An operating system for your company culture.

Exceptional culture doesn’t happen by default. It happens by design.

CultureOS is a framework for intentionally designing, building, and sustaining a culture that fuels creativity, trust, and performance.

First, we design your culture – defining the principles, behaviours, and structures that will shape how your team works and support growth.

Then, we build your operating system – the day-to-day rhythms, rituals, tools, and processes that keep culture thriving as the business scales.

How We

Work Together:

  • These offerings are not your usual workshops.

    These are highly experiential and 100% bespoke, designed to keep the human experience at the centre in an increasingly disconnected world. They can be delivered in person, online, or asynchronously – whatever works best for your team and context. Want to know what we can create a workshop for, just ask me, we’ll make it happen.

    And if you need a reset, I’ll design an experience for you that does exactly that, to realign your team to the vision.

  • We start by mapping exactly how your culture should work benchmarking against next level best practice – from how you hire and onboard to how you lead, collaborate, communicate and grow your team.

    Then we build the systems, structures, and rituals that make it real – your company’s people and cultural operating system.

    Every part is designed to inspire connection and creativity, build trust, and drive high performance as the business scales.

  • I work directly with founders, CEOs and leaders as your people & culture partner – helping you unlock growth by removing the friction that slows teams down.

    I do this by aligning the right people to the right roles, coaching leaders to unlock performance and trust, and building the operating system for a culture that actually scales.

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  • Training, Workshops & Keynotes

    Why

    Because emotional intelligence, social awareness, values and human connection don’t belong on a wall, laminated – they require safe, experiential learning spaces in order to be lived. Beyond learning, this is about surviving and thriving in a world where leaders who don’t adapt will lose trust, talent and relevance.

    What

    Three workshop experiences and keynotes I offer:

    1. Conscious Leadership. What does it really mean to lead as a human? It’s wild to think we even need to define this, but here we are. I’ll help you identify, bring out and develop your unique leadership blueprint and the human skills required to lead with authenticity, presence and purpose.

    2. AI v AI. Authentic Integrity and Artificial Intelligence. It’s happening, do not get left behind. How do we integrate AI into our leadership and work without losing integrity, connection and trust? This session shows you how.

    3. Courageous Conversations. Feedback, 1:1s, hard conversations. Most leaders miss the mark. This is about cutting through ego and insecurities so that communication builds trust instead of undermining it.

    How

    Interactive half-day or full-day sessions, virtual or onsite or offsite (we will not be in a boardroom - this is transformation, not corporate training), designed to disrupt, challenge, inspire and move people.

    I bring stories, real world scenarios from your team and experiential exercises that transform how you communicate, how you work and how you relate.

  • Strategy Design & OS Implementation

    Why

    Because culture isn’t vibes. It’s rituals, rhythms, systems and structure. If you’re scaling without an operating system for how people lead, decide, and work together, you’re guessing and guessing won’t scale. Just like a building needs a blueprint, your company needs an operating system designed specifically for you, your team, and the culture you want to create.

    What

    Here’s what we do together – Diagnose, Define, Build.

    1. Diagnose. Culture health check & deep dive. First we spend time on identifying your current state. A clear, tangible diagnosis of what’s working and what’s holding you back. Half-day workshop with Founder, CEO and/or Head of P&C.

    2. Define. Purpose, values & behaviours. You need goal posts and guardrails and expectations need to be explicit and clear. We’ll translate this into how you perform everyday systems such as hiring, onboarding, performance, feedback, rituals, and decision-making. 1 x day workshop with Founder, CEO and/or Head of P&C.

    3. Build. We’ll build your Culture:OS roadmap – a 12 month operating system with a 90-day sprint to hardwire the foundations. No off-the-shelf templates. This is strategy embedded in your business – a working model of culture in action. I’ll create with you a blueprint of how your people lead, decide, and work together every day. After the Diagnose and Define stages, it’s 1 x week for me to design this OS for you.

    How

    This isn’t theory. It’s a build. Through a series of focused sessions with your leadership (Founder, CEO, Head of P&C, and key team members), I’ll surface what’s really going on, define the foundations, and then design your Culture:OS.

    The output isn’t a slide deck that gathers dust. It’s a bespoke blueprint – your operating system for how people lead, decide, and collaborate. A practical, tangible strategy you can actually use to scale with values-aligned clarity and momentum.

