Innovation consultancy IE adds John Chambers following deal

Consultancy firm IE has integrated boutique firm Fresh Ventures Advisory and appointed founder John Chambers as managing partner for corporate innovation.

Former Telstra executive John Chambers has been appointed managing partner for corporate innovation at strategy consultancy IE – following IE Digital’s recent acquisition of Chamber’s corporate consultancy business Fresh Ventures Advisory. Founded in 2001, IE bills itself as an innovation company for corporate teams with lines in innovation system creation, coaching, portfolio management, market research and product co-creation among its offerings. 

Joining IE as a managing partner, Chambers brings more than 20 years of experience in the areas of product, strategy, operations, innovation and technology to his new role, having spent 18 years at Telstra in various business leadership positions after joining the Telco in 1999 – ultimately rising to the position of Executive Director for Product Innovation. Following his departure from Telstra, Chambers founded Fresh Ventures Advisory, now acquired by IE Digital.

According to IE, which has existing offices in Melbourne, Sydney and New York and a roster of high profile clients including Toyota, Australia Post, Bupa, World Vision and Lexus, the acquisition of Fresh Ventures Advisory marks a new stage in the consulting firm’s growth. Based in Melbourne, Fresh Ventures in turn has worked with a number of well-known names, such as NAB, Lendlease and global tech-minded professional services giant Accenture. 

“John is well known for delivering business-redefining projects and we’re looking forward to seeing John bring this knowledge and passion to IE,” said IE founder Rhys Hayes, a business graduate of RMIT who more recently co-founded California-based in-store digital retail content management platform Foyer. “We always work to develop and deliver new ideas to the market quickly and are excited to welcome John to our team to enhance our consulting capabilities. 

According to the firm, Chambers will work alongside Hayes and fellow IE managing partner Dean Flynn, and will be responsible for overseeing IE’s offerings to clients in innovation capability assessments, growth and innovation strategy, and the development of new digital products and ventures. At Telstra, Chambers led key product and operations initiatives including Telstra Smart Home, Broadband Protect, and big data and analytics commercialisation efforts.

“I am thrilled to be joining one of Australia’s largest digital innovators that has a proven track record of delivering digital capabilities and products for some of Australia’s most exciting companies,” Chambers said of his appointment. “I am deeply convinced that over the next 10 years, corporates will move beyond their current challenges of overcoming complexity and building digital capability, driving stronger commitment towards growth and value creation.”

In addition to Fresh Ventures, Chambers is also the founder and director of green-tech company Moorup Tech (which provides refurbished phones) and serves as the CEO of Tappl – a tech start-up helping “individuals and workplaces to thrive through feedback amongst colleagues”. Chambers said on LinkedIn; “Friends, I couldn’t be happier. As IE is increasingly a venture studio, my other ventures Tappl and Moorup Tech get to come along for the journey.”