I’m a mentor who equips leaders to design better futures.
Leadership is a creative act!
Mentor | Design-led Innovator | Founder | Strategic Facilitator
Are you a policy creator or future-shaping leader aspiring to shape what’s next?
Hi, Kia ora - I’m Jim Scully
A glimpse of my journey
I spent the last 30 years leading, designing and shaping what’s next. I was fortunate to be surfing the early wave of human-centred design and design thinking. I learnt from some amazing pioneers in the field and have since used the power of design to create impact in various countries.
Leaders have hectic lives; every slice of your time and energy matters. I know, I have lived your schedules in start-ups, multi-nationals and Government. I’ve helped NZ exporters via Better-by-Design, Singapore grow its design thinking, the UN Development Program, and mentored leaders. My team and I built NZ Government’s first customer/human-centred design capability.
Most leaders aren’t satisfied with the status quo, they aspire to share a better world. To support them, I founded a for-impact business ThinkPlace | Wahi Whakaaro Aotearoa NZ. I have now launched my mentoring practice.
My new ‘why’
In 2024, I figured that the twin threads running through my career have been leading great teams and designing better futures. So I’ve decided to bring both together to work with leaders who are keen to use design to power up their leadership and shape what’s next.
Passions beyond work
Facilitating global innovation labs with UNLEASH, a not-for-profit organisation, which gives me a triple shot of inspiration, energy and hope!
Mentoring young social entrepreneurs around the world.
Kayaking off the coast, fishing up a river, skiing down a mountain.
Walking our dog (River) with my family on Wellington’s steep, green hills.
Local + Global
I'm on a mission to unlock leaders’ creative design potential, wherever you are.
I would love to work with you, in-person or online.
What are people
saying about Jim?
“I have worked with Jim Scully for over a decade, often collaborating to deliver workshops and experiences for senior government officials. Jim is a master at bringing a group together to catalyse new ways of looking at the world to generate new insights. You can ‘trust the process’ when the process is good and the right method is applied to the right challenge. On a personal level, Jim is unfailingly generous with his time and wisdom – he has been a valued sounding board for me. For raising my spirits and energy levels, a ‘Jim session’ has much more impact than any ‘gym session.”
Sally Washington, Practice Fellow (Policy capability & Public management)
“Jim has been an invaluable and highly respected part of the UNLEASH community, serving as a highly dedicated Facilitator at four UNLEASH Innovation Labs in Singapore, China, India and Rwanda where his outstanding innovation expertise, empathy, and motivational leadership have inspired numerous UNLEASH international teams across the world turning bold innovative ideas into action.”
Flemming Besenbacher,DSc, DSc h.c. mult., FRSC, Professor and Chairperson of UNLEASH, and former Chairman of Carlsberg Group
Jim Scully brings extensive experience, expertise, and thought leadership in applying a wide array of innovation approaches ranging from systems thinking to design thinking, to address diverse transformation challenges and building innovation capacity within institutions and organizations.”
Banny Banerjee, Global ChangeLabs Stanford
“Jim has helped me and the teams I have worked with navigate the complexities of driving innovation and change in forestry. He has a wonderful ability to view things from different perspectives, challenge your thinking, and often sets you down a more inspiring path.”
Claire Stewart, Programme Leader, Forest Growers Research
A Postcard from 2040……..
To you,
It’s 2040. You’re part of a thriving community of leaders who didn’t wait for the future to happen - you shaped it.
Through your leadership, you built high-performing, purpose-driven teams that still thrive long after you’ve moved on.
By 2026, your new blueprint was alive - and so was your momentum.
2025 was tough. But you made a defining choice.
You decided you needed a partner — not a coach — an ally who could help you design your way forward.
That’s when you asked Jim to be your trusted ally and mentor.
Together, you reimagined what leadership could look like.
You equipped others. You created space for emerging leaders to rise. The systems you designed still hold - clear, connected, and future-ready.
The rest is (future) history.
Regards……..
Let’s write a postcard to your future.
Schedule a call
Whether you’re guiding a public system, leading a team, or stepping into your next challenge, mentoring can accelerate your impact.
Mentor for future-shaping leaders