About us
About us
SMG is Australia’s premier leadership development advisor. Since 1998, we’ve partnered with exceptional talent to elevate leadership skills and unlock organisational potential.
As Founding Partner of SMG, Virginia Mansell Executive Coach has built one of APAC’s leading executive coaching firms. She continues to lead the business while working with CEOs and boards on leadership transitions, stakeholder alignment, and executive presence.
Connect
Expertise
Trained psychologist
30 years experience
Industry professional
Member of APS
Experience and background
Virginia brings over three decades of experience across business, HR leadership, and executive development. As an organisational and clinical Psychologist, she combines deep behavioural insight with commercial acumen — a dual perspective that continues to shape SMG’s approach to leadership effectiveness.
As Founding Partner of Stephenson Mansell Group, Virginia leads the firm with a hands-on approach — shaping business strategy, mentoring the coach community, and overseeing the design of flagship programs. Under her leadership, SMG has become one of the leading executive development businesses in Australia and the APAC region.
She is a graduate of INSEAD’s Organisational Leadership program and the Tavistock Institute’s program on Leadership and Authority in Organisations. Virginia is also the author of The Focused Executive: How to Maximise Your Leadership Effectiveness, a guide for senior leaders transitioning from operational to strategic leadership. She has contributed thought leadership to Company Director and The Australian Financial Review, and remains an active voice in national leadership conversations.
At SMG, Virginia designed cornerstone programs including Advanced Leader as Coach, Women’s Leadership Program, and Leadership at the Peak — signature offerings that continue to influence how leadership is developed across the region.
Virginia's approach
First and foremost, Virginia believes working with people in a holistic way within their specific context is critical to their personal and professional development.
Working in the current context, understanding the business combined with a deep awareness of the psychodynamic-systemic approach at individual and organisational level, identifies challenges and issues which can then be addressed through appropriate interventions leading to significant long-term behavioural changes within the organisational system.
She is committed to providing genuine, evidence based though leadership, ensuring her clients have access to the best practice thinking on how to effect change.
Qualifications and memberships
- Virginia has a BA in Psychology and Statistics and a Postgraduate Degree in Counselling Psychology
- She trained with Dr Anthony Grant at the University of Sydney’s Coaching Psychology Unit, contributed to the inaugural Standards Australia guidelines on organisational coaching and has completed a “Leadership and Authority in Organisations” residential at the Tavistock Institute London and INSEAD’s “Leadership for Creativity” program, with Manfred Kets de Vries.
- Virginia worked as an assessment psychologist whilst at the Cairnmillar institute and is accredited in the Centre for Creative Leadership Benchmarks®, LEA 360, TLCP and Kantor Structural Dynamics Assessments as well as many additional leadership development tools.
- She is a Board Member of CoachLogix (San Diego) and Mentoring Officer, YPO Executive Committee (Sydney). Virginia is a Member Australian Psychological Society.
Personal insights
Virginia remains active in the business and professional community. She enjoys spending time with extended family and friends, physical fitness – swimming, yoga, golf, snow skiing – travelling, cooking & reading.
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