Fractional Expert Victoria

Nathan - COO & Startup Advisory or Fractional Marketing Expert

At Maestro, we know there’s more to life than work. In fact, it’s the experiences, relationships and pursuits we have outside of work that can often give us an edge in what we do each day. We host an interview series called “Meet the Maestro” where we interview our Maestros and get an insight to who they really are and what makes them tick - beyond the CV.

Meet Nathan, a project leader with 21 years of experience spanning everything from hands-on technical roots to directing $12 million transformation programs across Digital, Cloud, Cyber Security and AI. What sets him apart isn't just the scale of what he's delivered, it's his remarkable ability to walk into any organisation, learn it inside-out and turn complex challenges into real, tangible outcomes. Whether he's guiding a team of 35 specialists or helping a business harness AI responsibly for the first time, Nathan brings the same thing every time: genuine expertise, strategic clarity and a track record that speaks for itself.

‍1. Tell us about a career highlight to date…

My time at Hydro Tasmania stands out – I took on a Project that was stuck in deep red status that had delivered only 5% of its total scope in 2 years… I took ownership of the Project, setup the SteerCo and turned the status Green in 6 months before delivering the full scope in another 12 months, all through enforcing stricter discipline around the Governance structure and developing the culture of the team to follow that structure.

‍2. Talk us through an unusual career choice you’ve made along the way…

My first job in the IT industry was in the defence industry in Yarrawonga. I was just 21 years old and this was my first time living out of home, the first month I was living in a caravan park and I even crashed my car on the way up! So it was life experience in double time and it set me up with lessons I couldn’t have experienced had I just stayed in my bubble back home.

‍3. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A racing driver! I actually lived out that fantasy a little through taking up and competing in club cycling races – it’s a bit like a poor mans motorsport when you start finding out you’re actually competitive. After that decade I still had the competitive itch so I did online race driving for 5 years just to prove to myself that I still ‘had it’ and was pleased to compete for podiums at a reasonably high level.

‍4. What are your passions outside of work and how do you make time for them?

As a father of four it’s a little hard to find the time to indulge in passions, however I do like to keep myself in shape and prove to the world that the dreaded ‘dad bod’ isn’t necessarily a given and that it’s still possible to maintain a reasonable level of athletic performance even with small windows of time. I also firmly believe in the old saying ‘the clothes maketh the man’ and have developed my own ‘modern classic’ sense of style that is often complemented.

‍5. If you could instantly master any skill or hobby, what would it be and why?

Probably motor mechanics – I really love cars (the real ones, that is) but I don’t know the first thing about engines! Getting under the hood with certainty would be amazing.

6. What’s a personal value or belief that guides the way you live your life?

I have a little saying on my Projects and Hobbies: Structure + Discipline = Results. Not too much structure mind you, that the team is constricted in their creative flair as that leads to disengagement, but enough Structure and the Discipline to follow that structure is when results begin to flow – demonstrated in my time at Hydro.

‍7. What’s a challenge you’ve overcome outside of work that shaped you?

My pivot towards AI Risk Consulting has opened my mind in a way that only standing up your own business can – the move in mindset from employee to owner is profound and the return on personal development is 10x. I certainly have a passion for Project Management, but standing something up on my own has been a great journey where one makes me better at the other.

‍8. What do you think your job will look like in 10 years time?

Oooff!! That’s a bit one in today’s environment with AI emerging, but I imagine a world where companies can come down to an individual managing a team of various AI agents servicing multiple clients to solve real problems. AI is now making access to computing power only ever available to the Big-4 previously which opens a whole new world of opportunity.

9. If you could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go and what would you do?

Oh that’s easy – a Santorini hillside with an infinity pool and a yellow Ferrari F355 convertible in the garage. Manual of course.

‍10. What does success look like to you?

Where I’m developing improvements every single day. Be that in a work context, parenting my kids or staying in shape – always push the needle and the results will follow.