Nous Group’s government practice has been further strengthened with the appointment of three experienced government specialists as Principals.

Trish Woolley is joining the Nous Brisbane office as a Principal to support our clients in government on policy and service delivery.

Trish has more than 20 years of experience in management of human services for state and federal governments, including complex reform, strategy and operations. She led development and delivery of 10-year reform programs in housing, homelessness and sport in the Queensland Government as a Deputy Director-General. Trish is committed to transformation that delivers better human services for vulnerable Australians. She has held senior roles in the Federal Departments of Human Services, Social Services and Prime Minister and Cabinet.

“I’m excited to be part of the Nous team and look forward to working across the country to support clients in delivering outcomes for the community,” Trish said. “I’m passionate about better integrated services, particularly for vulnerable people, and want to help clients make a genuine impact.”

Mary Darwell is joining the Nous Sydney office as a Principal to support our clients in government on strategy and implementation.

Mary has wide experience in the public and private sector, with more than 20 years as a senior executive and chief executive officer. She is a trusted advisor known for achieving outcomes where there is contest and complexity, especially working with active stakeholders. Mary previously led the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, a statutory authority responsible for some of Sydney’s most iconic heritage parklands, including Cockatoo Island, and was Executive Director (CEO) at Arts NSW, where she led work to strengthen opportunities for, and increase the impact of, creative industries.

“I am delighted to join Nous Group and look forward to supporting clients to harness the opportunity of growth and to create sustainable, connected and equitable places for our community,” Mary said.

Raffaella Recupero is joining the Nous Canberra office as a Principal to support our clients in government on design challenges.

Raffaella has deep experience in strategic design and design practice in government. For 20 years she has worked on ecosystem-level and organisational challenges, including societal problems, national reforms and digital transformation. Most recently, Raffaella was Design Director at Fjord (part of Accenture Interactive), where she was the Experience Architect for government accounts in central agencies, social services, revenue agencies, defence and national security. Raffaella previously worked at the ATO, ThinkPlace and The Org.

“I am excited about joining Nous to improve the way public, private and NFP organisations operate and deliver services to and outcomes for society,” Raffaella said. “By complementing Nous’ expert team, I’m especially enthusiastic about bringing a diverse range of design practices to our government clients, helping them to solve complex problems through strategic design, human-centered design, co-design, and digital product design.”

Tim Orton, the founder and Managing Principal of Nous Group, said he was pleased to welcome Trish, Mary and Raffaella to the Nous team.

“Trish, Mary and Raffaella bring decades of experience at the highest levels government. I am confident our national, state and territory government clients across Australia will value their insights as they confront their biggest challenges,” Tim said.

“These appointments underscore why so many government agencies are turning to Nous for support in areas including public policy, service design and implementation. Our team draws on deep experience alongside our unique frameworks and methodologies to support our clients to meet the needs of citizens and consumers.

“I welcome Trish, Mary and Raffaella to Nous and look forward to their positive influence they will help our clients to achieve.”

Contact Nous today to meet with Trish, Mary and Raffaella to discuss how they can support your government agency on its biggest challenges.