of commercial experience and knowledge, Nicky helps her clients become healthier, happier and more effective.

Nicky delivers tailored programmes in communication and coaching skills, building high performing teams, influencing and presentation skills, building resilience and balance.

She has worked as a Director at Pricewaterhouse Coopers NZ in the area of Performance Improvement, working specifically in the areas of resilience and leadership. Whilst with Rogen, a global communications company, Nicky specialised in leadership communication, coaching and life balance as well as influencing, facilitation and presentation skills.

She has gained over 20 years senior management experience primarily in the retail sector. She was Head of Training for The Body Shop International in London in the mid eighties, and ran her own successful franchise of The Body Shop in the UK for 12 years. Nicky had her own coaching companies in the UK and New Zealand.

She has a BSc Hons in Biology and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education.

Denis Grennell
Associate, Wellington

Denis is an experienced educator and developer, with over 20 years’ experience in education, management and consultancy. He has worked with a wide range of organisations to improve Maori Responsiveness and leadership and implement creative ways to build capability and the commitment essential to driving better business.

Enhancing this wide experience is Denis’ management history in the public and industry sectors and his work at a governance level with Boards of Trustees.

Denis has been utilised by clients to work with them on transforming their internal culture. Denis facilitates processes that act as a catalyst, to align individuals to their inner core beliefs and values, creating powerful transformation. Working in an energetic, safe, and interactive way Denis closes the knowing-doing gap by connecting individuals to teams, and teams to organisational values, mission & vision to allow growth and realise full potential.

Denis is of Ngati Maniapoto decent with Irish ancestry. He now lives on the Kapiti Coast, with four children of Rarotonga, Niuean and Tahitian decent on their mother’s side. All of Denis’ children are involved in the immersion Maori education system, and the whole whanau are bilingual.