The IRIS consulting founding team come from a diverse background but have two thing in common - the study of psychology and a passion to help people be the best they can be!

Alison and Shane have written several training programs together and co-facilitated hundreds of hours of workshops, seminars and forums with each other. Participants often comment that their joint style is guaranteed to create an extremely easy-going learning environment with lots of laughs where time just shoots bye.

Rosie and Shane have consulted together on various employee development and organisational diversity programs. They share a great passion for cultural diversity and how when harnessed this can be the secret million dollar drive of companies.

Before working together each member of the brains trust have had extensive careers as consultants managing their own consultancy practice and continue to run extremely successful counselling, consulting and coaching practices outside of IRIS…

Rosie is a seasoned practitioner in the Human Resources and Organizational Development fields with over 20 years of hands-on experience within the financial services, travel and hospitality industries in the Asia Pacific region. She has a special interest in the study of culture and its implications for management practices.

Rosie was previously the Asia Pacific Regional Vice President of Human Resources Development for the American Express International Inc. She was responsible for the training and development of more than 10,000 employees throughout this diverse region (i.e. comprising of 13 markets). Prior to that she was Head of Human Resources & Regional Training for Bank of America based in Hong Kong.

In addition, she has held senior executive positions, leading the Human Resources teams of several 5 star International Hotel chains including the Grand Hotel (U.K) and the Mandarin Oriental Group. Rosie also headed up the corporate Human Resources Office for the Lee Gardens Hotel Management Company and was responsible for several of their hotels properties from pre-opening to hotel operational stages in the different regions of China.

During her tenure as a corporate executive, she led or played key roles in many challenging assignments, both regional and global in scope. These projects attracted significant recognition, including the Chairman’s Gold Award for a highly successful project involving the re-engineering of her corporation’s entire Sales and Servicing culture. In addition, she won awards for spearheading and implementing Quality Training for all staff members in the region.

As a consultant, Rosie has similarly enjoyed a wide array of challenges from a diverse group of clients and industries. Her more recent projects have included the curriculum redevelopment and rollout of a Change Management Program for the Asian markets, the setting up of a outsourcing company for the hospitality industry based in Hong Kong and China, the design of a range of corporate legal products and services for a innovative, Australian based start-up company as well a number of high profile executive search assignments in Australia, US and in Asia.

In addition to enjoying her work in the in the corporate environment, Rosie spends her spare time working in her two other major areas of interest which include voluntary community work and ongoing research in the field of “diversity awareness”.

Rosie is widely accredited as a master trainer and feedback consultant. She is certified in the training and use of numerous psychometric measurement, assessment and training tools.

Rosie holds a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Manchester, and a MBA from the University of Durham. She received her undergraduate degree in Hotel and Catering Management from the University of Brighton, UK.

Alison is an Organisational Psychologist who works with organisations in areas of staff development, management development, employee wellbeing strategies, organisational consulting, and psychological assessments.

Alison offers a practical consulting approach, combined with knowledge and experience in organisational psychology, business development, staff management, and financial management.

Alison has experience in all facets of learning and development from analysis, design, development, delivery and evaluation. Alison’s speciality is in developing and delivering training on leadership development, frontline management skills and personal resilience.

General staff development courses that she has delivered cover areas such as change management, influencing skills, team building, time management, stress management, problem solving, communication skills, managing conflict, workplace trauma and dealing with difficult people.

Apart from being a successful trainer, Alison has coached individuals for performance improvement and development. As well she has facilitated management forums and team strategy meetings.

A consultant with many years experience, Alison has been involved at various levels in assignments relating to change management, staff performance management, job design, conflict, redundancies and outplacement and workplace trauma management.

Over the years she has consulted with many organisations in managing difficult situations and challenging employees. This has, at times, involved mediation, conflict resolution, management coaching and staff planning.

Alison also has a strong interest in employee wellbeing areas and has worked closely with HR teams in developing staff wellbeing strategies and work-life balance initiatives. This has involved staff surveys, focus groups, facilitating strategy development meetings, program reviews, and program launches.

Alison has experience with a wide range of psychological assessment tools for use in recruitment, development and individual coaching. Alison’s report writing skills allow for easy and appropriate interpretation of assessment results. Alison emphasises the use of assessments as a tool that is part of a broader process of understanding someone, rather than as a definitive judgment.

A psychotherapist in private practice in Sydney, with calling suites in Melbourne, Gold Coast, Singapore, KL and Hong Kong. Shane brings to the consulting relationship more then 15 years experience in both a personal and professional development setting. He started his career in the non-profit sector working with a number of major non-government organisations as both a consultant and leader within the establishments. During his years in the community welfare sector Shane became a highly respected adviser; advising all levels of government on extremely politically sensitive issues related to youth and young adult social policy, as well as training and support needs of the ‘older’ long-term unemployed members of the community.

Eventually moving his consulting into the private sector Shane became a partner in what was at the time Australia largest provider of employee welfare services with a team of 312 consultants providing human resource leadership and development services through workplace counselling and training programs all over the Asia Pacific region. Under his leadership, this business received numerous awards for innovation and growth including Quest Business of the Year for 1998.

In his career as a company director, he has overseen the facilitation of numerous national projects co-ordinating injury and illness prevention strategies for some of Australia’s largest companies; as well as assisting smaller operations merge and grow. Shane has sat on the board of many private companies whose services have been focussed on health care, labour hire, hospitality and financial services to name a few. He currently has active Directorships roles within The Waterworth Institute, Cresthaze Coaching Consultants, The Poppet Centre, ESLstaff.com, Staff Your School, Visions Synergy Associates, Nexus Student Services, Nexus Lanaguge Centre and Nexus College.

Shane brings to the relationship a mixed bag of tricks with formal readings in the social sciences (theology, philosophy, and psychotherapy) and business (finance, management and law). Clinically, he has chosen to position himself as a registered Clinical Analyst (psychotherapy) with the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors, a clinical member of the Australian Counselling Association, a full member of the Time Line Therapy Association and qualified member of the American Board of Hypnotherapy. Coaching wise he is a member of the Coaching Assoication and the International Association of Coaches. In the financial services sector, he is a full member of the Credit Ombudsman’s Services Limited, a licensed risk consultant and holder of an Australian Financial Services Licence. He is also a full member of the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia. To keep himself up-to-date on business matters Shane holds membership with the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Australian Institute of Management.

It is this combined academic background with his passion for work in both the private and community sectors that has seen Shane receive a number of accolades for his professional achievements including awards through the Australia Councils Young Australian of the Year program for community service and career achievement; as well as a recent recommendation for an Order of Australia.