‘One of the most rewarding moments in my leadership journey was transforming a struggling team of 12 into a high-performing organisation of over 130 professionals as CEO of Comverse South Asia. Seeing the team achieve the highest profitability, customer satisfaction, and revenue per head worldwide reinforced my belief in the power of developing talent and unlocking potential. Now, as a mentor to business leaders, I draw on my experience across 12+ countries to help CEOs navigate complexity, identify opportunities, and drive transformational success.’

Dr. Chris Stephenson is a transformational business leader with over 25 years of executive experience, specialising in turning underperforming organisations into market leaders. With a doctorate in strategic decision-making and hands-on leadership across 12+ countries, he brings unique perspectives on navigating business challenges, identifying opportunities, and developing high-performing teams.

Chris has held C-suite roles in global organisations, including CEO of Comverse South Asia, CEO of Amdocs Australia/New Zealand, and SVP Asia Pacific at BearingPoint. His leadership has driven remarkable business turnarounds, such as growing Comverse Australia from 12 employees and $7M in revenue to a high-performing team of 130, generating over $120M. At Kordia Australia, he spearheaded a major transformation, securing $450M+ in new business within 18 months and increasing revenue backlog from $15M to over $100M. He has also successfully rescued and revitalised critical multi-million-dollar technology programs.

Chris’ proven ability to identify opportunities, develop talent, and transform organisations enables him to offer practical insights on leadership and strategy. His deep expertise, combining strategic decision-making with real-world execution, provides mid-market CEOs with the tools to navigate complexity, drive growth, and achieve exceptional results.

With extensive board experience, including roles as Advisory Board Chair for COYO Australia, Board Director for Protocom Australia, and Board Director for Community Health Practice, Chris continues to shape the future of business leadership across diverse industries, including technology, process manufacturing, government, and construction.

Career highlights:

• Business turnarounds: Led Kordia Australia’s return to growth and profitability within 18 months, securing over $450M in new business and increasing revenue backlog from $15M to over $100M.​
• Strategic growth initiatives: Developed and implemented strategies across sectors including technology, process manufacturing, government, and large-scale construction throughout Australasia and the Asia Pacific.​
• Complex project leadership: Rescued a critical $400M+ project facing litigation and transformed a government-owned company from significant losses to stable profitability in under two years.​
• Academic research: Conducted doctoral research on strategic decision-making, involving extensive interviews with top management and board members of Australia’s largest organisations.