Read more about Tamsin’s experience in Australia, Europe and Africa.

Biography

I grew up in rural Australia, inspired by my Dad; a reverend in flip flops who was the epicentre of the community, passionate about social justice and always meeting people where they were—starting a church in a pub, or a skate park.

There I was watching Nelson Mandela on TV, Gandhi films, and reading Martin Luther King sermons in the outer suburbs of Adelaide, while most of my friends chilled on the beach.

By the time I was at university, I was selected for an internship with the opposition leader and went on to become the youngest government policy advisor in South Australia at 23. I was exposed to the highest levels of decision-making in government and helped craft policies that made the state a leader in environmental sustainability and the arts.

Despite being earmarked for a future in politics, I cared more about the issues than the numbers, and I knew that to become the leader I wanted to be, it was time to expand my experience across other realms and regions that called me—urban regeneration, public health, leadership, impact investment, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

I took what I’d learned in politics and applied it to spaces where people couldn’t always see the bigger vision of what was possible. As Country Director for an organisation supporting pregnant women living with HIV, I secured funding for expansion, growing the team from 5 staff to 140, creating life-changing impact with more children born without HIV. I co-founded Workshop17, awarded the best coworking space in South Africa and globally. What started as a pigeon-poop-covered industrial shed became an architectural dream of glass and wood, purpose-built for imagination, creativity, and interaction between the 250 entrepreneurs and community who inhabit it.

I moved into engaging with the business and investment communities, working for CDC to help establish a pan-African network of CEOs under 45. I then raised £1.6 million and co-founded the leading network of board-ready women across Africa, unlocking opportunities for leadership and influence at scale.

I was working flat out and seeing amazing results, but despite being at the top of my game, my body was saying no. I was navigating a system that demanded suppressing intuition and emotion, overriding values, and favouring purely transactional approaches—stifling possibility and causing systemic and personal strain. Reconnecting with my body and environment revealed the wider impact of disconnection on both people and the planet. Hundreds of board women echoed the same: in this dynamic, they couldn’t lead on what they most cared about.

I realised the need to articulate and build a business case for a more interconnected way of leading. Despite research showing the benefits of relational leadership, it was not valued or taught in the business world. I went on a deep dive—studying at The Somatic School, hosting dinners with C-suite women on leading with feminine traits, and spending time in Bhutan at the Centre for Gross National Happiness.

I joined a collaborative to co-found The Rallying Cry, bringing together voices on the front line responding to climate challenges with investors, forming a shared vision for the highest possible future. After that, I became a champion for the Conduit Club in London, focused on women in leadership, and then went on to help build the then emerging Small Giants Academy, including its flagship global program, the Mastery of Business and Empathy, now in its fifth year. I am also working closely with Australians Investing in Women on a new Gender Lens Investing Collaborative, uniting 71 funds to drive more gender-smart investment in Australia.

What has emerged at each stage is my authentic life’s work. As a business strategist, ecosystem innovator, and leadership catalyst, I help people, organisations, and investors to see themselves and the world as whole and interconnected—mobilising creativity, relationships, and resources to deliver tangible impact on climate, society, and governance.