Portia works across the globe with predominantly FTSE and Fortune 100 companies advising on talent management, psychometrics and leading behaviour change. She is a British and Australian trained chartered psychologist and behavioural scientist.
Portia is an Associate at the Møller Institute and also represents the Associates within the Education Standards Committee.
Professional experience
As a psychologist and entrepreneur Portia has a passion for identifying potential and utilising behavioural science with organisations and individuals to undertake transformative change. She is co-founder of the start-up Communication Labs, which uses cutting edge people analytics technology to support leaders to identify and leverage talent. She has been featured in the Daily Telegraph, the Times Educational Supplement and the Metro as well as a range of magazines.
Portia has designed and implemented high potential programmes and senior leadership programmes in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia across many market sectors. Areas include consulting professional services, legal services, financial services, engineering, oil and gas, telecoms and healthcare.
Portia began her professional career in Australia conducting WHO-sponsored psychological and epidemiological research. This research was published in several high-ranking academic journals and changed how some mental health issues are now treated. She still maintains her interest in research and is partnering with a number of companies and institutions in the USA and UK to look at the role of technology and behavioural science in creating change.
Honours and awards
- Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society
- Registered Psychologist HCPC
Publications and public speaking
- Oracle Collaborate Conference – “Use it or lose it: Drive system adoption with people analytics and engagement”
- LETG Leadership Conference – CASS Business School – “One type to rule them all. Psychometrics in the assessment and development of leaders.”
- CIPD Behavioural Science Conference – “Increasing resilience during times of uncertainty”.
- Global Partnership Meeting – “Understanding the science behind unconscious bias”.
- Møller Client Day – “Leadership potential identification in professional service firms”.
- IASP Conference. Neural Network Effectiveness in Predicting the Suicide Event: A Pilot Study
- Group problem-solving skills training for self-harm: Randomised controlled trial. The British Journal of Psychiatry. 2014, 204(5).
- Optional thinking ability among hospital‐treated deliberate self‐harm patients: A 1‐year follow‐up study British Journal of Clinical Psychology. 2008, 47 (pt1):43-58
- Seasonal Variation in Suicide in a Predominantly Caucasian Tropical/Subtropical Region of Australia Psychopathology 2000. 33(6).
- Blindness, Fear of Sight Loss, and Suicide. Psychosomatics. 1999. 40(4).
- IASP Conference. Undiagnosed Alcohol Abuse and Suicide
- IASP Conference. Comparing Fear of Illness and Disability: A Psychological Autopsy Study
Portia is a chartered and registered organisational psychologist, with publications in several international peer reviewed journals.