I started Curio because I believe learning is the most powerful tool we have to change the world.
That belief isn’t abstract. It’s personal. I’ve felt it, first-hand, in the moments when learning cracked something open in me — a new understanding, a new confidence, a new direction.
I grew up on Wadawurrung Country (Bellarine) before moving to Geelong, a regional centre, for my secondary school education. My school, now known as Covenant College, was a small, religious institution run by its founders. In Year 11, I was fortunate to go to Geelong Grammar. It was a shock. I felt unprepared and out of place. But there were teachers who saw something in me. Who pushed, encouraged, and challenged me. I still remember the feeling of those moments — when a teacher holds up a mirror and says: You can do this. That experience taught me something I’ve never forgotten: learning is relational, transformational and deeply human.
I went on to university to complete a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in neuroscience and a PhD at the University of Melbourne before finding myself on the other side of the world, completing post-doctoral studies at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge. I was fascinated by how the brain learns — how memory works, how we make decisions, how we form habits. But I was also starting to ask a broader question: how do institutions learn? Why do some organisations adapt and grow, while others stay stuck?
After being recruited back to Australia to run a synaptic neurobiology lab at Florey Neurosciences Institute, I completed an MBA and made the decision to make a career change. I spent six years with Nous Group, consulting, working with companies, universities, government agencies, and purpose-driven organisations. Again and again, I saw the same pattern: there were people full of potential — academics, teachers, leaders, students — but the systems around them weren’t helping them thrive. In some cases, learning was viewed as a cost, rather than a strategic investment. Digital was an afterthought. And the link between learning and purpose was often missing.
So in 2016, I started Curio.
We brought together educators, designers, technologists, strategists and researchers — all united by one question: how can we make learning better?
Curio has grown since then, but that question still drives us. Whether we’re designing online programs, building digital learning tools, or helping organisations build capability, we start with the same belief:
“Learning should be a force for growth — for people, for institutions, and for society.”
We work with universities looking to reimagine their student experience. With workforce agencies equipping people for new industries. With schools putting wellbeing at the centre. With professional bodies redesigning how they support lifelong learning. In every case, the challenge is different — but the opportunity is the same.
And we don’t do it alone. One of the things I love most about Curio is the people. Curious. Smart. Mission-driven. We care about the craft of learning — and the impact it has in the world.
That’s also why we don’t stand still. If you join Curio, expect to be challenged. To keep learning. To stretch into new roles, ideas and technologies. But also expect to be supported by a team that values generosity, rigour and purpose. As one of our designers said recently, “Working here means always asking — how could this be better for the learner?” That’s the mindset we hire for.
For our clients, we aim to be a true partner — thinking deeply about your objectives and designing with your learners in mind. We bring research and strategy, but we’re also builders and doers. We get things done.
Learning is changing — fast. AI, new models of education, shifting learner expectations — it’s a big moment for the sector. But I’m optimistic. In a world of complexity, learning provides a way forward.
“At its best, learning doesn’t just prepare us for the future — it helps shape it.”
That’s why I started Curio. And it’s why the work still matters.