Graeme Hunt

Leaders on Demand’s raison d'etre closely aligns with my own desire to support CEOs develop the strategies, capabilities and approach needed to succeed in these challenging, complex, and dynamic times. Working with Leaders in Demand provides the potential to leverage the tremendous depth and breadth of capability of the Leaders on Demand team in facing the clients challenge or opportunity.

I provide client CEOs the opportunity to leverage the insights and scar tissue I have developed through a long and successful career having served on several occasions as a Managing Director & Chief Executive, Chairman and NED. My experience leading capital intensive globally competitive businesses in the Mining, Metals, Energy, Utilities, Transport, and Industrial Services sectors saw me face many complex strategic, financial, and operational challenges.

Success required a cool head, an ability to untangle complexity, to develop and communicate strategy and demonstrate resilience in execution. Working as a trusted advisor my role is to extract and translate the relevant learnings from my experience to broaden perspective and constructively challenge a client CEO as they face into their own challenges. Taking this approach delivers more effective outcomes and helps avoid the pitfalls and scars that might otherwise await. 

I recognise that success is always dependent upon the performance of the whole executive team. The leader’s role is to ensure that the way forward is well thought through, risk assessed and properly resourced.

As an advisor or interim resource my job is first to listen, question, and then constructively challenge to better understand and aim to enhance the path forward. Respect for the difference in circumstances is critically important, whilst my learned experience is highly valuable, a cut and paste approach is rarely applicable.

The old saying “what interests my boss fascinates me!” unfortunately works in both directions, so a leader I have to “walk the talk”. That means selling the strategy, modelling the desired values and behaviours and in challenging times showing the courage to lead change, determination to succeed and resilience in the face of obstacles.