  • People & Culture Partner

    Why

    Because founders don’t need another HR consultant. You need a retained partner who’s in your corner week in, week out — available in real time to help you deliver on your Culture:OS. Someone who can handle the friction, shape the systems, and champion your team so you can stay focused on what you do best: leading and growing the business.

    What

    Acting as your go-to ally on all things people — part advisor, part coach, part operator.

    Working closely with the founder, CEO, and exec team to align leadership, strengthen trust, and remove the hidden friction that slows you down.

    Embedding the rhythms of culture: exec team cadences, manager coaching, and scalable hiring systems that actually work.

    How

    This is a retained partnership, not a set-and-forget project. I work on a monthly retainer, embedding alongside you and your exec team. That means:

    * Real-time support when challenges or people issues arise.

    * Weekly strategy sessions to keep everyone aligned and accountable.

    * On-site immersion as needed to shift dynamics hands-on and lift barriers to communication.

    Practical, flexible, and deeply personalised – I don’t just design the operating system, I help you run it together as a leadership team.

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What happens when we work together?

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  • Purpose becomes realised. Values become how we work, not just what we hope for – they’re demonstrated through everything you do.

  • Your people become more socially, emotionally and relationally aware. This means there’s psychological safety that enables everyone to take the right kind of risks, to be creative, courageous and compassionate. Managers and leaders connect, rather than command.

  • Systems and processes support your people rather than hold them back: Hiring, onboarding, feedback loops, comms strategies - it’s all designed to grow your people while your business grows. Empathy and fundamental human needs at scale, imagine that.

  • Resilience is built in: It’s getting weird out there in the world of work, you and your team will be prepared to meet the challenges of the metacrisis, as best anyone can.

  • A strong, sustainable, healthy culture that is true to you: Not a one-size-fits-all blueprint or off-the-shelf template, but a living system coded for your context.

People Have Said Nice Things

  • Mikey is a People and Culture wizard! His commitment to leading Riparide People and Culture fabric has been astounding, he has the processes, strategies and human based tools that can transform a Culture. The impact Mikey has had on Riparide has been profound and I can't recommend him highly enough. Every company needs a Mikey!

    Marlon Law – Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer, Riparide

  • Mikey is setting about revolutionising the world of work with his relational style, truly bringing the human aspect to everything he does. His approach challenges traditional models of working and ensures that people feel seen and valued and able to bring their full selves to work.

    Sarah West – Head of People and Capability at Everyday Massive

  • Mikey is a breath of fresh air in the business world. An incredibly passionate individual, he brings a strong human focus to the world of work. I had had the privilege of working with Mikey for the past year as a speaker and facilitator. His authentic (and sometimes vulnerable) leadership style makes him a very relatable speaker. He recently facilitated a think-tank for us where the outcomes were even better than we had hoped. Plus the participants did not feel at any time like they were working with Mikey’s fun and laid-back approach. I highly recommend Mikey to work with in any capacity that you can, you won’t regret it!

    Sophie Hart – Co-Founder and Director at The Serenity Collective

  • So, you know Mikey. He’s a super cool, genuine, warm, good natured guy. He’s articulate and well read, and as a facilitator he is both totally at ease and enlivening. He is a wondrous host and conversationalist, asks incisive questions, and has real contemporary savvy in terms of the future of work (and real experience in building great cultures of work)….. if I was to ever pursue the madness that is growing a business—he’d be one of the first folks I’d want to hire as a revenue generator and co-conspirator.

    Dr Jason Fox – Arch-Wizard of Ambiguity at jasonfox.com

  • Mikey is a top-shelf talent across the board. In his time at PT he worked on complex culture-change strategies with our clients as well as leading and facilitating leadership programs with our clients. But if his work ability is top-shelf, then how do you describe him as a human being? This is where it gets a little more difficult because words just don't seem to do him (or what he brings to his work) justice. He's just a world-class human. Hmmm. Good descriptor, but I can describe it better, surely? Let's try this. He's a remarkable bloke who brings light to the room. Yep, that's it. Such a pleasure to work with him.

    Darren Hill – Co-Founder 3-Time AFR Fast 100 company, Pragmatic Thinking

  • Mikey Ellis is well on his way to becoming a serious player in the human-development / human-centric movement that is setting the business world alight. His obsession with designing & implementing innovative & inclusive cultures is palpable. His courage to show up courageously, authentically and vulnerably at work, online & in life is carving a new path for countless others to follow. I can thoroughly recommend his ability to catalyse a tribe of people around progressive, life-affirming and dangerous ideas.

