Left hand of FR@NK

Seamus Barden

Right hand of FR@NK

Jits Doolabh

Managing Director

Erika Barden

Left hand of FR@NK

Seamus Barden

With a strong entrepreneurial background, Seamus has extensive experience in start ups – from construction companies to olive oil. He holds a Bachelor of Business Studies in Enterprise Development, and a Master of Applied Practice in Technological Futures.

Seamus also has a number of Agile, Design Thinking, and Project Management qualifications. Combined with deep experience in leading large, complex programmes, Seamus brings practical experience to all his clients.

A proud, hands-on Dad to three young kids, Seamus helps coach junior sports teams, is a Board of Trustees member, and has been on a community Works and Finance Committee for the last 10 years.

With a genuine desire to help organisations deliver value faster, Seamus has the ability to gain real cut through, and successfully deliver transformational initiatives into BAU.

Right hand of FR@NK

Jits Doolabh

Jits is co-founder of FR@NK and leads the DevOps and Theory of Constraints Service Lines. Jits’ passion lies in making things better and can be heard over and over again saying ‘all improvement is change, but not all change is improvement’ and ‘what problem are we really trying to solve?’.

Jits’ engineering background is distinctly annoying as he likes to pull things apart and then put them back together, and like most engineers, there are always some spares after! Don’t get him started on things he is passionate about as you will be inundated with his opinions and getting him to shut up requires mammoth effort once he is on a roll.

In his spare time, which he tends to have more than the other co-founder due to his phenomenal delegation skills, he can be found on the golf course or socialising over a drink with clients and friends. Jits is easily tempted away from work so hit him up for a coffee or drink and watch him jump!

Managing Director

Erika Barden

As Managing Director for Frank Innovation and Transformation, Erika blends research and insights with practical experience as an Transformation Lead, Agile Coach and authorised SAFe and ICAgile trainer. 

Erika’s A+ thesis on ‘How leaders enable the successful delivery of Agile projects’, for her Master of Advanced Leadership Practice, sparked magazine articles, speaking engagements, and conference workshops. 

With over 25 years’ experience as a project, programme and change manager, Erika has led successful transformations in NZ, the UK and Ireland. She and the team now focus on bringing Agile ways of working to corporate and government clients, to enable greater transparency, quality and productivity. 

Erika is passionate about people and positive work environments. She loves sharing her knowledge and seeing how a shift in mindset and behaviours can add genuine value to customers – and the teams serving them.

People Transformation

Beena Doolabh

Hospitality Lead

Jackie Leat

Project Coordinator

Katie Barden

SAFe Consultant

Andrew McNaughton

Chief Thinking Officer

Russ Johnson

Friend of FR@NK

Paul Cassidy

Agile Consultant

Lauren Tully

Agile Consultant

Kathryn Park

People Transformation

Beena Doolabh

Following a successful career delivering large scale technical projects and leading teams to provide first class ICT customer service, Beena now assists organisations with their system and organisational transformations by focusing on the people aspects of change. Beena has extensive experience in planning and execution and has achieved positive results by ensuring stakeholders at all levels are engaged, teams are able to adapt to and sustain new ways of working, and that business benefits are realised. 

Beena has a passion for quality and a solid reputation for delivery, always making sure changes land successfully.  

Hospitality Lead

Jackie Leat

Hospitality Lead for FR@NK, specialising in delivering Hospitality Technology across New Zealand and Millbrook Resort, IT Manager. Jackie has worked in IT for 28 years and now focuses on delivering technology in retail and hotels.

Moving to Auckland in 2012, Jackie helped SKYCITY Entertainment Group to deliver technology solutions in hospitality. Jackie has been instrumental in the planning of the systems for the New Zealand International Convention Centre and the new five-star hotels in Auckland and Adelaide. ​

At Millbrook Resort, Jackie is currently implementing a world class digital customer experience roadmap. This will strengthen the direct mobile engagement with their guests and bring quantifiable benefits to the Resort.

