Barry Stoneham

Sales Manager,

Technology Consulting

Barry, whose name is revered in sporting circles, played with Geelong Football Club for almost 15 years, serving as captain of the Cats and claiming honours including All-Australian selection.

It set a foundation for success that has fed into a post-sport career encompassing more than 25 years’ experience as a sales executive and sales leader, 13 of those in the IT professional services industry.

Now he brings his incomparable skill set to leading Australian recruitment, advisory and technology consulting firm Davidson, which has appointed him Sales Manager – Davidson Technology Consulting.

Trent McMahon, Group CEO at Davidson, said Barry’s appointment aligned perfectly with Davidson’s vision to be a leading workplace performance company.

“Our people are at the heart of everything we do,” he said. “And in Barry, we have a driven, results-focused senior leader who thrives in a positive business culture and understands how to evolve and work with high-performing teams.

“His record speaks for itself, delivering success across diverse verticals including financial services, utilities and retail, while fostering cultures of excellence and guiding sustainable growth that drives opportunity.

“In bringing these qualities to Davidson Technology Consulting, Barry will be instrumental in driving client solutions, while we further draw on his extensive sales experience across the wider group.”

For Barry, multiple factors influenced his decision to join Davidson, including a strong gender balance in the executive leadership team and the culture for which Davidson is renowned.

It spoke to a conscious commitment to a visionary, inclusive and forward-thinking culture that would drive excellence in supporting Davidson’s valued clients.

“Culture is incredibly important to me in all areas of life, including business,” said Barry. “It’s critical. Because you can always develop skills, but culture is who you are and what you do.”

To that end, his priority as a leader is to ensure a workplace culture that is cohesive and productive, and authentically promotes a healthy work-life balance, ensuring a team that is happy, fulfilled and primed to deliver the strongest possible results.

“We want to go above and beyond the expectations of our clients in helping them pursue success and create, develop and capitalise on opportunities,” he said.

“It’s very much about being viewed as their trusted partners in growth – now and looking towards the future.”

Barry sees strong avenues for Davidson Technology Consulting to grow as the technology sector continues to evolve and upgrade, one notable trend being the rising number of clients looking to establish offshore operations alongside their onshore bases.

Yet in among the future focus is a reflective look to the things he’s learnt along the way – starting with his time playing with the Cats.

Among the influences Barry credits for his development is former Geelong coach Malcolm Blight, whose support on the field gave him confidence and a sense of self-belief off it. It’s where he learned that, among other things, creating an environment which allows for failure – and the lessons it teaches – is part of good leadership.

“To have longevity in a sporting career you have to be disciplined and demonstrate a strong work ethic in your training and go that extra level above and beyond,” he said. “And whatever you do after that, as you transition into work and to dealing with clients, you take that discipline with you.

“Respect is also something you learn from dealing with people across all the parts of a club, from the CEO level to the volunteers. So discipline and having respect for everyone in every job is really important.”

For more information or to speak with Barry or Trent, please contact Paula Price on 0421 770 895 or paula.price@davidsonwp.com.