About Jim

Hi, Kia Ora - I’m
Jim Scully

Local + Global

I would love to work with wherever you are!

Over my career, I've worked with amazing leaders, change-makers and future-shapers in diverse parts of our world. I love travel and have been fortunate to visit all seven continents. I have seen change-makers everywhere, even in the sub-Antarctic.

PS The photos are from my journeys.

A glimpse of my journey

I spent the last 30 years leading and designing. I was fortunate to be surfing the early wave of human-centred design and design thinking. I learnt from amazing pioneers and leaders in the field. I have used the power of design to both innovate and lead in various countries.

Leaders have hectic lives; every slice of your time and energy matters. I know, I have lived your schedules in start-ups, multi-nationals and Government. I’ve helped NZ exporters via Better-by-Design, Singapore grow its design thinking, the UN Development Program, and mentored leaders. My team and I even built NZ Government’s first customer/human-centred design capability.

Most leaders aren’t satisfied with the status quo, they aspire to create and have impact in the world. To support them, I founded a for-impact business ThinkPlace | Wahi Whakaaro Aotearoa NZ. I have now also launched my Practice.

My new ‘why’

In 2024, I figured that the twin golden threads running through my career have been leading great teams and designing better futures. So I’ve decided to bring both together to work with leaders who are keen to use design to power up their leadership and their team’s performance.

Passions beyond work

  • Mentoring young social entrepreneurs around the world

  • Facilitating global innovation labs with UNLEASH, a not-for-profit organisation, which gives me a triple shot of inspiration, energy and hope every time!

  • Kayaking off the coast, fishing up a river, skiing down a mountain.

  • Walking our dog (River) with my family on Wellington’s steep, green hills.

Schedule an assessment

Let’s chat about what success looks like for you, assess where you are and how you are tracking.