Prue Freestone Email & Phone Number

Sydney, Nsw, Au

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

I started a coaching consultancy to use my ‘individualisation’ strength and to work with people in a 1:1 setting. In line with the Winnow definition of ‘air-blowing chaff off grain’, my aim is to deepen clients’ self-understanding so they can decisively move forward. My broad life experience, including an MBA from Harvard Business School, a country NSW upbringing and a global footprint, enable me to connect with a wide variety of people. I’m highly regarded for my calm demeanour, tactful questioning, listening and ability to bring clarity. My first-hand career transition experience keeps my approach insightful and impactful.I contract to digital marketing organisation ITSM as an ‘in-house’ coach working with executives and emerging leaders. I also conduct organisational reviews (often for fast-growing venture-backed businesses), to identify people opportunities to improve organisation effectiveness. Case study examples include:🌾 A venture-backed start-up was not hitting product development milestones. Interviews with 10 staff surfaced factional division and ineffective leadership, which led to a targeted intervention by the board. 🌾A technical specialist felt stuck and dissatisfied in a profession. We used childhood insights and personal interests to brainstorm different pathways and create an action plan to ‘prototype’ options. 🌾 An anxious high achiever needed help identifying strengths and believing in herself. We developed career options that played to her strengths, and she consequently accepted a career-enhancing promotion. 🌾 A tenured senior executive felt stale and deenergised by the role she used to love. We worked together to diagnose the issue and find ways to evolve the role and increase motivation without changing roles. 🌾 An emerging leader was struggling to navigate the change from individual contributor to team leader. We expanded his view of the role to encompass a broader set of activities and set a priority in each area.

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

As part of the career coaching team at the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM), I support MBA students and alumni to realise and achieve their career goals. This has often enabled international MBA students, and others with significant potential, to excel professionally in the Australian marketplace.

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Handpicked for the first HR role in this fast-growing start up, some of my contributions included: 🌾Business partnering with the CEO and other executives, to develop strategy and make decisions to drive and support growth🌾Establishing a bespoke HR function including processes such as performance and remuneration reviews, systems such as HRIS and LMS, and policies to enable rapid growth🌾 Codifying a business culture that exemplified the organisation’s market uniqueness and appeal🌾Creating organisation development initiatives such as training framework, incentive schemes, remuneration guides, workforce planning processes and a talent acquisition approach, to meet commercial demands

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Headhunted by the CEO to help deliver significant organisational development changes as a senior business partner, some of my achievements included:🌾Developing people-focused initiatives to address organisational conflict and underperformance, such as a product development critical path roadmap to facilitate multidisciplinary collaboration 🌾Introducing talent development and leadership development training programs to attract and retain key staff members across head office and 300+ stores, including succession plans for 2ICs and a ‘store basics’ training toolkit🌾Providing leadership development coaching to three high-potential leaders, as an accredited Human Synergistics LSI coach

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Seconded to this leadership role, to assist a multi-disciplinary team with the digital transformation of the nbn offering, some of my contributions included:🌾Gathering business / customer requirements and working with UX and solutions architects to translate into technical solutions via the agile methodology🌾Providing hands-on supportive leadership to a team of 6 analysts

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

As a hands-on business partner and representative of the Executive Director HR, some of my most notable contributions and achievements included:🌾Developing retail people strategy in alignment with Telstra’s corporate HR direction and implementing employee lifecycle activities🌾Introducing a mental resilience program based on a contemporary evidence-based approach🌾Founding the Brilliant Connected Women network, with mentors, speaker series and executive panels

New York, United States

During this internship, developed a change capability assessment to inform training investment decisions. Consequently, offered a permanent role within American Express’s HR Global Rotation Program but declined to return to Australia.

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Promoted from business analyst to this leadership role within the first 12 months, subsequently oversaw 300 staff across four countries (with a strong focus on organisational development). Also actively contributed to business growth, from presenting an Asian expansion strategy to the Board, to coordinating the establishment of new retail sites in Malaysia and Singapore (including staff recruitment).

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Quickly promoted to senior consultant, I had the opportunity to work across a wide range of industries (banking, mining, government) and project types, deepening my understanding of structured problem solving, strategic thinking and the importance of people management in strategic execution.

Graduate Certificate, Career Education And Development

Master Of Business Administration (Mba)

Activities and Societies: Global Immersion Experience in Johannesburg, South Africa: Member of 6-person team creating additional revenue.

Bachelor Of Commerce, Marketing

Activities and Societies: UNSW Co-op Scholar - Marketing, New College Residential Adviser, Habitat for Humanity Project in Cambodia