I lead companies, social enterprises and project teams to turn big ideas into real-world projects that make a genuine impact. I’m passionate about leading people and creating a workplace culture that naturally invites engagement, curiosity, creativity and risk taking. And, I’m most at home when an ambitious vision is held alongside clear strategy, thoughtful planning and careful execution.
I work with organisations that have clear values alignment; with a focus on purpose, people, collaboration and making things that last... My work then flows naturally from my heart!
In practice, there have been two intentional streams to my work…
The first is the practical path of bringing a big vision to life. These are all the steps involved in ideation and design through to incubation, project management, launch and growth. This is where my journey started; with grounding in engineering and business education and fast-track involvement in start-ups and high growth businesses.
The second is about people, relationships, leadership and culture. I love to connect meaningfully with people; especially those that have different needs, interests and communication styles. I have deepened into this with the study of Needs Based Communication, Authentic Relating, Personal Values, and Company Culture.
Some projects lean more into one stream or the other, but most are a beautiful, sometimes dramatic, interweaving of the two. And this is where the magic really comes alive; when a group of people gather enthusiastically around a vision or project where purpose and people matter.
Mantes is the plural of Mantis, which is the Greek word for prophet, meaning Seer. Mantes means group of seers. Traditionally, prophets see the future and speak it into being.
I hold a desire to deeply see and this is at the heart of how I approach everything.
At times Mantes has been a team of staff, student interns and freelancers, and at other times it has been just me. Using the plural of Mantis continues to feel right as I celebrate the value in building teams that seek to see deeply and speak magic into being.
Behind the name are values of curiosity, mindful questioning, deep perception and expansive thinking. There is a desire to not take things at face value, but instead, seek to explore every angle, lifting away assumptions to uncover creative solutions that serve all stakeholders. Then, with conscious intention bring those solutions to life.
I am deeply grateful for the university education that has provided a foundation for my work. I love learning and diving into subjects that spark curiosity and light up my imagination. Here’s my CV and a few significant influences that have shaped my work.
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A master’s degree in business for science and engineering graduates with particular focus on commercialising intellectual property and knowledge transfer. Distinction.
Undergraduate degree. Multiple prizes for design and academic performance. 1st Class Honours.
Here’s a few things that I really love: adventure, altitude, dancing, human connection, personal development, depth & authenticity, introspection, the study of consciousness, stillness, movement, motorbikes, healing modalities, spiritual mysticism, reverence, drum & bass raving, being in nature, woodwork, fixing and improving things.
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We have loved working with Sam as he has guided and supported us along our long and tricky road. He is very committed, passionate, hard working and enthusiastic. We would highly recommend him.
It really was a pleasure working with Sam. He brought a lot of experience and knowledge to a project that was very ambitious. I hope to work with him in the future and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to others.
Sam is brilliant to work with. On one hand, professional, commercial, and full of insight and ideas, yet also open-minded, deeply creative, collaborative, human and empathetic.
Let's have a chat. Please send me an email and we can arrange a time to talk.
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