Lead Partners

Nick Northcott
Founding Chrysalis in 2016, Nick is an experienced management consultant and executive with almost 20 years’ experience working with large enterprises, government, private high growth ventures, not for profits and SMEs.
With a diverse commercial, consulting and entrepreneurial background, Nick has a speciality in helping leaders and executives to think strategically, create value and navigate the difficult decisions and choices that inevitably arise during periods of growth and change.
His expertise includes strategic growth and transformation, operational excellence, organisational development & strategic HR, workplace investigations, facilitation & mediation, IP commercialisation, corporate finance and M&A.
Nick has extensive experience in helping boards and executive teams to manage complex and high risk matters and to originate and complete value adding deals, including having raised over $100 million in corporate, venture, grant and philanthropic funding.
Nick has significant experience in the following industries / sectors:
- health, life-sciences and medical devices
- higher education
- research & development
- professional services
- technology & high growth ventures
- not for profits / social enterprises

Allison Northcott
As an experienced coach, workplace investigator and mediator, Allison is passionate about working with her clients to get to the bottom of the most challenging workplace matter.
Allison's current clients include corporates and NFPs across all sectors, government departments and law firms. Prior to specialising in workplace investigations and mediation, Allison held senior HR/ER roles in blue chip companies in both Australia and offshore, including Westpac, Credit Suisse and Rio Tinto. Allison holds a Masters of Labour Law and Relations from Sydney University, is an accredited mediator having trained with the Resolution Institute and is qualified in the use of the Human Synergistic suite of tools for personal and professional development.
Allison is experienced engaging at all levels, including with Boards and has gained directorship skills and experience is a qualified company Director through completing the AICD Company Directors Course. In addition, Allison is Company Secretary for Eudaemon Technologies an innovative Med-Tech start-up.
expert advisors

Prof Nik Zeps
Nik brings over 15 years experience in oncology research including pathology based biomarker studies and clinical trial development. As a founding board member of the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance and former member of both the Research Committee and Australian Health Ethics Committee of the NHMRC, Nik has extensive experience in clinical research policy and implementation.

A/Prof Tam Nguyen
Tam has over 20 years of working in the healthcare, health and medical research and research management sector including tertiary teaching hospitals, medical research institutes and universities across Australia. Tam serves as non-executive director on various NFP, healthcare and aged care boards providing his broad range expertise including strategy, governance, and stakeholder engagement. He also advises numerous medtech and health tech start-ups on their overall strategies, clinical trials strategies, project management and execution.

Shane Stone
Shane brings over 10 years’ experience in the commercial biotechnology and drug discovery space, and is a strong advocate for linking scientific and business strategies towards realistic translation and commercialisation of academic research. His experience ranges across the drug discovery and development landscape from target validation, screening, and molecule optimisation to in vivo validation, with the focus on developing programs to strong IP positions and potential commercialisation. Shane also advises on scientific strategies and program direction for start-ups in the bioscience space

Prof Robert Gorkin
Rob is an engineer and entrepreneur passionate about transforming innovative concepts to commercial reality with a strong focus on social good. His experience includes work on five continents with world-class institutes and companies, varying from international corporations to entrepreneurial startups and not-for-profits. His work has navigated the academic-industry interface through research, project management and advocacy for advanced manufacturing and biotechnology.
our values & behaviours
Creating long term Trust-based relationships with our clients, Chrysalis enhances transformational growth.
Freedom to
be great
- We believe in ourselves and others.
- We take courageous action to deliver our vision.
- We inspire with our desire for excellence.
- We care intensely about Chrysalis’s success.
Call it as
you see it
- We value truth and transparency.
- We are candid and direct.
- We are quick to admit mistakes.
- We identify root causes, and get beyond treating symptoms.
Seek out other
perspectives
- We listen well and seek to understand.
- We value diversity of thought.
- We look for the adjacent possible.
- We challenge assumptions and suggest better approaches.
Learn
fast
- We learn fast and eagerly so we are always improving.
- We see setbacks/challenges as an opportunity to learn.
- We embrace and initiate change.
- We keep trying new things until we succeed.
Be committed
to success
- We delight our clients and colleagues.
- We accomplish an amazing amount of important work.
- We consistently demonstrate a bias to action.
- We are tenacious and don’t give up.
Always do the
right thing
- We always act with integrity.
- We look for opportunities to build sustainable systems.
- We make time to help colleagues.
- We share openly and proactively.