Challis & Company is a boutique integrated strategic leadership consultancy
We offer services in board search, executive search, board reviews and leadership assessment & development. Our clients include the Chairs, Boards & CEOs of some of the world’s and Australia’s best-known listed corporations, mid-sized companies, professional service firms, private equity firms, start-ups and not-for-profits. Our consultants bring to bear a range of complementary backgrounds including years working with leading ASX-listed corporates, top-tier strategy consulting firms, global executive search firms and specialist organisational psychology consultancies.
Operating out of our offices in Sydney and Melbourne Australia, Challis & Company focuses on working with you to help you understand whether your organisation has the required capabilities today to execute tomorrow’s strategy.
We do this, by asking four key questions:
Our services
With a broad set of leadership consulting capabilities, Challis & Company has an outstanding track record in helping our clients in identifying, assessing, attracting and developing the best senior executive & non-executive talent.
Our team
Our team brings years of experience in Executive search, Board search, Management assessments, Board reviews & Leadership consulting.
Darren Challis
Managing Director
Darren has worked as a search consultant on many successful assignments to find chairs, NEDs, CEOs, country managers and functional leaders across a range of industries. He has also led many board reviews and management assessments.
Before founding Challis & Company, Darren worked as a consultant with Egon Zehnder.
Darren was born and grew up in Sydney. He worked through his high school and university studies as a technology journalist writing over 300 articles for mainstream magazines and newspapers. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Government & Public Administration) and Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours from The University of Sydney, and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the University of Technology Sydney. On admission as a solicitor, he worked as a corporate and finance lawyer with MinterEllison, focused on M&A and infrastructure assets such as airports and telecommunications networks.
Darren then completed a full-time Master of Business Administration degree at the Australian Graduate School of Management (then a joint venture between UNSW Sydney & The University of Sydney), completed on exchange to the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He then worked as a Consultant and Project Leader at Boston Consulting Group, leading a number of strategy projects for Australian and global clients. Darren then joined Fairfax Media [ASX:FXJ], initially as Director, Commercial Strategy and subsequently as Group Head, New Media Development. During his time at Fairfax Media, he led the company’s digital M&A process, leading to some well-regarded acquisitions including RSVP, Stayz & Trade Me, plus an investment in carsales.com. He also served on the Board of an ASX-listed investment.
Over the years, Darren has also served on a number of commercial and community boards. He is currently the Deputy Chair of Hayes Theatre Co, a Sydney-based not-for-profit musical theatre company. Darren has twice been elected to the University Council at UNSW Sydney, its governing body, where he also served on the University’s Finance Committee, Planning Committee and as a Governor of its Alumni Association. He is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Hannah Challis
Executive Director
Hannah leads Challis & Company's Leadership consulting practice including services in assessment, on-boarding, development and succession.
Hannah spent nine years working as a Managing Consultant in the Sydney and Chicago offices of SHL, a global leader in talent measurement. At SHL, Hannah ran senior-level assessment and development centres for executive recruitment, promotion, development and succession for clients in financial services, professional services, pharmaceuticals, health and government.
She joined Macquarie Group [ASX:MQG] in 2004 and left there in 2015 as Global Head of Talent. Over 11 years, she built and led a global function of 25 in EMEA, North America, Asia and Australia covering recruitment assessment strategy; organisational development; talent management; learning & leadership development, and culture & engagement. She reported to Macquarie’s Global Head of Human Resources.
Hannah is a Registered Psychologist, with a practice areas endorsement for Organisational Psychology; a Member of the Australian Psychological Society, College of Organisational Psychologists, and the American Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She is also a Graduate Member (with merit) of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow of the Australian HR Institute and a certified HR practitioner.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Research) with Honours in Psychology and a Masters in Applied Psychology with Honours from UNSW Sydney.
Hannah is the Chair of The Shalom Institute at UNSW Sydney and a Trustee Governor of JCA, and sits on the Advisory Committee for Organisational Psychology Programs at Macquarie University. She is a former Non-Executive Director of the Australian Psychological Society.
Helen Johnson
Principal
Helen has many years’ experience in executive search, with expertise across a wide range of industry sectors and roles. Most recently she worked for the executive search firm, DH International, (working with Darren Challis since 2012) prior to which she spent over six years with Korn Ferry [NYSE:KFY]. Earlier in her career, she spent three years working in Japan and, on her return to Sydney, worked for a Japanese energy company.
Helen has been involved in a research and execution capacity on roles at board, CEO and general management level for organisations including those in the media, telecommunications, professional services, government, health, arts, education, industrial and consumer sectors.
Helen holds a Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) from Australian National University.
James Murrie
Associate
James is an Associate in the Sydney office of Challis & Company. He supports all steps of an assignment process, including market mapping, database management and preparation of in-depth reports. James’s experience focuses on FS, and has included the appointment of candidates across consulting firms, investment banks, trading firms and infrastructure funds.
Immediately prior to working with Challis & Company, James worked as a consultant for another executive search firm, specialising in mandates across infrastructure and energy markets. He has also worked for an accounting firm, focused on business advisory, tax and audit engagements.
Our Sydney office
We are located in Chifley Tower.
