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Nick Mackeson-Smith

Chief Curiosity Officer, Founder and Director
+64 (0) 21 933 397
nick@fivenz.comSchedule a call

Nick is an expert in leadership development, executive coaching, learning strategy design and implementation, culture change and employee engagement. He's led transformative programmes in agile, technology implementation, diversity and inclusion, mental health and wellbeing, mindset and behaviour change, ways of working and learning enablement, and is very interested in building great employee experiences to drive great customer experiences which drive great business outcomes. He's a highly skilled facilitator and public speaker, and has a knack for spotting and unleashing the potential in those around him. He's got over 20 years of experience in doing the small stuff and the very big stuff at some of the world's and NZ's leading organisations - in financial services with Barclays Capital, Barclays Wealth Schroders, Lloyd's of London, and Goldman Sachs. In consulting services with Deloitte. In the public sector with Auckland Council, and most recently in digital services and telecommunications with Spark New Zealand.

You can talk to me about:

AI & Digital Transformation
AI Strategy & Enablement for Business
❇️ Performance
Discovery
❇️ Performance
EX and CX Mapping
❇️ Performance
Ways of working and agile
💗 Culture EX
CultureXpert
💗 Culture EX
Culture Discovery
💗 Culture EX
Culture Advisory
🟤 Strategy & Leadership
Strategic and Transformation Advisory
🟤 Strategy & Leadership
Organisational Design
🟤 Strategy & Leadership
Board and ELT Advisory
🟤 Strategy & Leadership
Leadership Lab
🟤 Strategy & Leadership
Executive Coaching
🟤 Strategy & Leadership
Executive Traction Labs
🟤 Strategy & Leadership
Strategy Design
🟤 Strategy & Leadership
Transformation
🟤 Strategy & Leadership
Programme Leadership
🟤 Strategy & Leadership
Innovation Design Sprint
🟪 Technology
WalkMe Discovery

I've recently written about:

September 15, 2025
Technology

Why most people technology RFPs fail before they even start

Organisations are investing in HRIS, payroll, onboarding, and time and attendance platforms, but too often, the results disappoint. The reason? Traditional RFPs focus on feature lists and vendor promises, while ignoring the foundations that determine success: strong processes, cultural alignment, capable people, and reliable data. This article explores why many RFPs go wrong, the questions to ask before committing, and how Five’s vendor-agnostic approach helps organisations choose technology that actually works.

September 2, 2025
Culture

What happens when leaders wear their tradition with pride

What does it take to build a workplace where everyone feels safe and proud to bring their full heritage to work - not just during language weeks, but every day? This short piece reflects on a conversation with a leader who showed up to a meeting in Tongan dress, and discusses what leaders can do to support visible, everyday cultural expression at work. It covers practical advice, evidence-based insights, and why it matters for engagement, retention and performance.

August 4, 2025
Performance

Clarity counts - why goals and measures matter

With everything that's going on aroun them, it's easy for teams to lose sight of what success really looks like. Clear goals and meaningful measures matter more than ever. It isn't just about tracking performance, but about creating focus, building alignment and supporting learning. You will find practical advice on how leaders and teams can build clarity around outcomes, make progress visible and create a shared understanding of what good looks like. Whether you use OKRs, KPIs or something simpler, this piece will help you make measurement meaningful in real organisational life.

August 1, 2025
People

The strategic lever most organisations are missing

Many organisations invest heavily in strategy, but overlook the most critical enabler of delivery: people. In this article, we explore why human capability and experience should be considered from the outset – not as an afterthought – and how mapping these needs early can drive better decisions around investment, structure, systems and workforce planning. Learn how capability-led design can turn strategic ambition into practical, people-powered execution.

March 31, 2025
Performance

You can do anything, but not everything all at once: how to be smarter with your yes

The pressure to “do more with less” is unrelenting. But overcommitting time, people, and budget leads to burnout, poor delivery, and declining quality. In this article, we explore two powerful perspectives: how leaders can make better strategic choices using the iron triangle of time, cost and scope — and how teams can protect quality and wellbeing by shifting from automatic “yes” to more thoughtful responses like “yes, if” and “yes, when.”

February 4, 2025
Technology

Leveraging affordable AI for enhanced productivity

AI is no longer just for tech giants—affordable AI tools now empower businesses of all sizes to boost productivity, automate tasks, and enhance decision-making. Rather than replacing jobs, AI acts as an enabler, freeing up time for strategic work.