Impact…Business

“Pam Ryan has been a living study herself in leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation in her own life. Ever seeking positive impact, she has been drawn to sweeping ideas that could help provide solutions to deep-rooted structural challenges in human society, but those ideas must tangibly work. The Pam Ryan I have known is a unique blend of the visionary and the pragmatic.” 

Mark Entwistle, Partner at Privus Capital in Toronto, Canada and former Ambassador of Canada to Cuba

Venture Capital

As a Limited Partner in US venture capital (VC) firms for 30+ years, Dr. Ryan acted as informal advisor and consulting psychologist to VC firms and VC funded portfolio companies in the USA and Australia — ranging from semiconductor manufacturing to retail to hospitality. Projects included facilitating strategic planning, organizational culture analyses and subsequent organizational design change, chief executive coaching, management training, Board and management team composition, recruitment and selection, succession planning and performance management. She conducted seven years of award-winning research on escalating commitment (throwing good money after bad) in the US venture capital industry. Dr. Ryan has also applied these skills and knowledges as a consulting psychologist to diverse large organisations including national retail and pharmaceutical companies in Australia and the USA.

Boards of Directors

Applied business skills and knowledge to the Boardroom: designed and taught “Group Dynamics in the Boardroom” modules for “Board Women” — a series of Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) sponsored workshops training women to be effective contributors to Boards of Directors, subsequently used for AICD Director’s training in decision making. Dr. Ryan has applied these knowledges and skills in the Boardroom as a Board Member, having served on several Boards, including a term on South Australia’s Premier’s Council for Women. She currently serves on the Advisory Boards of South Texas Money Management (STMM), True Wealth Ventures and Psychology Beyond Borders (PBB) and continues to Chair the Board of the Tingari-Silverton Foundation.

Putting the principles into practice: at home and abroad

ADr. Ryan is Managing Partner of the Tingari Group — a diverse portfolio of business partnerships and organizations including an Executive Retreat in the Texas Hill Country, a working sheep station (ranch) in rural Australia, collaborations with venture capital and other investment firms in Australia and the USA. Since 2011, the Tingari Group has been intent on moving the entire portfolio to a positive impact, ecosystems approach.

Organizational psychology and cultures

Prior to this body of work, Dr. Ryan held various management roles in human resources management in large retail and pharmaceutical companies; psychologist and consultant to organizations — large and small, government and non-government, for-profit and not-for-profit — on numerous strategic, organizational, development and management issues.

Education

Dr. Ryan has taught MBA and Undergraduate courses in the Business Schools at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, and the Australian Graduate School of Business at the University of NSW in Sydney, Australia as well as the Educational Psychology and Government Departments at the University of Texas at Austin.