About Us
Originally trained as a ‘numbers geek’ completing a Science (Maths and Statistics) degree, Ivan honed his skills across the Financial Services sector with roles at Commonwealth Bank, Macquarie Bank and Westpac. Ivan held various senior roles within these organisations, and was chartered to lead teams managing P&Ls, new product development and process re-engineering.
Ivan quickly became proficient at understanding revenue and cost drivers and what was required to improve commercial performance. On the other hand, the ‘softer’ elements such as inspiring his team to go above and beyond, influencing misaligned stakeholders and managing his own energy when under pressure were not managed so well. Ivan embarked on a journey of reading, education and reflection to strengthen the ‘softer’ side and began to see his effectiveness and happiness improve. The combination of his practical commercial business nous mixed with the softer skills became a pretty impactful combination and inspired him to help others.
Ivan’s Coaching career has taken him across all Industries, business models and growth stages from small to medium and Corporate/State Government. Ivan mostly works with mid-sized privately owned Businesses who have outgrown themselves. His speciality is helping these Leaders get out of the trenches.
He has held several board positions including the Australian Croatian Chamber of Commerce, and the North Ryde Community Bank Branch of Bendigo Bank.
Ivan’s main role in life is father to Maks, Lucas and Anabel, and husband to Marijana (the real engine room behind everything).
Ivan’s passion in life is soccer/football and spends a fair amount of time studying elite sporting coaches.
One of Ivan’s favourite quotes from the sporting world is from Phil Jackson, the famous basketball coach. Phil guided the LA Lakers and Chicago Bulls to a combined eleven championships (rings) and in his book, The Eleven Rings, he describes what the championship ‘ring’ means…
“It’s not just the band of gold. It’s the circle that’s made a bond between all the players. A great love for one another. The circle of love. That’s not the way most basketball fans think of their sport. But after 40 years involved in the game at the highest level, both as a player and as a coach, I can’t think of a truer phrase to describe the mysterious alchemy that joins players together and unites them in pursuit of the impossible…..Love!!!!”
Associate Coaches
Ak Sabbagh
Associate Coach
With over 18 years of coaching experience behind him, Ak works with Boards, Senior Executives, Teams, Business Units and owners of Mid- Tier businesses on their commercial, cultural and personal growth.
In a nutshell, he inspires Confidence, Leadership, Focus and Clarity within those he works with. Specifically, he enjoys working with people to create robust Growth Strategies for their business. This includes working on product positioning and brand strategies, developing robust channels to market, and structuring businesses to maximise revenue, sales (and ultimately profit).
While the outcome for many clients results in an increased asset/commercial value, Ak delights in seeing his clients get more out of life in general, in finding the time for their families and striking an overall balance in life.
Based in Western Australia, Ak’s clients include a diverse range of Resource Industry (Hard Rock & Oil and Gas) businesses as well as businesses servicing that industry.
He also coaches businesses within other industry sectors including Banking, Financial Planning, Accounting, Property Development, Legal, Biotechnology, Government (Federal, State & Local), Health & Education Sectors, Real Estate, Engineering and Construction, Advertising, Hospitality, IT, and Manufacturing.
Margaret Armitage
Associate Coach
Transitioning into a coaching and mentoring career after two decades in management and business development in the competitive software industry in Australia and South East Asia, Margaret brings a long history of establishing new markets and territories and the ability to identify opportunities with potential.
She has worked at executive management level for publicly listed companies, helped grow small businesses into national market leaders and works with not-for-profit groups to build sustainability.
She joins in with Executives, Leadership Teams, Principals, Board Members and Volunteer workers in a cross-section of industries to strengthen their culture and purpose, and achieve growth by identifying unexplored avenues and developing new revenue streams.
Margaret’s years of experience enable her to get alongside established management teams and senior leaders as well as emerging leaders, to identify tools and techniques to hone their capabilities; stretch their goals; take up new challenges; and develop their strengths to full capacity enabling realisation of their potential.
Pat Skalsky
Associate Coach
Pat is a Certified EMCC Master Practitioner Coach and Mentor and holds a Master of Business Coaching.
With over 10 years of full-time coaching experience behind her, Pat works with Boards, Senior Executives, and owners of Mid- Tier businesses on their leadership skills.
