Our story starts in San Francisco in 2001.
Jenni had started Now for Future the year before and was consulting in the areas of group processes and communication. Erin was Professor of Energy and Environment at Melbourne University Private. He had convened a two-day "meeting of minds" in San Francisco to advance the design of a world-class executive leadership program in sustainability. Jenni was consulting on the project and also participated in the San Francisco meeting. Three amazing people ran that meeting – Juanita Brown and David Isaacs (co-originators of the World Café methodology) and David Sibbet (founder and President of The Grove Consultants International, and the father of graphic facilitation).
We were so impressed with Juanita, David and David – as people, as facilitators, and as innovators. And so fortunate to have our first exposure to World Café and graphic facilitation with people who played key roles in their existence. We were inspired and this became a turning point for both of us. We decided to invest in building a facilitation company in Australia that would employ innovative methodologies and high level skills like World Café and graphic facilitation. A company that would offer truly superb strategic facilitation and harness the great opportunity presented by getting people together in the same space.
Ten years later and we have worked all around Australia and facilitated well over 200 engagement sessions ranging from small planning meetings through to hundreds of participants in conferences and stakeholder forums.
Each day, as we work with interesting organisations, we continue to be amazed by people and what they can achieve together.
Erin is one of a handful of experienced graphic facilitators in Australia, and the only one with an extensive background in engineering and sustainability. Before joining Now for Future, Erin held professorships in mechanical engineering, and energy and environment.
He is skilled at capturing and explaining complex concepts using his own set of graphic methods. He has been nationally awarded for his vision, strategic leadership and ability to build successful partnerships.
Erin is enjoying his fifth decade of hitting balls around the tennis court, even if it means getting up at 6.30 on Sunday mornings. He is continually reminded of the different directions life can take as he follows the lives of his four children.
Jenni is an experienced facilitator whose work is under-pinned by both management theory and real-world business experience.
Her passion for people, skills in group dynamics, intuition and belief in what people can achieve together, contribute to the success of the groups Jenni works with.
Her Master of Education degree focussed on management and she has gained much insight into different organisations through her work with students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She has held senior management positions in both the public and private sectors.
Jenni grew up in the Victorian country town of Boort. She loves people, her three children, the sea, and the Australian bush.