Inventium appoints Tina McIntosh as new CEO after six-month search
After a long six-month search, behavioural science & innovation consultancy Inventium has finally landed on its next CEO: former Accenture human resources lead Tina McIntosh.
McIntosh brings two and a half decades worth of professional experience, including a background in media marketing, and was selected as Inventium’s new CEO from a pool of more than 300 applicants and nominations.
Growing frustrated with the process of finding her ideal successor, founder Amantha Imber had put $5,000 on the table for a successful referral, a bonus ultimately claimed by u&u Recruitment Partners NSW general manager Chad Lawson.
McIntosh departed Accenture at the beginning of the year after three years at the firm as strategy & consulting talent acquisition and then corporate functions HR lead, before which she was principal consultant for boutique executive search agency Perceptor’s digital, sales & marketing division and Australasia general manager for international tourism company The Travel Corporation.
Earlier, she spent more than a decade in various senior marketing and client roles at some of Australia and world’s largest media companies, including EMI Music, Nine Entertainment, Foxtel Group, Bauer in the UK, and ViacomCBS, the latter where she served as a director of marketing, communications & commercial partnerships with a focus on Nickelodeon and MTV.
“With her incredible vision and passion for innovation, Tina is the perfect match to lead us into a bright future,” the firm stated, with Imber adding; “Her experience and skill set was exactly what we needed, her EQ is off the charts, and what I saw and heard about her leadership style was what I felt the team needed to make a step-change in growth through Tina’s mentorship and coaching.”
Imber has been refreshingly candid in describing the difficulties of filling the role left vacant following the departure of former CEO Michaelle Le Poidevin after a decade at the firm, especially for a certified B-Corp which trades on thinking outside of the box. Kudos then goes to u&u’s Lawson, whose own lateral thinking uncovered what Imber said was the “unicorn” she didn’t even know consultancy needed.
“It’s a particularly big task for a founder – finding someone you trust and respect to hand over leadership of your ‘business baby’," Imber commented. "Not only was I looking for someone with the right experience and skill-set, but their leadership style needed to be one that was compatible with the team: they needed to not only fit with the culture, but bring something special and new to it.”
Last week, Inventium was named one of Australia’s leading consulting firms for innovation services.
