Our clients are bold leaders who need insights to inform smart decisions.

They are legacy builders. And we get in right behind them. Together, we’re a team.


We have also built expertise and experience in helping member organisations increase the impact they have on members and communities.

Some of our clients who we have had the privilege of working with

City skyline

Photo By: John Doe

Our clients have great aspirations and purposeful impact.  We have been truly privileged to join them on their journey. But what we think is most telling is their advocacy.

What our clients say about us

"We hired Polaris to review our strategy as a leading professional association for tax practitioners in Australia. John and his team worked collaboratively with the board and executive team to help us identify and address our core strategic challenges and devise a strategy and action plan to achieve our goals. They brought an uncompromising focus on facts and choices, which enabled us to make tough but balanced decisions. They also helped us assess our financial, product, and service options, and define a high-level operating model to deliver value to our members and stakeholders. We highly recommend Polaris as a strategy and management consulting partner."


Clare Mazzetti, Chair, The Tax Institue

"I have worked with Polaris principal John on several strategic engagements, and the quality of the outcomes we have been able to achieve has been significantly enhanced by his help each time.  His deep understanding of the mutual financial services sector, ability to ‘cut-though’ to the strategic issues and his insightful approach to orienting diverse groups of people around strategic problem-solving are second-to-none – Polaris have been a pleasure to work with."


Melissa Ralph, CEO

"The insights are of very high quality … there are insights here that we [haven’t] considered before. For us, it's now about acting on these insights."


Rob Scenna, CEO, Defence Bank


"It really hit the mark ... and validated a lot of areas that we need to work on. It has done its job in highlighting opportunities... and validates what we're doing in terms of focus of effort and where we're heading."  


Michael O'Reilly, Defence Bank

Many of our clients are member organisations.


Member-based organisations have complex stakeholder relationships to consider when making strategic decisions or investing for the future. Value isn't measured in terms of the balance sheet (although financial sustainability is critical) or shareholder value (especially when your members are also your owners!).


We have developed deep experience in unpacking the needs of stakeholders and mapping a path to a full view of value, financial and non-financial, that is sustainable and delivers on purpose.


Below are profiles of two sectors that we have worked with. But this isn't an exclusive view. If these points resonate for your context, get in touch - we are sure to know how to help.

Customer-owned banks

Customer-owned banks have an admirable legacy of community impact. But with time comes change.


We have helped the board unpack mergers in mutual banking, co-designed strategies and transformation plans, and delved into the operating model and technology implications of change.


We combine experience in banking, member interests, technology, and strategic decision-making into one simple package.


There’s so much to do. We can’t wait to get on your team.

Member and professional associations

Member and professional associations underpin social and professional cohesion across communities and build external trust in their members.


But communities and their contexts change, as do their sources of value and relevancy. We have helped executive teams and boards explore internal and external challenges to rechart their course for impact.


For some, we have helped evaluate options to return to financial sustainability and the hard choices that go with limited resources and, for others where there may be a surplus of member equity, we have helped explore the potential investment options to drive greater impact for their communities and members.