Project Coordinator

Katie Barden

Katie is the lynch pin at FR@NK. She is the one person that interacts with both clients and FR@NK staff members on a daily basis, ensuring things are running smoothly and efficiently.

Katie finds paperwork a pleasure so takes away all the administrative functions from the consultants and allows them to focus on the clients.

When not at work Katie can be found running after three children (one of which is her husband).

Most importantly Katie organizes the company functions to keep everyone happy.

Email:

SAFe Consultant

Andrew McNaughton

Andrew is an Agile Transformation Consultant, Trainer and Coach, specialising in Scaled Agile (SAFe) and is a certified SAFe Program Consultant (SPC), and Technology Business Management (TBM) Executive.

With over 20 years experience specialising in Organisational Transformation and Agility, Business Analysis, and Delivery Acceleration across both public and private sectors, Andrew has utilised a variety of methodologies with a relentless focus on driving value with better ways of working.

Andrew is a perpetual tinkerer who loves exploring the wild landscapes west of Auckland with his family and acquiring power tools for his dream man cave.

Chief Thinking Officer

Russ Johnson

Dr. Russ Johnson has been teaching and implementing Theory of Constraints (TOC), Lean and Six-Sigma/Quality Management tools and concepts at the university level, and in the private and public sectors for over 30 years. 

He was a direct disciple of Dr. Eli Goldratt and worked with him through AGI – Goldratt Institute, Goldratt Schools and Goldratt Consulting and their Viable Vision projects to bring these concepts to hundreds of companies via student centered projects and direct consulting. 

Russ has over thirty years experience applying, researching and teaching a wide variety of organizational improvement strategies and tools in manufacturing, service, construction and educational environments.  He has worked with all sizes of companies from Mom and Pop operations to international corporations such as Boeing.  He brings a unique blend of management and engineering concepts and skills made practical by extensive hands-on experience with a broad range of materials and processes as well as business ownership and bottom line responsibilities.

Dr. Johnson was an Associate Professor at Washington State University where he was the lead faculty for the Constraints Management content in the WSU Engineering and Technology Management Masters and Certificate programs.  He has published many articles and delivered many professional association presentations concentrating on integrating TOC with Quality Systems/Six-Sigma, and Lean Methodologies, as well as supply chain management, project management

Russ is the proud grandfather to five precious grandchildren and has traveled around the world with his wife of 41 years whom he met working at McDonalds, “the most wonderful woman in the world”.

Friend of FR@NK

Paul Cassidy

With almost 20 years experience in Financial Services – focussed on Legal, Compliance and Operational Risk Managment – Paul is currently helping clients with Operational Process Reviews and software implementation for increased efficiency.

The only thing Paul loves more than solving business problems is playing guitar. A lot of guitar…

Agile Consultant

Lauren Tully

Tapping into her 5 years’ experience as a Release Train Engineer, Coach, and Product Leader, Lauren has a wealth of knowledge in guiding teams through complex agile deliveries, and fostering a collaborative environment that encourages creativity, transparency, and continuous improvement. 

She is adept at facilitating effective communication among team members, stakeholders, and customers, ensuring everyone is aligned and working towards a common goal. 

Lauren is a creator at heart, who loves to craft, bake and garden in her spare time. 

Agile Consultant

Kathryn Park

Kathryn is an Agile Consultant and Scaled Agile Coach, with experience in applying scaled agile transformations in complex government settings.  She approaches the world with a truly authentic continuous improvement mindset, a focus on open communication and creating dynamic team environments born out of a background in Marketing and Communications and Continuous Improvement and Lean Six Sigma roles; and has had the opportunity to apply this mindset in Private, Government and Volunteer not-for-profit sectors.   

Outside of the ‘office’ she enjoy applies these same approaches to her sporting endevaours, as a paddler in both Waka Ama and Dragon Boating on a National and soon to be International stage.