Hi, I'm Mike. I help purpose-driven organisations turn innovation ambition into practice.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER
Senior innovation leader, AI advisor, founder and sector-native. Based in Melbourne, working with not-for-profits, social enterprises and mission-led organisations across Australia.
My Story
I founded Shackleton Labs because I could see a problem emerging. Not for profits and social enterprises lack the internal capacity and capability to properly design and deliver innovation programs and projects that generate outcomes and impact. Funders also have challenges in understanding what works in partnering with for purpose organisations to maxisimise collaboration potential, scalability and social impact.
So I created Shackleton to ensure that innovation capability is truly affordable and accessible to the for purpose sector and it’s funders, who are also navigating significant change with the advent and growth of AI and emerging technologies. Our services are flexible, affordable fractional by design and implementation, so leaders can find a solution that works for them within budget and get to innovating.
I didn’t arrive here by accident. I started my career as a Judge's Associate before moving into senior advisor roles in the Victorian Government, then spent over a decade as a senior executive in NFPs and social enterprises. Along the way I founded a B Corp social impact consultancy (Purposeful), created and sold "Humans of Purpose" — one of Australia's top business and management podcasts — and built a 162-year-old global NFP's first-ever innovation lab from scratch.
What I learned across all of it: innovation in our sector doesn't happen by accident. It requires a strategic, intentional and nuanced approach that touches culture, capability, mindset, and the systems that decide what gets built. That's the work Shackleton Labs is here to do — alongside you.
A decade-plus inside the for-purpose sector — building, leading, and learning.
Proudest expeditions.
A selection of recent and career-defining engagements. Client names anonymised; outcomes are real.
01 Designed and led a national for purpose innovation lab.
Built and scaled the innovation function from scratch — strategy, structure, team, operating model, and the first slate of ventures. Still running today.
Large Not For Profit
02 Created Australia's first for-purpose innovation leaders community.
Founded and ran the country's first peer-to-peer community of practice for innovation leaders working inside Australian for-purpose organisations.
Large Not For Profit
03 Product-led strategy and innovation completing a two-year revenue & impact growth roadmap.
Re-designed and restructured product and marketing and sales function at a disability social enterprise as well as pivoting to new client-centric ways of working. Medium Social Enterprise
04 Founded and led an award-winning B Corp consultancy
Co-founded and built Purposeful, a B Corp-certified social impact consultancy — culture, clients, services, and team. Served clients including global $1bn law firms. Founder & Director
05 Created, scaled and sold one of Australia’s top for-purpose podcasts
Created, hosted and grew "Humans of Purpose" into one of Australia's top business & management podcasts — global award-winning, since acquired.
Founder & Host
06 Transformed strategic partnerships and communications
Led the transformation of a large partnerships and marcomms team into a small responsive, strategic and business aligned team with new adaptive processes.
Large Not For Profit
My job isn't to make you dependent on me. It's to leave your organisation with a working innovation practice — and the confidence to run it.
HOW I WORK
— Mike Davis
Let's start a conversation.
A free 30-minute discovery call. No pitch, no obligation — just a conversation about where your organisation is and whether Shackleton Labs is the right partner.