Innovation consultancy Inventium extends search for next CEO
Inventium founder Amantha Imber has put $5,000 on the table for whoever finds the behavioural science & innovation consultancy’s next CEO, with applications due to close on Friday.
Australian talent and innovation consultancy Inventium is on the hunt for a new chief executive, with a $5,000 bonus up for grabs for a successful referral.
The job – which has been vacant since February – might not however be suited for all executive tastes. A certified B-Corp, Inventium is remote-first (the consultancy doesn’t in fact have a central office), and describes itself as the first company in Australia to adopt a four-day working week.
Established in 2007 by former Leo Burnett senior strategist Amantha Imber, a doctorate-holder in organisational psychology from Monash University, Inventium provides behavioural science-informed consulting and training services to blue-chip clients to help get the most out of their teams. Previously the research force behind the AFR’s annual Most Innovative Companies list, the firm also applies an innovative strategy to managing its own workforce.
The result of that approach is perhaps best encapsulated in the words of former CEO Michelle Le Poidevin, who departed in February after a decade at the firm; “Its a unicorn workplace and I leave with so many learnings, great memories and friends. I couldn’t be more grateful to Amantha for all the opportunities she’s given me, and for all my clever, hilarious and simply brilliant teammates that I’ve had the absolute privilege of working alongside.”
While Le Poidevin was bid a fond farewell, the firm has yet to find a suitable replacement, with one glowing candidate recently falling through due to other circumstances. This “good failure”, as the Inventium founder framed it in terms of adding clarity, has prompted Imber to take to LinkedIn in a fresh CEO call-out with $5,000 on the table – either as a reward for a successful referral or simply a sign-on bonus should the right person ‘find’ themselves.
As above, the next CEO has to genuinely put purpose and people over profit, which is the ethos of a B-Corp. The right person however will still need to tick some business boxes beyond being the best cultural fit. Firstly, they’ll need to be able to move quickly, as the deadline for applications is on Friday the 12th of April.
More broadly, they’ll have ideally led a HR-related business through a previous growth journey and established an enviable network along the way.
In addition to $5,000, here’s what Inventium also said it can offer its next chief; a tonne of autonomy and the chance to set the course for the next stage in the firm’s journey; a team of legitimately high performers; a small business whose brand and reputation bats well above its weight; an amazing place to work but with the chance to make it even better; and a suite of products that are highly impactful, but with so much opportunity to do and create more.
“Dear future Inventium CEO,” Imber wrote previously in a bid to demote herself. “I am on the hunt to find someone who can do the job better. Finding someone to lead the amazing team is a project I am taking oh-so-seriously, which is why I am doing it myself and not delegating it to someone else. I love my team and am looking for someone who will grow and develop them, and at the same time take Inventium into its next stage of development and growth.”
