The Challenge of Change - Psychology at Work - New Zealand

Derek Roger (BA Hons., MA, PhD, CPsychol.) Director
Founder and Director, Derek Roger leads training and development as well as being the first point of contact for clients.

Derek’s unique background means that he can successfully bridge the gap between academia and the business world and immediately bring the benefits of research findings to bear.  Read more about Derek here.

Philippa Mooney (CertTchg, PGCertCoach, PGCertCLM, TDLB) Accredited Associate
Philippa has a background in teaching, personal and organisational development, and was formerly a lecturer in Business Studies at York College, England. After working for the NHS in Health Promotion she set up a cross-county training programme which led her to investigate workplace health and in particular the effects of stress; identified as a key issue. She became interested in Derek Roger's groundbreaking work on stress after seeing him deliver his Challenge of Change training to a packed audience at the BBC. Inspired by the training, its lasting affects and unique messages Philippa became an Accredited Associate in 1999.

Philippa has since become a very successful facilitator of the Challenge of Change with a breadth of experience in the public and private sectors.  Working for large organisations such as the BBC, Yorkshire Deanery, Newcastle, Northumbria & York Universities, District, City and Metropolitan Councils, NHS Acute and Primary Care Trusts and most recently The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs. She has a record of high achievement in developing individuals and teams. Coaching clients include Business Leaders and Senior Managers, Senior Doctors, Directors of HR, NHS consultant, Clinical Directors and TV Producers.

Jo Clarke  (BSc, MSc, PhD, C. Psychol) Accredited Associate
Jo Clarke, PhD. is a Registered Forensic Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.  After extensive experience in a diverse public sector organisation, combined with working as a consultant and researcher for both private and charitable companies, Jo has acquired a range of organisational and clinical expertise.  She is an adept team leader and innovator, with proven communication and motivational skills. 

Jo currently works for the University of York, where she is Director of the MSc in Applied Forensic Psychology.  She is also an Associate Trainer with the Work Skills Centre and has delivered training to a wide range of audiences since 2003.  She is committed to rigorous empirical and ethical standards, with an emphasis on broadening evidence-based practice.  A recent evaluation of CoC Resilience Training which she delivered to 45 managers from a UK charity demonstrated a major impact on sickness absence, with a reduction in sickness-absence of up to 43% across the trained groups.  These findings echo previous research showing a similar significant reduction in sickness-absence amongst UK police officers following the training.

Lehan Stemmet (BSc, SAC.D, DipPsych, MSc) Research Associate
Lehan, originally from South Africa, has a BSc in biochemistry, diplomas in organisational psychology and psychotherapy and an MSc degree in applied psychology from the University of Leicester in England. He combines his ongoing research with cutting edge scientific knowledge and practical business acumen. Lehan has held senior management positions in a diverse range of industries including biotechnology, security, project management, manufacturing and marketing in New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland. His current PhD research with Derek Roger focuses on maladaptive coping strategies, by making use of current research, techniques and theories of psychology, neuropsychophysiology and psychometrics. The study will culminate in further development of the Challenge of Change Psychometric Scales and provide a more complete analysis of how individuals need to change to cope better. This cutting edge research continues the main study which has been carried out over the past 20 years and offers an opportunity for ongoing enhancement of The Challenge of Change Resilience training. To read the latest findings click here.