Nous promotes eight to principal among record promotions round
Australian-origin management consultancy Nous Group has admitted eight new principals to its leadership team, among a record number of promotions across its international footprint.
Management consultancy Nous Group has elevated eight of its professionals to principal amid 95 promotions worldwide, including within the company’s higher education sector subsidy Cubane Consulting. The new principals – the firm’s most senior rank – are mostly spread across the Melbourne and Sydney offices, with one addition each in London and Darwin, while a further 18 local employees will take the step up to director.
“I have been thrilled to watch the career progression of the Nousers whose work has been acknowledged with a promotion,” said CEO and managing principal Tim Orton. “Every one of these team members has shown the utmost dedication to helping our clients and their colleagues to realise a bigger idea of success. Congratulations to every one of them, and I look forward to seeing them continue to develop.”
Kendra Cockburn
Cockburn becomes a principal in Nous’ Darwin office, where she leads strategy and policy projects in the social services, health, justice and education sectors, having relocated from Melbourne shortly after its launch in 2019. Prior to her two year with Nous down south, Cockburn spent almost a decade in the state and federal public service, including most recently as a senior policy advisor for the Victorian health and human services department.
Jamie Tang
A public policy and strategy specialist, Tang has been promoted to principal in Melbourne. He joined Nous’ London office in 2018 following a three and a half year stint at global human services firm Ingeus, where his roles included head of strategy. Tang started his career as a policy officer with the Victorian department of premier and cabinet, followed by two and a half years as a policy and economics manager at PwC.
Nikita Weickhardt
Also promoted to principal in Melbourne is Nikita Weickhardt, who on joining Nous in 2018 brought more than half a decade of experience at McKinsey & Company in London. Prior to that, she worked as a manufacturing and maintenance engineer in the petrochemical industry in Trinidad and Tobago and served in senior community and conservation not-for-profit roles in rural South Australia and Queensland Australia.
Michael Rathjen
Rathjen is third in a trio of principal promotions in Melbourne, having joined Nous as a senior consultant in 2019 after three years in Accenture’s government and health practice. Since then, Rathjen has served as an internal group strategy manager, and now acts as a senior leader in Nous’ digital, design & data practice, working with public and private sector clients on large-scale strategy, policy and technology transformations.
Marianna Brungs
Marianna Brungs meanwhile becomes a principal in Sydney, where she has spent the past four years assisting government and not-for-profit clients across a range of complex social development programs. Previously she led the Sydney Peace Foundation, following over five years in high-level NGO roles in the UK. She holds a Masters of Philosophy from Cambridge and kicked off her career with a DFAT posting in Bangkok.
Rob Sutherland
Sutherland also joined the firm in Sydney in 2019 following earlier experience in the non-profit and public sectors, including as National Program Manager for Service Development and Clinical Practice at Cancer Australia and as a Senior Policy Analyst at the NSW health department. Immediately prior to crossing to Nous, Sutherland spent five years consultancy ZEST Health Strategies, latterly as principal consultant and business lead.
John Chow
Lastly, John Chow, an organisational design and digital implementation specialist, likewise attains the rank of principal in Sydney. Chow rejoined the firm at the beginning of last year after having previously spent almost four years with Nous to 2014. In between, Chow has served with the NSW Department of Justice, including as director of digital technology delivery, as well as operating his own consultancy and sabre fencing business.
Darren Leafe
Based in London, Leafe was the sole principal promotion outside of Australia. Leafe has worked in education, government and the public sector for over 25 years and draws on a wide range of knowledge and experience to design, develop and deliver customer-centric digital solutions. He also has extensive experience leading education strategy development for government departments in the UK and abroad, and public service transformation.
