We started Brink & North for freedom

Freedom to think big, challenge assumptions, and create what government needs
without constraints.

We believe change management shouldn't be complicated or expensive. It should be a
core skill everyone has, built into how organisations work.

We create practical, easy-to-use tools that transfer expertise, not ongoing consultant dependencies

Right now, that means helping organisations build AI management infrastructure they can
run independently.

But Brink & North is bigger than AI - we're building a legacy where change management is woven into the fabric of public sector work.

Our Team

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Lou Maconachie

Lou has spent 20 years turning bold ideas into operational reality across industry (Origin), non-profit (Lifeline), and government. For the last decade, she led major change initiatives across the Australian Public Service through the APS Change Management Centre of Excellence, which she co-created with Robin Hilder.

Lou specialises in simplifying the complicated -designing creative solutions that make complex changes work and innovates engagement approaches that surface what's really happening, not what the org chart says should be happening.

She also co-directs Lightbulb Improv, where applied improvisation principles shape how she facilitates and designs change.

NV1 security cleared.
Allergic to frameworks that sit on shelves.

Co-Founder & Director
A woman with brown hair in an updo, wearing a striped shirt and earrings, standing in front of a dark wooden wall, looking at the camera.

Robin has spent 20 years building change management capability across government. For the last decade, she led major initiatives across the Australian Public Service through the APS Change Management Centre of Excellence, which she co-created with Lou Maconachie.

Robin specialises in designing tools that actually work in operational reality, not just theory. She's known for She's known for thought leadership with practical clarity - translating complex change strategy into systems people can use and embedding capability in every role,

Her strength is seeing what organisations need before they know they need it, then creating the architecture to make it happen.

NV1 security cleared.
Builds independence, not dependency.

Co-Founder & Director

Robin Hilder

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What we’ve built together

Some partnerships just work. We've found a way of thinking together that's unbounded and experimental - always exploring what's next - and we've got the track record to prove it delivers.

Since 2020:

  • 150+ APS change initiatives supported through the APS Centre of Excellence

  • 500+ APS staff trained through the Change Management Foundation

  • Designed the APS Change Accelerator workshop service, used to support 30+ major government change initiatives

  • Designed the Change Canvas: a neuroscience-based facilitation tool that distils change management into five practical conversations for staff, managers and leadership

  • Delivered change management training internationally, including training and workshops for senior leaders of Samoa's Public Service to support their first government reform in 20 years

  • Awards: Excellence in Change Management (2019), Change Management Training (2021)

OUR TRACK RECORD

  • APS Change Management Centre of Excellence

    When our Change Management approach was recognised as a Centre of Excellence by APSC in 2020, it launched a partnership that gave us a platform to transfer capability across the Australian Public Service.

    We built the infrastructure to make change management accessible: the Change Management Framework with practical tools and templates, the Change Accelerator workshop service for rapid initiative support, and Change Central—a self-service hub where staff could access resources independently.

    Through the APS Academy, we trained 600+ change practitioners across 50+ agencies. The Change Accelerator became the go-to service for initiatives needing strategic reset. We coached initiative leads, facilitated strategic resets for stalled programs, and presented at forums across the APS. We pioneered innovative use of collaboration tools like Mural and Teams to create better cross-agency engagement and knowledge sharing.

    Five years later, the framework, Change Canvas, and tools we designed remain in active use across multiple agencies.

    Our approach: Build lasting infrastructure that transfers expertise, not creates ongoing dependency.

  • APS Change Accelerator

    Whole-of-government change initiatives across the APS were consistently failing. Lead agencies couldn't coordinate effectively with implementing agencies, nobody had the right tools, and change fatigue was rampant. Neither side knew how to make government-wide reform actually work.

    We partnered with APSC to pilot the APS Change Accelerator for whole-of-government (WoG) change. Over five intensive days, we brought together 27 participants from 20 active initiatives across five departments. They received hands-on change training, worked with us to co-design tools tailored to their real projects, and collaborated with peers facing similar challenges.

    Participants left the workshop with completed Change Management plans they could immediately implement for their initiatives. They built peer networks that continued beyond the program. Most importantly, we identified the structural barriers preventing WoG success and generated four concrete recommendations now being progressed: a WoG Change Management Forum, government-wide capability assessment, senior leader sponsorship development, and embedded change management in APS learning strategy.

    Our approach: Build solutions with people, grounded in their reality.

  • Samoa Public Service Reform Training Program

    In 2024, the Government of Samoa launched its first comprehensive public service reform in 20 years, affecting 4,000 public servants across every ministry. Senior leaders needed practical change management skills fast - but had no previous experience leading transformation at this scale and limited access to specialized expertise.

    Through the Australian Government's Pacific Partnership program, we designed and delivered a six-day intensive for 40 senior leaders across all Samoan government ministries. The program wasn't traditional training—it was highly interactive, culturally responsive, and focused on applying change management principles and approaches to Samoa's actual reform challenges.

    Leaders worked across ministry boundaries, built peer networks, and developed implementation plans they could action immediately. 95% rated the program "highly valuable," with participants reporting: "We now have confidence to lead this reform rather than feeling overwhelmed" and "These are tools we can actually use without needing consultants."

    Our change management materials remain in active use. Samoa's reform is progressing with internal capability, not external consultant dependency.

    Our approach: Build capability so people are ready for every change, not just the next one.