Talisman

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Creating winning organisations

Talisman People

Grounded in more than 20 years of elite sports coaching experience, The Talisman People System of Work will empower your teams to unlock their potential and redefine success. Guided by the principles of high-performance sporting culture, we use tailored approaches to instill a winning mindset that permeates all levels of your organisation.

Our unique System of Work bridges the gap between strategy and execution, bringing clarity to your business’s goals and setting a clear vision for its future. As part of this transformative journey, your team members are guided towards their career highlights, fostering an environment of engagement, ownership, and accountability.

Championship Future Offsite Box
Championship Future Logo

Hosted at a high-performance sporting venue, the Championship Future Offsite provides a tailored planning and strategy platform, defining a clear path to success with key performance indicators.

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frontline leaders program
Fontline leaders program

The Frontline Leaders Development Program is a targeted training program that equips technical professionals in leadership positions with practical skills often overlooked.

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Team Membership Program
Team Membership Program

The Match Winning Team Membership Program leverages the philosophies and principles of elite sports to develop high performance teams within organisations that achieve winning results.

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Our Expertise:

Forging the heart of your business, people.

At Talisman, we harbour a burning desire to positively impact and shape the culture of teams. It’s ceaseless, boundless – it’s competitive hunger, care for industry, and drive to deliver value for our partners where others simply cannot. 

Talisman People want to assist team members in experiencing the absolute highlight of their careers. Talisman People use winning strategies from high-performance sport and apply this to leadership, and team membership, within organisations.

We believe people are the heart of winning performance.

OUr HISTORY

Our Story

Your Journey:

High Reliability Organisations

Industry proponents are on an endless journey to becoming a High Reliability Organisation (HRO) – to relentlessly seek out blind-spots and guard against drift to failure, be predictable, to become learning and re-learning organisations and destroy any blockage that inhibits the flow of information up and down, side to side in the business. The Talisman People system of work underpins and supports this journey beyond the curriculum by helping create a culture with strengthened relationships, open and transparent communication and reporting, understanding of the plan, resilience and symbolic cultural resonance.

Meet the people behind

Talisman People

Bo Hanson

Director - Talisman People

With over 20 years’ experience working in sport and business, Bo has drawn on his own athletic career, comprising of four Olympics and three medals, in his work with sports-people from over 40 different sports across the globe. 

Grant Polwarth

Partner

Grant holds a Bachelor of Mining Engineering (Honours) and a Graduate Diploma in Mine Ventilation. He has held senior leadership roles throughout the mining industry, including Managing Director of Lake Coal, and co-founded Fitzroy Australia Resources in 2016 as CEO and Managing Director. In his leadership roles, he’s successfully fostered a culture of accountability, teamwork and respect. His ability to drive simplicity in complex project environments and confidence to challenge the status quo ensures clients achieve outcomes aligned with cultural improvement, stronger financial results and greater utilisation of equipment.

Rebekah Box

Program Director

With a Bachelors Degree in Journalism majoring in design from QUT, Rebekah is here to ensure the program materials provided are truly unique to you and are a physical example of your Match Winning Qualities being brought to life.

Nathan Sharpe

Director

With over 10 years’ experience in the mining industry, Nathan combines his passion for people leadership, operational experience and sporting accolades to drive and develop high performing teams. With over 100 matches played for the Australian Wallabies, 20 as Captain, Nathan played for over 15 years at the elite Australian level in rugby union. In 2010, Nathan transitioned out of sport and into the mining industry where he established SES Labour Solutions. Nathan brings unique capabilities in designing and delivering exceptional leadership and coaching development programs, which result in improved performance and long-standing relationships for clients.

Carl O’Hehir

Director

A mining professional with over 22 years’ experience leading teams and delivering large-scale open-cut mining projects. Carl has worked within various senior management positions for both owner-operators and contractors. His holistic understanding of the open-cut mining business lifecycle supports a delivery of safe, efficient, productive and commercially successful results for clients. As Chief Operating Officer for Macmahon, Carl led teams with a focus on continuous improvement across end-to-end mining service capabilities to achieve sustainable growth and optimised financial returns.

