Turning Bold Visions into Reality
Jim Varghese, AM
Chairman
The Leadership Company Qld Pty Ltd
Turning Bold Visions into Reality
Jim Varghese,AM
Chairman
The Leadership Company Qld Pty Ltd
Jim Varghese - Visionary Global Corporate Leaders to Watch in 2025
As Queensland grapples with the challenges of modernising transport, healthcare, and education systems while balancing growth and sustainability, one question looms large: who can navigate such complexity and deliver meaningful impact? Jim Varghese, AM, has spent decades doing exactly that, shaping public policy and corporate strategy with foresight and precision. From steering multiple Queensland government departments, including Education, Transport, Employment, and Primary Industries as Director General, to leading Springfield Land Corporation as CEO, and now chairing The Leadership Company Queensland, he has consistently combined vision with execution. Along the way, he has chaired national bodies, mentored senior executives, and guided transformative initiatives. During an exclusive conversation with TradeFlock, Jim shared his insights on leadership, innovation, and building impact that lasts.
How has your journey shaped the leader you are today?
My leadership journey has been shaped by a combination of curiosity, purpose, and a desire to make a meaningful difference. Today, I chair the Leadership Company in Queensland, Springfield City Group, and the Gandhi Salt March Company. I also chair MindHive, an artificial intelligence innovation firm, and I co-own Australia India Business Exchange and Australia India Business Pty Ltd. I serve as an independent member of the Queensland Parliamentary Remuneration Tribunal, and I am the male patron of the Puuya Foundation, supporting the Indigenous community of Lockhart River. Before moving into the private sector, I spent thirty years in the public service across Victoria and Queensland, leading major portfolios including Transport, Main Roads, Education, Training, Employment, and Primary Industries. Those years taught me to manage complex organisations, drive reform, and deliver innovative, measurable outcomes. During that time, I chaired several government-commissioned reviews, including the 2017 Personalised Transport Review, the 2019 Red Meat Report, the 2022 Queensland Construction and Building Commission Review, and the 2024 PFAS Review for the Minister for Defence. I have also been involved in academia and professional leadership. I served as National Chair of the Australia India Business Council and as Chancellor of Torrens University, Think Group, and MDS. I have been on university councils and senates, acted as an adjunct professor, and received an Honorary Research Fellowship. I am a Fellow of CPA Australia, the Australian Institute of Management, the Royal Institute of Public Administration, and the Australian Marketing Institute. I am also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. My work has been recognised with the Centenary Medal and the Order of Australia for my contributions to philanthropy and public service.
When mentoring future leaders, what quality do you prioritise?
The quality I prioritise is the ability to create and add value while maintaining integrity. Leadership without integrity will ultimately fail to deliver meaningful outcomes. I urge those I mentor to imagine possibilities, seek and open new opportunities, solve challenges innovatively and ethically, and learn from the best to set new benchmarks. I apply these principles in real projects, especially in strengthening Australia–India collaboration. The Free Trade Agreement has opened opportunities across health, defence, and information technology. I work to attract investment from India to Australia and vice versa, and I am helping expand university and healthcare presence in Springfield. One of our major initiatives is Health City, which will include a one-thousand-bed public hospital. I also see potential to establish a defence precinct in Greater Ipswich that links industry with national capability and creates jobs.
As Chairman of The Leadership Company, what guides your leadership philosophy?
Over twenty-five years ago, I developed the Three Frames for Success, a management approach built from practice rather than theory. It is based on three interactive dimensions: performance, relationships, and alignment. Performance translates strategy into measurable outputs and targets. Relationships build trust and reduce the risks associated with delivery. Alignment ensures that structures, systems, and capabilities support the agreed goals. I encourage leaders, particularly millennials, to measure their organisations against these three frames. It provides a practical and interactive way to drive results while strengthening social capital and organisational resilience. The approach helps people identify areas for improvement, take evidence-based action, and maintain a focus on the outcomes that matter most.
What trends in global leadership excite you?
Artificial intelligence excites me because it amplifies human judgment and mobilises collective expertise. Through MindHive, we match the right experts to live challenges, solving thousands of problems across government, business, education, and nonprofit sectors. AI is a powerful tool, but its greatest value lies in its combination with multidimensional human thinking. I believe the world has gone non-linear, and leadership must follow suit. The best leaders are entrepreneurial, results-focused, and fearless about embracing change. Creativity and hard work must coexist with a careful strategy, and technology should always complement human insight.
When people reflect on your legacy, what do you hope they remember most?
I hope my Three Frames approach inspires future leaders to think in three dimensions and build ecosystems that enrich communities through health, education, and technology. I hope my work demonstrates how practical reform, crossborder partnerships, and responsible use of technology can produce tangible benefits. If I am remembered for helping people and organisations turn bold visions into real, sustainable outcomes, I will consider my work successful. Leadership is not a title to me; it is a lifelong pursuit of progress, purpose, and the ability to create meaningful change for people and society.
