The Graduation Ceremony of the second batch of Leading Self graduates from Vodafone NZ on the 19th of April 2012 was a fitting finale to what has been a remarkable journey for participants from VFNZ's SME and C&G teams. Throughout the ten-month programme each person on the programme demonstrated levels of engagement and application that imbued the whole experience with a special energy that heightened collaborative learning and personal transformation. While each of them is a true champion, here is the leader board of the "champions of champions."

1. Six participants Ranked 1, 2 & 3 in the programme: Richard Phillimore-Smith -1; Bruce Pearson & Ebony Wilson - Joint 2; Trevor Heyes, Mark Elston & Francis Trubuhovich - Joint 3. A very special congratulations to each one of them. Fantastic work
2. Three participants received an Excellent (A+) grade in the programme. They are Murphy Su'a, Dwight Mischefski, and Ian Pringle. Superb work.
3. Five participants received a Very Good (A) grade in the programme. They are Stephen Blow, Jakub Mikosza, Le Ngo and Ben Chapman. Great work.

4. Category Commendations include:

· Best Group Oral Review Presentation - Ben Chapman, Francis Trubuhovich, Trevor Heyes and Fleur McRobie

· Best Reflective Essay - Francis Trubuhovich - 1; Richard Phillimore-Smith, Ebony Wilson, & Nigel Pounds - Joint 2

· Best Voyager Project - Bruce Pearson & Richard Phillimore-Smith - Joint 1

Guests included the top performers from the first batch of Leading Self - Ashley Cooper, Kay Parcell, Matthew Walsh, and Andrew McDonald. From HR, there were James Magill - General Manager, Emma Rutherford -Head of Organisational Development and Change, and Michael Stanley - Group Director. Participants received their awards from Andrew Fairgray -GM SME, Michael Stanley and Dr. Murthy.

Dr.Murthy's article "Integrating corporate sustainability and strategy for business performance" has just been published in World Journal of Entrepreneurship,Management and Sustainable Development. The purpose of this paper is to make business the centrepiece of its inquiry into responses to the sustainable development challenge.


To view the article online click here

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A resounding success!

Lighthouse 5, the final programme on the Academy's New Zealand calendar held at TPK house in Wellington on December 8, 2011 was a standout event. The TPK Kapahaka group set the scene for the evening with their outstanding performance. Herewini te Koha, the Deputy Secretary extended a very warm and humorous welcome to the gathered guests; senior managers and leaders from the Government, the Public and Private sectors.Commending the participants, Leith Comer, the C.E.O of Te Puni Kokiri, stressed the importance of collaborative learning for New Zealand organisations.

Graduating participants then received their records of achievement from Leith Comer (CEO - TPK), John Bennett (General Manager - ANZ), Roger McRae (Managing Director - McConnell Dowell), Andrew Fairgray (General Manager - VFNZ) and Dr.Vikram Murthy (Director of the Academy).

Enrolments are now underway for Voyager 6 which will commence in June 2012 in Auckland.

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Excerpts of Proceedings of Residential 1 - 19-21 October, 2011

Dr.Murthy mixed together insights and activities in his presentation to the thirty seven Advance 3 participants. The objective was to call out participants' signature strengths and gauge their positivity and resilience. The group also explored how jobs differ from careers and callings and how well individuals are able to experience flow. Dr.Murthy encourages the Australian Unity leaders to play to their signature strengths as a way to achieve excellence in work and life. He observed that he had rarely worked with a senior leadership team so in flow as the Advance 3 group.

What is the Academy for Collaborative Futures?

Combining academe’s research rigour, knowledge resources, global university alliances, and access to cutting-edge academic thinking on the one hand, with industry’s entrepreneurial skills, and resilience on the other hand, will yield new ways to mitigate, adapt to, and leverage environmental challenges for growth and prosperity.

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Strategic Pillars

ACF’s purpose and intent is dimensionalised through the strategic pillars that are described below. These have been inducted from the findings of a longitudinal neo-classical grounded theory research study begun in 2008, into Changes and Challenges for Australian and New Zealand businesses. This ongoing research continually informs and forms the basis of ACF’s methodology, and its operationalised call to action.

• Research

- Methodology: Neo-classical Grounded Theory

- Longitudinal Study: 2008 – Current

- Sample size: 50+ CEOs and Senior Leaders from Australia and New Zealand

- Sectors: Corporate, NFP and Government

- Industries: Financial Services, Telecommunications, Construction, Local government,
Retail, and High-Technology

- Alumni: 165 + high-potential managers...and counting

• Publications

• Education & Training - Core Programmes

– Achieving Excellence through Professional/Personal Transformation

– Building Business Acumen and Rewarding Customer Relationships

– Leveraging Cross-industry collaborative inquiry for collective wisdom

• Mentoring and Consultancy

– Leadership coaching and advice for CEOs and Executive Leadership