Our Coach Facilitators and Profile Athletes

Not trainers or facilitators. You are welcome to refer to them as such but there is a big difference. Our unique approach is business wide. Building relationships and trust, developing understanding of what you consider a win, “working around the edges” to influence and improve and when necessary, being immediate and direct. All this is what an elite sports coach does daily.

Talisman People’s Coach Facilitators are specialist content experts in addition to being former elite athletes and coaches. Our Profile Athletes bring the programs to life with their unique experiences, perspectives, and skills, built over the years dedicated to being the best in their sport. These unique people bring mental toughness and presence to their roles. They understand the unique and true essence of what a coach does and take enormous pride in developing winning outcomes for the pure benefit of our clients. Our wins are measured by your wins, and we never take credit for the work you and your people have done. Our coaches think about your performance even when they are not with you. It is what all the best coaches in sport do and we bring this philosophy to our work with you.

David Buttifant

Coach Facilitator

With over 25 years in elite sports, David Buttifant, PhD in Exercise Physiology and MBA, has excelled as a player, coach, and consultant. He’s worked with Olympians and AFL teams, directing programs and serving as High Performance Manager. Adept at driving performance and fostering potential, his evidence-based techniques build capacity in individuals and teams. As a part of the Talisman People Coach Facilitator Team, David’s values align with our principles of vision, habit creation, self-reflection, and resilience to create better versions of ourselves.

Grant Doorey

Coach Facilitator

With over 25 years in high-performance sport, Grant Doorey, a purpose-driven leader, has coached professional rugby at four World Cups and over 100 test matches worldwide. Recognized for applying elite sports lessons to boost leadership, cohesion, and performance, Grant’s ‘heat of the battle’ knowledge greatly enriches his role as a Talisman People Coach Facilitator. His diverse consulting background, including high-performance sport projects, executive coaching, business mentorship, and leadership development programs, combined with his skill in fostering team-first attitudes and aligning wellbeing with performance, makes him a valuable asset to our team.

Scott Draper

Coach Facilitator

With more than 30 years of experience, Scott Draper is a well-credentialed leadership coach and organisational development expert specialising in leadership, high performing teams, organisational resilience, and well-being.

William Gooderson

Coach Facilitator

William Gooderson is a high-performance coach who has worked across Australia and the Asia Pacific region providing coaching and workshops focusing on development around personal well-being, building resilience, and leading high performing teams in complex environments.

Ali Brigginshaw

Profile Athlete

Ali Brigginshaw, celebrated Australian rugby league player and captain of the Brisbane Broncos, brings an incredible depth of leadership and resilience to her role as a Coach Facilitator with Talisman People. Her professional journey, punctuated by triumphs such as leading Australia’s Women’s Rugby League World Cup-winning squad and the Broncos to multiple Grand Final victories, as well as her personal resilience in recovering from a broken fibula, demonstrates the tenacity required for high-level performance. Ali’s experience in fostering team culture and performance in the face of adversity strongly aligns with Talisman People’s philosophy, making her an exemplary addition to our coaching team.

Brent Tate

Profile Athlete

Brent Tate is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a centre or winger. Born in Roma, Queensland in 1982, Tate had an illustrious career despite multiple severe injuries. He played for the Brisbane Broncos, the New Zealand Warriors, and the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League. With the Brisbane Broncos, he won the 2006 NRL Premiership. Tate represented Australia internationally and was part of Queensland’s State of Origin series-winning sides in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, and 2013. He also won the 2013 World Cup with the Australian team.

Clare Ferguson

Profile Athlete

Clare Ferguson is a former Australian international netball player who captained Australia in their 2016 Netball Quad Series and Constellation Cup victories. Raised in Warwick, Queensland, she played for the Queensland Firebirds from 2007 to 2016, contributing to their ANZ Championship wins in 2011, 2015, and 2016. McMeniman also pursued academics, earning a Bachelor of Science and a Masters in Speech Pathology from the University of Queensland. During her sporting career, she worked as a full-time speech pathologist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. She retired after the 2016 Constellation Cup victory.

