We started PGI because we had seen what happens when boards don’t get the right help early enough.
Purpose. Growth. Impact. Those three words describe what we believe the not-for-profit sector is capable of, and what it too rarely achieves when governance, strategy, and leadership are not working together.
The problem we saw that nobody was solving.
Paul Miles and Matt Little between them have spent more than 45 years leading not-for-profit organisations as CEOs, Chairs, and Board Directors across employment services, disability, education, housing, and community services.
They had watched organisations get into trouble slowly, through governance drift, funding dependency, leadership dysfunction, and strategic incoherence, and then face crisis rapidly.
The professional services market was not short of consultants. But it was short of people who had actually sat in the chair: who had navigated a government re-tender from the inside, led a board through a leadership transition, and done the hard work of building consensus around a strategy the whole organisation believed in.
PGI was built to provide that. Not generic frameworks delivered by people who have studied the sector. Genuine expertise applied by people who have lived it, and who care deeply about what Australian NFPs are trying to achieve.
What we see in the sector
Most NFP financial distress is visible in ACNC filings 18 to 24 months before the board treats it as a crisis. The signals are there. They are simply not being read.
Boards often conflate revenue growth with organisational health. Some of the most financially fragile organisations we have worked with were growing their top line at the time they came to us.
Governance dysfunction is almost always the root cause of strategic failure. The organisations that navigate difficulty well are invariably the ones where the board and executive trust each other and operate in clearly defined roles.
NFP mergers are increasing, and the failure rate is higher than it needs to be. Almost every merger failure comes back to the same root cause: the strategic rationale was not honestly established before the legal process began.
People who have done this themselves.
Every member of the PGI team has held senior leadership roles in NFP or closely adjacent sectors.
Paul has 20 years of experience leading not-for-profits as CEO, Chair and Director across education, skills, employment services, sports, and outsourced government services. As Managing Director of The BUSY Group, he grew the organisation from 150 staff and $15M turnover to 1,200 staff and $150M, positively impacting ten times as many lives.
LINKEDIN →
Matt has spent over 25 years influencing service delivery in disability, employment, environmental, remote services, housing, and NDIS. He led Australia’s only NFP membership/subcontractor model for 10 years and served as past Chair of the National Employment Services Association (NESA).
LINKEDIN →
Peter has 27 years in accounting and finance with deep involvement in NFP M&A. A chartered accountant, he worked for Deloitte and was Principal in charge of Corporate Finance in Queensland at Crowe Horwath. His investment banking career spans dual-track exits, mergers, capital raisings, and IPOs. Fellow of ICAA, Member of FINSIA, Graduate of AICD.
LINKEDIN →
Adrian has held senior leadership roles in education and corporate technology, and leads his Psychology Group Private Practice as Managing Director. A Clinical Hypnotherapist and Mind Coach, he works with leaders on the behavioural changes required to achieve their intended impact. He is also Chairman of The Busy Schools network of NFP Special Assistance Schools.
LINKEDIN →
In a 25-year career in the for-purpose sector, Craig has led the achievement of significant community outcomes with energetic, entrepreneurial leadership. A skills sector specialist and qualified engineering tradesperson, he brings Board and C-Suite experience spanning RTOs, GTOs, and Industry Skills Councils.
LINKEDIN →
With over seven years of experience across multiple industries, Daniyal brings an entrepreneurial approach to operational leadership. His expertise spans lead generation, sales management, and strategic operations, with a background in both sales and technology that he applies to building systems supporting PGI’s growth.
LINKEDIN →Make a Difference.
Connect. Collaborate.
Tell us about your organisation. We will route your message to the right person and respond within one to two business days.