About Professor Michael Fischer

"Join me in reimagining leadership – where personal growth and workplace transformation go hand in hand."

Journey to Leadership

Every leader has a defining moment that shapes the course of their careers. For me, it unfolded on a crisp September morning in 2000.

A Turning Point

Until then, I had worked for 20 years in NHS hospitals, trained as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist and group analyst. I moved to increasingly senior roles, culminating in being a clinical director and consultant psychotherapist.

As I approached the hospital that day with mounting feelings of dread, I missed my turn-off at the final roundabout. Caught in the relentless politics and pressures of clinical leadership, I experienced at first-hand the brutal impact of burnout. Driving full circle, I returned home and called my chief executive to resign.

From Clinical Leadership to Organisational Change

But instead of a resignation, that call sparked a pivotal change in my career. Encouraged by my chief executive, I turned from clinical care to cultivate more effective and sustainable workplaces. I embarked on a PhD in organisational culture and leadership at Imperial College London and worked in national leadership and consulting roles, creating organisational change in healthcare.

This led to my international work as a business school professor, teaching senior leaders at University of Oxford, King’s College London, University of Melbourne and Monash University.

Developing Human-Centric Workplaces

Today, I work with senior leaders and organisations across healthcare, management consulting, academia, and technology. I help them develop people-centric workplaces that generate human thriving and performance.

Examples of organisations I work with include the UK Department of Health, The King’s Fund, Alfred Health, Monash Health, Latrobe Regional Health, and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.