Laura Geitz

Profile Athlete

Laura Geitz, former Australian netball player and captain of the national team, brings a wealth of leadership and high-performance team experience to Talisman People as a Coach Facilitator. With an illustrious career including a gold medal at the 2011 World Netball Championships and 2014 Commonwealth Games, she understands the essence of team synergy and the pressure of high-stakes performance. She led her domestic team, the Queensland Firebirds, to numerous victories, showcasing her capacity to drive a team to exceptional success. As a leader and a mother, Geitz embodies the ethos of Talisman People, making her a valuable asset to our coaching team.

Matthew Scott

Profile Athlete

Matthew Scott is a former professional Australian rugby league player, who was renowned as one of the best front-row forwards of his era in the Southern Hemisphere. Born on 30th July 1985, Scott played his entire 16-year career as a prop for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL, and also for Australia at an international level. His significant achievements include co-captaining the Cowboys to win the 2015 NRL Grand Final and 2016 World Club Challenge, and winning the State of Origin series eight times with Queensland. In addition, he achieved international success with the Kangaroos.

Michele Timms

Profile Athlete

Michele Timms, one of Australia’s greatest basketball players and revered coach, now imparts her wisdom as a Coach Facilitator at Talisman People. With a storied career, including time with the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA, Michele was the first Australian to play professional basketball internationally. Her extensive coaching experience, including assistant roles with the Australian and Chinese Women’s National Basketball Teams and leading her own sports coaching company, allows her to provide unrivaled guidance to our clients. Michele’s dedication to excellence, demonstrated through her induction into multiple Halls of Fame, aligns with Talisman People’s mission to drive high performance.

Millie Boyle

Profile Athlete

Millie Boyle is a dual-code international professional rugby league footballer from Australia. Boyle plays as a prop for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL Women’s Premiership. She previously played rugby union as a flanker and has represented Australia in both rugby league and rugby union. Boyle, hailing from a family of professional rugby players, has won three NRLW premierships, two with the Brisbane Broncos and one with the Newcastle Knights. She transitioned from rugby union to rugby league in 2019 and has been impressive in her play, making her Test debut for Australia that same year. In 2022, she captained the Knights in their NRLW Grand Final win

Stephen Moore

Profile Athlete

Stephen Moore, a former rugby union footballer, had a distinguished career as a player for the Brumbies and Queensland Reds, and earned 129 caps for Australia internationally, including 24 tests as captain. Notably, Moore is the 14th most capped player of all time, has the second most Test appearances for Australia after George Gregan, and is the only Australian hooker to have played 100 Tests. He’s also the most capped Australian Super Rugby player of all time, and is one of two players in Australian Rugby history, along with Nathan Sharpe, to achieve 100 Test and 150 Super Rugby appearances.

Tamika Upton

Profile Athlete

Tamika Upton is an Australian professional rugby league footballer currently playing for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL Women’s Premiership, primarily as a fullback. Born in Rockhampton, Upton started her rugby career in Blackwater, Central Queensland. Before her rugby league career, Upton played touch football and represented Australia’s national side, the Emus. She also played netball for the Central Queensland team, the Capricorn Claws. Upton has played for teams like the Brisbane Broncos and the Burleigh Bears. She was part of the victorious 2022 Newcastle Knights team, earning the Karyn Murphy Medal as the player of the match in the 2022 NRL Women’s Grand Final.

Michael Morgan

Profile Athlete

Michael Morgan is an Australian professional rugby league player, who represented the North Queensland Cowboys, Australia, Queensland, and the Prime Minister’s XIII. Playing variously as a five-eighth, halfback, and fullback, Morgan was instrumental in the Cowboys’ victories in the 2015 NRL Premiership and 2016 World Club Challenge. He also helped Australia win the 2017 World Cup. A highlight of his career was scoring a crucial try in the 2015 NRL Grand Final, tying the game and leading to a win for the Cowboys. Morgan retired in 2021 due to a shoulder injury.

What can we help you achieve?

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Where will your career take you?

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