Pat finds as leaders get promoted to more senior positions, they find it increasingly difficult to navigate the leadership challenges in today’s fast changing environment, it is here she helps specifically with:
- Career Progression (stress, new relationships, team dynamics, and work life balance)
- Executive Presence (confidence and visibility, self-awareness, profile and personal branding)
- Management to Leadership (working on the business vs in the business)
- Influential Leadership (building reputation, enhanced skill set and presence)
Pat is a ‘diehard’ advocate for women in business, with her greatest sense of achievement seeing women own their value as they journey through their career. In this capacity, she has supported sole female Board Directors; newly appointed CEO’s and those executives whose roles include the challenges of diversity and inclusion that come with expanded regional responsibilities.
She is the Director of Sydney based Entrain – Coaching, Mentoring & Consulting. Prior to Entrain, she was a Partner and a Senior Coach with AltusQ where she was also a Board Director from 2018-2019. She is currently Director and Board Member of Darlinghurst Theatre.
Chris Collings
Associate Coach
Chris Collings is an accredited Advanced Coaching Practitioner, and holds certifications for the Leadership Circle 360 tool, and the Market Force ‘Agile Styles’ team effectiveness framework.
Based in Sydney, Chris works with a range of organisations from ASX listed companies, to rapidly growing mid-tier firms and a number of Not-For-Profit organisations. His coaching client base include firms in the Banking, Fintech, Music, Insurance, Healthcare, Wine, Indigenous Health, Funds Management, Hospitality, Financial Planning, Construction, Legal and Children’s Health industries.
Chris delivers both personal and business growth via a process he likes to call ‘caring challenge’. He works alongside his clients to help them truly understand the contextual drivers of the business or decision at hand, and then move them towards accelerated growth.
Chris works with Boards, CEO’s and Senior Management teams on Growth Strategies, while his one-on-one work incorporates succession planning, career progression mentoring, and Leadership Development.
Recent assignments have seen Chris assist the Board of a large Family Office establish a succession and governance structure, assist the CEO of an ASX-listed technology company to clearly define a new strategic direction for the firm, mentor a newly appointed CEO of a rapidly growing Funds Management business to adapt into his role, and work with the CEO & management team of an Indigenous NFP organisation to clearly articulate & document their next growth strategy phase.
Before commencing his coaching career Chris was a Senior Managing Director for Deutsche Bank in London, Europe, Asia and Australia, where he guided large regional and national teams through rapid growth, cultural change and external crisis.
Chris Spinks
Associate Coach
Chris Spinks is an Accredited Coaching Director who specializes in high performing individuals and teams. His depth of knowledge in human performance has spanned 20 years of Olympic, Paralympic campaigns, World Championships and the highest level of domestic competition. He has worked with Olympic Champions and
Medallists, World Record holders and some of Australia’s highest profile professional athletes and coaches.
Chris works with Boards, Senior Executives, Teams, Business Units and owners of small and mid-tier businesses as well as sporting organizations on their strategic drivers, cultural standards, behavioural practices and personal development and performance.
Chris thrives on helping people perform at their best. Supporting individuals to achieve what was previously thought impossible, or at least very difficult is a driving passion. He enables people with the skills, attitudes and frameworks to perform as the leader they so desire to be.
Chris is fascinated by teams and is determined to ensure businesses reap the benefit that teams can provide both commercially and culturally.
Using a multi-modal approach, he coaches teams across Team Leadership, Team
Membership, Team Dynamics, Team Norms, Team Values & Behaviours and Team Effectiveness (Performance).
Based in Sydney, Chris’s clients include a diverse range of finance sector, arts, sport, manufacturing industry, technology and non-for-profit.
Dan Wright
Associate Coach
Dan is an internationally accredited business mentor and coach with over 30 years of industry experience. Throughout this time, Dan has completed studies in general management, business and law and has worked in leadership roles at a range of multinational firms around the world.
With a passion for knowledge and supporting others on their learning journeys, Dan’s primary goal for his clients is to see their businesses thrive and to help them experience greater enjoyment from working in their business.
He does this by really listening to his clients and working with them to get a clear, structured and achievable business vision. Once the vision is clear, he coaches them and their teams to bring in new skills as well as focus and accountability to achieve their version of success – whatever that may be.
He continues strengthening Australia’s partnership with the EMCC and the wider coaching community in Asia Pacific as Vice President Operations EMCC Asia Pacific Region from 2018.