JOHN CLEARYFOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR
INSIGHT. EXPERIENCE. RESULTS. LEADERSHIP.
John is the driving force behind Virtus. He is a courageous and authentic leader, a mentor, and a deeply strategic thinker.
John doesn’t just talk about success. He’s lives and breathes it. As an elite strategist and mentor to business leaders, John pushes the limits of high performance for every project he touches.
Bank manager turned CEO, John brings to the team over 15 years of first-class executive experience. His reputation as a tour de force of leadership, courage and insight has been built on the back of success that includes:
- growing and restructuring a development fund from a size of $7M to $100M
- ensuring the financial stability of various large entities with a combined turnover of $70M
- direct oversight of a $22M building project.
- leadership of approximately 150 staff (including oversight of a multi-disciplinary executive team of 5 staff)
- management of, and accountability for, numerous multi million dollar budgets and balance sheets
- improved corporate governance
- media and reputational management
- head office and departmental relocations
- complex negotiations regarding legal, financial, property, human resource and other organisational matters
- company secretarial and compliance improvements
- complex policy development and implementation
Harvard University educated, John has also served as Director and Chairman of numerous Boards, where he lent his expertise to solve the most pressing organisational challenges.
John has spoken out against institutional child sexual abuse (and was recognised for his courageous leadership in the Lake Macquarie City Council Australia Day awards where he was awarded Citizen of the Year 2017), and is in demand as a panellist at high profile events.
He’s proud to be a dad, a leader in his community, and a role model and champion of whistle-blowers everywhere.
John's Qualifications
- Master of Commerce, University of New England, 2007 (majoring in Accounting, Finance and Entrepreneurship)
- Performance Measurement for effective management of Not-for-Profit Organisations (Executive Residential Course), Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Boston MA, USA 2017
- Strategic Perspectives in Not-for-Profit Management (Executive Residential Course), Harvard Business School, Harvard University, Boston MA, USA 2015
- Graduate Diploma of Strategic Leadership, OPEC College, 2021
- Graduate Diploma in Financial Management, University of New England, 2001 (majoring in Accounting)
- Bachelor of Science, Macquarie University, 1997 (majoring in Resource Economics and Geography) (Honours Scholarship recipient)
- Advanced Diploma of Program Management, OPEC College, 2021
- Advanced Diploma of Human Resource Management, OPEC College, 2021
- Advanced Diploma of Leadership and Management, OPEC College, 2021
- Advanced Diploma of Business, OPEC College, 2021
- Diploma of Work Health Safety, OPEC College, 2021
- Diploma of Financial Advising, FINSIA, 2002
- Diploma of Quality Auditing, OPEC College, 2021
- Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, Forsythes, 2022
- Certificate III in Individual Support (Aged Care), Aspire 2023
- Commercial Credit Coach, Moodys, 2022
Professional Memberships
- Member – Australian Institute of Company Directors
- Fellow – Governance Institute of Australia
- Fellow – Institute of Public Accountants (Australia)
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Fellow – Institute of Financial Accountants (UK)
- Practitioner Member – Australian Human Resource Institute (AHRI)
