Ian Buchanan

Ian is Sydney based Senior Executive Adviser to (and former Regional Chairman of) Booz Allen Hamilton Australia, NZ,SE Asia, with over 30 years Consulting & Advisory experience throughout the Asia Pacific.

Ian has worked extensively with both private and public sector leaders throughout the Australasian & Pacific region and has designed and led several of the regions largest public sector restructurings, post merger integrations and ‘step change’ performance improvement programs. Relevant assignments include:

  • Restructuring and strategic redirection of an ASEAN Defence Ministry;
  • Development of a National Aerospace Strategy for an ASEAN Government;
  • Support for an ASEAN Defence Minister for negotiations on the acquisition of advanced Fighter/Attack Aircraft;
  • Design and execution of the region’s first reverse take-over and LBO resulting in the turnaround of an ailing KLSE/SES company and creation of one of the highest performing companies on the exchange;
  • Rescue and restructuring of one of SE Asia’s largest banking groups after multi-billion dollar losses;
  • Worked with the Prime Minister’s office of a SE Asian Government & leading Companies to draft the country’s first National sector development Plan;
  • Developed Plans & Business Models for a new Ministry of State Owned Enterprise of a SE Asian Government including direct support for the Minister in developing appropriate Governance models & Planning processes – for the Ministry as well as for leading State Owned Enterprises; and
  • Setting a new strategic direction, restructuring and ‘step change’ improvement in shareholder value for numerous large regional Government owned corporations.

Prior to joining Booz Allen Ian was Regional VP of SRI International (formerly Stanford Research Institute) and advised both private companies, SoE’s & Government Agencies throughout Australasia & SE Asia

Ian has served on a wide range of both public and private sector Boards, including a period as the only non-Asian on the Advisory Board of GE in SE Asia/Indochina plus Board &/or Advisory Board positions with Singapore's National Computer Board (NCB); USAID; Computer Power Group (ASX Australia); Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute (AAII), and as Adviser to regional policy 'Think Tanks' and national planning committees, including the Technology/IT Working Group of Singapore's National Economic Planning Committee, the Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute & Indonesia’s Executive Centre for Global Leadership

Ian is currently a Director of the Great Barrier Reef Research Foundation and of leading National Security technology firm, ‘The Distillery’. He is also a member of the Asian/International Advisory Boards of Australia’s leading insurer, IAG; law firm, Mallesons, Australia’s National ICT initiative – NICTA; of Australia’s leading Business School, AGSM, where he Chairs The Centre for Corporate Change (CCC), and is the only Non Muslim on the Advisory Board of the World Islamic Economic Forum. He is a Trustee of The Committee for the Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) and a member of both the Australia-NZ Leadership Forum and the Scottish Government’s International Business Network – GlobalScot

Ian has a Masters degree in Chemistry/Quantum Chemistry from Magdalen College, Oxford; an MBA from Wharton; & advanced studies in development economics at the Kiel Institute of World Economics and in Leadership at Aspen Institute.

Ian is a frequent speaker at international conferences on issues of strategy, leadership, change management and value creation; has been a regular guest lecturer at Harvard and other Business Schools on these topics; and has written and taught Cases based on his client experiences at both Harvard and Stanford.
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