Dr. Chris Rowell

Managing Director

“The best part of my work is finding ways to connect and resonate with people — to help them see things from a different perspective, flip their thinking completely, so they can generate and embrace new ideas.”

Chris thrives in working with leaders and organisations at a moment when the maps they have been navigating by are becoming unreliable. His work is about helping people think differently about not just what they do, but who they are becoming.

He is energised by co-creating ideas and insights with a diverse range of people, across industries, expertise, and cultures, and has a knack for translating complex ideas into clear stories and initiatives that move people to act. At the heart of this is a passion for learning and discovery, and a genuine belief that the quality of our thinking and the quality of our relationships are inseparable. The best strategies are built on both.

As Managing Director at PF, Chris works with leaders and teams to make sense of disruptive innovations like AI, not just to respond to them, but to reshape their thinking, culture, and strategy from the inside out. He brings a systems lens to this work, helping people see the patterns and connections that are easy to miss when you are close to the action, while never losing sight of the human beings at the centre of it. His doctorate in Science in Technology, Strategy and Venturing, combined with years of experience working with leaders and executives across Europe, North America, and Australia, means he can move between the conceptual and the practical without losing either.

What draws people to Chris is not just the thinking. It is the quality of presence he brings to the conversation, and his ability to create the kind of genuine connection where real ideas can surface and real change can begin.

Expertise

  • Strategy
  • AI Transformation
  • Creativity & Innovation
  • Futures Thinking
  • The Future of Work
  • Systems Thinking
  • Navigating Complexity
  • Design Thinking
  • Storytelling
  • Influencing
  • Executive Coaching and Mentoring
  • High Performing Leadership Teams

Qualifications

Aalto University

Doctor of Science (DSc) in Technology, Strategy and Venturing

Aalto University

Master of Science (MSc) in International Business

The University of Queesnland

Bachelor of Business Management, Bachelor of Economics

Human Synergistics

Life Styles Inventory™/Group Styles Inventory™ Accredited Practitioner

Amara

Global Leadership Profile (GLP) Accredited Practitioner

Harvard Business School

Leading in the Digital Age: Better Decisions by Design

Cynefin

Trained in Cynefin:101 (Cognitive Edge)

Leadership Circle Profile 360°

Accredited Coach

Back to Our Team

““Chris’s approach is consultative and collaborative. He takes a vague brief from me and turns it into workshop magic. He’s not afraid of the crunchy topics that can emerge in workshops either – particularly when there are significant emotions involved in large-scale change programs. I would recommend Chris and the wider Performance Frontiers team for any of your team and leadership facilitation requirements.””

Andy Sutton

Endeavour Group

““Chris’s approach is consultative and collaborative. He takes a vague brief from me and turns it into workshop magic. ””

Andy Sutton

Endeavour Group

““He’s not afraid of the crunchy topics that can emerge in workshops either – particularly when there are significant emotions involved in large-scale change programs. I would recommend Chris and the wider Performance Frontiers team for any of your team and leadership facilitation requirements.””

Andy Sutton

Endeavour Group

““Chris’s approach is consultative and collaborative. He takes a vague brief from me and turns it into workshop magic. He’s not afraid of the crunchy topics that can emerge in workshops either – particularly when there are significant emotions involved in large-scale change programs.””

Andy Sutton

Endeavour Group

Articles by Dr. Chris Rowell

The Human Edge: Leading and Thriving in The Age of AI

The real constraint in the race to realise value from AI is not the technology. It is human capacity.  Workflows are being reimagined. Roles are being redesigned. Operating models are being reshaped. Yet the essential work still sits with us  —...
Dr. Chris Rowell
Insights

The Leadership Shift in Disguise: What AI Transformation is Really Asking of Us

Human capacity is the real constraint in the race to realise value from AI. Technology is evolving rapidly and in parallel, organisations are reimagining workflows, redesigning roles, and reshaping operating models. Yet for any of this to translate into meaningful...
Dr. Chris Rowell
Insights

Making the Leap: We Can’t Just Assume People Can Do the “Human Stuff”

In 2016, Wells Fargo was fined $185 million after it emerged that employees had opened more than 3.5 million fraudulent accounts without customer consent.1 The story made headlines as a scandal of corporate greed and individual misconduct, but beneath the headlines was a deeper...
Dr. Chris Rowell & Nicola Callard
Insights