What Lies Beneath

Ajit Menon is a business psychologist and consultant with many years of experience consulting to organisations of all sizes and complexities. He started his career in India, and then subsequently moved to the UK where he worked as an organisation development consultant in the financial services. Over his career he has consulted to a range of organisations from banks, media, insurance, private equity to criminal justice and government. Ajit is the co-founder of Blacklight Advisory Ltd, a specialist organisational consultancy to a diverse range of clients. He specialises in organisational culture and works with leaders to create an environment to support businesses to thrive and adapt to their changing contexts. This interest came from his early research into culture in diasporic communities in Kenya. Ajit has been visiting faculty on organisation development and consultancy at the London School of Economics and the Tavistock and Portman. His passion is working with leaders to solve complex organisational problems related to culture and behavioural change.Trevor Hough is a clinical psychologist, executive coach, and organisation development consultant. Trevor grew up as a nomad living all over the world and through this developed a keen interest in diverse cultural experiences. After his clinical training as a psychologist, Trevor worked as a psychotherapist in Cape Town for a few years before the nomadic voice within him spoke up. Trevor has been consulting to a diverse range of organisations globally for the last 15 years, these have included organisations from financial services, alternative energy and recycling companies as well as big retail concerns. Trevor has a strong interest in working with impact investment portfolio companies and has worked extensively with such organisations in Africa, India and Asia. Trevor works with Ajit as a principal consultant at Blacklight Advisory Ltd. Outside of his consulting work Trevor’s great passion is being out in the nature. He has trained as a field and trails guide in the African bush and is in his element when out tracking animals on foot.

This book brilliantly highlights what organisations are really about. The title intimates how much there is below the surface in any business and how the dots need to be connected to unlock the full potential of an organisation. The book is a practical, thoughtful addition to the library of open-minded business leaders confronted by the complexity of the fast-moving business landscape of our times.

• Foreword by Vega Zagier RobertsPreparing for our journeyMumbai2. London3. Hong Kong4. Johannesburg5. Rio de Janeiro6. Nairobi7. Paris8. MilanReflections of our journeyAcknowledgementsAbout the authors