    Mykel Dixon - Award-Winning Speaker, Author & Creative

  • Michael is an infectious personality- a deep thinker that places importance and emphasis on real human connection and empowering individuals to get the best out of themselves AND creating the best type of culture in their workplace.* *He has been doing this for a number of years and is a true community building advocate- with his influence and output at Vinomofo being there for all to feel when walking into the Vinomofo HQ environment. The team can't speak highly enough of him and like all formative people that leave a truly lasting impression, a lot of the value he creates is hard to completely define, but shaped by lived experience.* *I've collaborated with Michael on a number of events and activations over the years relating to different content streams in the startup, tech, culture, storytelling, entrepreneurship spectrum and he is an eloquent and passionate speaker and communicator who helps shape great experiences for all those in attendance. I'm looking forward to doing many more collaborations with Michael over time!*

    Garry Williams – Founder Group Group, ex Engagement Director, Tractor Ventures

  • *I have the pleasure of knowing Mikey for a number of years and during that time we have collaborated in so many different ways. And this is really reflective of how flexible and adaptive Mikey is but importantly reflects Mikey's passion for learning and giving to the communities that he is a part of, whether that be as an employee/ consultant or tribe member.* *Mikey gives so much of himself when he engages with others and this is core to who he is and the work he does.*

    Alana Bennett – Founder Connected Experience

  • *Mikey is exceptional at bringing people together and facilitating outcomes through education and sharing his vast knowledge and insights.* *His passion (borderline obsession, which isn’t a bad thing by any means!) for how organisations engage their people and bring out the best in them is truly inspiring as is his enthusiasm to try new things and just give them a go. This innovative approach he brings has always been appreciated when working with him and forces you out of your comfort zone - where the magic happens!* *Mikey promotes great vibes and energy amongst the people that he interacts with and this brand of magic stardust is unique to him and an asset to any organisation that works with him. He epitomises team player and then some!*

    Abirame Sathiamoorthy – Co-Founder and Director at School of Retail and E&I People Solutions

  • Mikey has a unique blend of disarming honesty and incredible warmth. Always thinking outside the box and challenging the status quo to see how far organisations and individuals can stretch to truly be the best version of themselves. It is one thing to encourage and help others to do this, but Mikey also holds himself accountable and is constantly learning and evolving. Open, honest, vulnerable, insightful, inspiring and above all real, is how I would describe Mikey. At Culture Amp, we consider ourselves privileged to work with people and organisations who truly want to make the world of work a better place. Mikey has been a big part of our journey in addition to the impact and incredible work he has done inside and outside of Vinomofo.

    Tanya Neary – Senior Director, Culture Amp

  • *Michael is a brilliant Organisational Development expert, and it was a pleasure to have had the opportunity to partner with him at Koala. An individual at his level needs two critical attributes: passion and the practical intelligence to turn their initiatives into reality that delivers outcomes and Michael possesses both!* *When collaborating with Michael, I never felt like we had a vendor/client relationship, Michael was always open to sharing and suggesting innovative ideas. Michael’s natural warmth, good humour and inclusive working style makes working with him very enjoyable.* *If you have the opportunity to benefit from Michael’s skills and expertise, then don’t hesitate to do so - you will not regret it!*

    Linda Nguyen – Senior Talent Account Executive, LinkedIn

  • *Mikey has a way of creating a BIG impact through his ability to simply just connect with people, which is an art in itself. He crafts human connection in a very unique way and truly brings out the best in every individual. I had the pleasure of working with Mikey at Koala and he was a real source of inspiration, knowledge, and good vibes. During the time I worked with Mikey, I found him to be a very reliable and dependable individual. Mikey ensured that any clarification was clearly communicated to and understood by all parties. He put his team and people first, not only supporting them professionally with tasks but also emotionally. It was obvious that Mikey always approached his work with a high degree of professionalism and I always found him to be respectful and courteous in his dealings with others.* *If your team is in need of a unicorn to create some serious magic, someone that can define potential and talent in an authentic way - Mikey is that person.*

    Miya Pathmaraja – People Experience, Canva

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