Jan Sipsma

The people and strategy combination suits me well having spent my 28-year long career maximizing sustainable value for organizations by leveraging the remarkable asset that is people. My continued fascination with how to tap into a person's full capability and inner passions endures. Finding the answers takes time and it certainly did for me.

As a younger person I was always interested in how people behave and triumph over adversity. The earlier part of my career focused on business assets - a commerce degree made sure of that - but I increasingly found myself talking about people - and a master's degree in Organizational Psychology covered that. Managers would suggest that their people are their most valuable asset, yet when I asked what drives this asset, they could not say. There was no understanding of human nature. This seemed untenable to me. I was driven repeatedly to have these conversations. I still am.

In pursuit of this passion, I founded and managed my own Organizational Psychology Consulting firm which I led and grew for 18 years. I now serve as the non-executive Chair for the global practice and ascribe my thought leadership to the numerous organizational leaders I have had the privilege to coach around the world. For me, legacy is a matter of who, not what.

Currently residing in Houston, Texas, I have lived in four and worked in over 30 countries, appreciating the unique perspectives that this brings. I have applied this diverse thinking to the global strategy I designed and the transformation efforts I spearhead at GHD. More recently, the opportunity to sponsor GHD's future energy efforts means creating an environmental impact that extends from thriving individuals to successful organizations to prosperous communities. People and strategy – Legacy and impact.