Recently, I was asked to rapidly mobilise a new team to build a business from the ground up. We faced all the usual challenges of a new team – limited resources, competing priorities, and a long list of expectations. But rather than chasing every opportunity, we focussed on establishing the basics that would allow us to deliver value as quickly as possible. Every new team member went through a detailed induction led by senior leaders. We took the time to explain why we were h

Lonsdale Solutions is proud to have supported the State Electricity Commission Victoria on its SECV Market Readiness Program, which has been named a finalist in the 2026 iTnews Benchmark Awards. The re-established SEC represents a pivotal moment in Victoria’s energy transition playing a central role in accelerating Victoria’s shift away from emissions-intensive coal towards affordable, reliable renewable energy. Through the Market Readiness Program, the SEC now supports Victo

Several years ago, I got involved with professional running. Although I had been involved in athletics in my younger years, some 25 years earlier, the professional running scene was completely new to me. I attended and participated in many events over the next few years, not really taking any notice of all the work and effort that went into running a professional running meet. I just turned up, ran, and went home.   Then I was asked to take on the role of president for my clu

A few years ago, my dad and I embarked on a trek through the Swiss Alps, basing ourselves in Zermatt and Interlaken. The landscapes were extraordinary: vivid turquoise lakes, towering snow-capped mountains, and alpine meadows alive with grazing cows, their bells echoing softly across the valleys. Yet the experience that hit me most deeply occurred on our final ascent to the Matterhorn viewing platform at almost 4000 metres. As I was struggling to breathe at this height, a pro

1. The Challenge: Global Delivery on a Single Night Here at Lonsdale Solutions, we pride ourselves on tackling the seemingly impossible. But even we had to pause when we received the call from the North Pole’s most recognisable figure, Mr. S. Claus himself. The challenge? A single-night  global distribution event. Zero margin for error. A stakeholder group (children) that is notoriously unforgiving of missed deadlines. And a highly unconventional delivery vehicle. We're talk

As projects conclude, or milestones are reached, one of the practices I have adopted over time is to stop, reflect on the things that I have learned from that project – and to add them to my personal lessons learned register. Often these are tips and tricks picked up from others, and in other cases, they are more in-depth findings about what contributes to project success. But doing it for the closure of a project phase helps to reinforce the things that were good, bad (and o

In my role, I regularly connect with people seeking their next career move. While some departures are elective, many people are introduced to me having been unexpectedly displaced from a role. We all know this type of restructuring is pretty common right now as organisations pivot strategy and continue with cost-out measures. Unfortunately, this often results in projects being unexpectedly cancelled as priorities shift. Work that was diligently and passionately invested in is

A few years ago, I was brought in to help a government department that had more projects than people to deliver them. Everyone was busy, but progress against strategy was slow. The problem wasn’t effort – it was alignment. That’s where Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) comes in. At its heart, SPM connects ambition to action – ensuring every dollar, project, and resource is working toward what truly matters. It’s not about doing more  projects; it’s about doing the right  

Over my years of delivering technology change, I've seen first-hand how collaboration contributes to success in today's fast-evolving...

Over the years, I’ve been involved in setting up numerous projects from both a vendor and customer perspective, and the overriding focus...

Lonsdale Solutions' Trenton Caldwell  and Steph Kenealy kicked off their morning by giving blood Australian Red Cross Lifeblood  🩸 Did...

The Pink song “So What…?” came up in my playlist recently, and it reminded me of one of the greatest pieces of feedback I’ve ever...

The Middle Is the Hardest Part There are a lot of hard moments in an Ironman event, but somewhere in the middle tends to be the most...

When I was younger, I used to deliberately shake myself up. That’s what I called it – doing something that felt scary, and stretched me....

Lonsdale Solutions is proud to have played a key role in supporting the State Electricity Commission (SEC) as it marks its return to the...

Ortelius's 1570 Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, Photograph from the United States Library of Congress As I move toward the end of my full-time...

Over the last 20 years, I’ve found that conversations about which Project Management certifications are “best” is a regular topic....

Those who have worked with me know that I love data – numbers are at the heart of how we run successful programs. Forecasts, projections,...

A while back, I was chatting with a colleague who casually mentioned they hadn’t used a business process flow in years – and almost...

We started Lonsdale Solutions over 15 years ago because we saw that our clients needed more than just project delivery, they needed...