The board

Nicholas has been a director, business leader and consultant for over 30 years. He is chief executive officer of Insync, a former partner of KPMG and immediate past chairman of Ansvar Insurance. He co-founded Board Benchmarking and Gender Worx. Nicholas is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD) and a member of the Australian Human Resource Institute's (AHRI) Research Panel.

Nicholas is passionate about helping individuals, teams and organisations to reach their full potential. He is an author, speaker and expert media commentator in relation to governance, organisation culture, risk and gender diversity. He has written three books on leadership, culture, engagement and transformational change. 

Des plays a leading role in ensuring Insync's continued growth. Des brings a unique mix of understanding organisational effectiveness, strategic leadership, multi-industry networks and strong interpersonal relationships.

Des is passionate about ensuring that Insync's culture is understood and adopted and about ensuring that relationships with clients are long-term and mutually rewarding. He has held proprietary and senior advisory roles in strategic human resources within government and industry for more than 30 years.

Des has undertaken substantial international and Australian organisational research focusing on organisation alignment. In 2003 he developed the world's first web based alignment diagnostic tool - Insync Surveys' Organisation Alignment Survey, now the Alignment and Engagement Survey. Des' expertise covers logistics, government, professional services, education, health and aviation across Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, China, Canada and UK.

James is deeply committed to helping organisations become more effective, working with executives of a range of client organisations on improving staff, board and customer engagement.

James' undergraduate qualifications are in politics and psychology, and he holds a Masters degree in Environmental Management. He combines these with considerable consulting and leadership experience to provide value and insight to his clients. James' particular passions are water, NRM, utilities, governance, leadership and employee engagement. 

From 2005 to 2012 James was responsible for the company's performance, firstly as COO and since 2007 as CEO. Prior to his involvement with Insync Surveys James worked at KPMG Consulting. He also spent more than a year working as an Australian Volunteer Abroad in Solomon Islands, and three years riding a motorcycle around the world. 

James' community involvement includes as a director of the Melbourne Forum and Vice President of the Darebin Creek Management Committee. He speaks for, advises and/or volunteers for Leadership Victoria, the Australian Water Association, the Darebin Parklands Association and Bicycle Network.