Christopher Metcalfe

Successful consultant and leader, motivated by challenging collaborative problems that require a balance between big conceptual ideas and strategic thinking and implementation processes

• A.Mus.A. with distinction (violoncello)
• Senior First Aid
• NSW Department of Sport and Recreation Austswim Certificate

Over the past 7 years in consulting, I have led and executed a wide variety of projects across industries. Some of these are highlighted below.

Growth Strategy (Financial Services)

Worked with an Australian niche insurer to develop a bold growth strategy to leverage their unique value proposition, data, insights and relationships to move into new territories. Working closely with the Board and Executive team, the resulting strategy was deeply owned by those responsible for execution.

Board Vision (Pharmaceuticals)

Worked with the Board of an Australian global pharmaceutical company to co-create a 15-year vision for the organisation and articulate a shared ambition. The strategy focused on two centres of gravity – customer and digital – to create experiences for consumers beyond product use.

Australian Energy Retailer (Energy)

Worked with the client to co-design a 10-year strategy as an argument for change. Engaging leaders across the organisation this strategy was devolved to functional groups in a way that highlighted the necessity for collaboration across silos in the organisation to realise their strategic objectives and gave them the tools to unlock the collective wisdom of the people in the organisation.

Technology Strategy Transport Agency (Government)

Led an executive team across a newly merged entity in creating a strategy for technology that unified a vision for the new agency and gave strategic clarity for the future. Working closely with leaders from technology and from all other divisions, we helped craft a vision statement and ambitions that provided clarity of the future state. Strategic initiatives were identified and decisions made to move from theory to practice with confidence and cohesion.

Future Customer Experience Design (Petrol and Convenience)

Supported a national petrol and convenience chain reimagine their future experience for customers with an elevated food offering that acknowledged an energy transition future. We created a vision and experience model that were brought to life in a variety of future journey maps and a service blueprint that provided clarity on how to make the vision a reality for customers.

Data monetisation (Financial Services)

Worked with NAB Marketing to develop a new proposition that creates value for the bank, its corporate and institutional clients and its customers. Conducting a series of immersive client workshops, we validated an insights-driven marketplace concept that leverages high visitation of the mobile banking app to activate offers for customers from the bank’s vast C&I client base.

Global Leadership Summit Delivery (Global MedTech company)

Led a dedicated team bringing together 120 leaders from around the world, the 3-day summit is designed to provide focus on strategy, leadership capability and major strategic initiatives being delivered across the organisation. Our team supported the CEO and ELT to design and deliver myriad activities that enabled the leadership to collaborate, co-design and engage in strategic conversations. As part of a 3-year program, we continue to work with the leadership group in an ongoing basis to support the devolution of decisions and thinking through the organisation. Feedback from the delegates was overwhelmingly positive and planning for the next year’s event is already underway.

Customer Vision and Strategy (Australian Insurer)

Worked with a large Australian insurer to define their future customer experience, identify key moments that will differentiate the brand and extend the experienc3e that customers have of insurance. The transformational vision that was created spurred the organisation to re-examine their technology-led transformation program to focus on the customer experience being created. The ELT endorsed the strategy and have committed to funding the transformation and considering the delivery and operating model implications of this significant pivot.

Future of Post Graduate Studies (Australian University)

In the increasingly competitive landscape of post graduate education, an Australian university was looking for a new way to unlock value for prospective students. Rather than fall into the digitisation for scale trap, the university created a new concept that elevated the experience of education. The concept was approved by the Board and we continued to help the client build out the concept for deployment in one of their largest academic schools with a view to rapidly scale across all post graduate offerings.

Health Concept Design (NSW Ministry of Health)

Working with the Centre for Population Health, we helped them create a new concept for an existing phone coaching service. Rather than an opt-in self-referral system, the new service is designed to be an integral part of clinical care. Drawing on a broad stakeholder group we co-designed the concept then built out detailed workforce modelling, co-design roadmap and clinical domain prioritisation model to help CPH create an RFT for the market that provided clarity of purpose and a compelling future state.

Future Experience Design (Petrol and Convenience)

Supported a national petrol and convenience chain reimagine their future experience for customers with an elevated food offering that acknowledged an energy transition future. We created a vision and experience model that were brought to life in a variety of future journey maps and a service blueprint that provided clarity on how to make the vision a reality for customers.

Future of Work – Capital Projects (Resources)

A capital projects group of a global mining and resources company had set an ambition strategy in 2019. Building on that ambition, we worked with the group to co-design a vision for the future of work across the unit, how they engage with the assets, partners and the critical shifts in leadership mindset and agency. The future was brought to life in thought-provoking vignettes that propelled the level of engagement and shared understanding of the future state and the steps to take to get there.

Technology Strategy (State Transport Agency)

Led an executive team across a newly merged entity in creating a strategy for technology that unified a vision for the new agency and gave strategic clarity for the future. Working closely with leaders from technology and from all other divisions, we helped craft a vision statement and ambitions that provided clarity of the future state. Strategic initiatives were identified and decisions made to move from theory to practice with confidence and cohesion.

Growth Strategy (Financial Services)

Worked with an Australian niche insurer to develop a bold growth strategy to leverage their unique value proposition, data, insights and relationships to move into new territories. Working closely with the Board and Executive team, the resulting strategy was deeply owned by those responsible for execution.

Board Vision (Pharmaceuticals)

Worked with the Board of an Australian global pharmaceutical company to co-create a 15-year vision for the organisation and articulate a shared ambition. The strategy focused on two centres of gravity – customer and digital – to create experiences for consumers beyond product use.

Data monetisation (Financial Services)

Worked with NAB Marketing to develop a new proposition that creates value for the bank, its corporate and institutional clients and its customers.

Capital Projects Function (Resources)

Operating in an environment of anticipated disruption, the projects function of a large global mining company engaged 2nd Road to help them imagine three horizons into which they could reinvent themselves to add new value.

Future of Transport for Australian State (Government)

Worked with the client to articulate a compelling 10-year strategy. Engaging with the Transport leadership over 3 months, a strategic narrative emerged that not only provided an exciting yet tangible vision for the future of transport but created coherence among the senior leaders.

State-wide smart meter installation process (Energy)

Undertook extensive analysis of existing processes across four separate organisations who are now charged with meter installation as a collective. Designing the overall desired system and relevant information flows across the organisations. Used co-design to brining together organisations not used to collaborating.

Illicit Trade in Australia (Products)

A global FMCG was experiencing increased pressure from counterfeit goods being sold in Australia. 2nd Road worked with the client through an innovation process to identify and describe a portfolio of 5 interventions and associated MVP’s that could disrupt the illicit trade market.

Australian Energy Retailer (Energy)

Worked with the client to co-design a 10-year strategy as an argument for change. Engaging leaders across the organisation this strategy was devolved to functional groups in a way that highlighted the necessity for collaboration across silos in the organisation to realise their strategic objectives and gave them the tools to unlock the collective wisdom of the people in the organisation.

Digital Strategy (Real Estate Developer)

Created a digital vision, strategy and roadmap to transform an investment group focusing on real estate assets, setting an ambitious course to generate vibrant communities in connected precincts. Elevating digital to the strategic master planning of existing assets and new developments aimed to create mutually reinforcing value for different precincts within the mixed useassets.