Tom McLaren

About Tom McLaren

I believe that beginning my career in a sporting environment equipped me with the ability to connect with individuals on a personal level rather than from a position of management rank to effectively collaborate, empower, and achieve common goals. I spent a decade as a professional and semiprofessional rugby union player, across two continents. My work life started during school and University holidays, driving a tractor, laying turf, digging holes, and carrying furniture. Needless to say, I’m not afraid to pull my sleeves up and get stuck in. My less physically demanding work life started post my first wave of study and rugby union career, as an Industrial Designer/Product Developer in a specialist rotational molding company in Brisbane, Australia. This role allowed for my love of art and design to prevail – meeting with customers, drawing, commissioning tooling, and seeing loose ideas realized in marketable products. Happenstance then took me to a project and change management role in Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). I was lucky enough to have some amazing managers at that time who mentored and guided my personal development, providing opportunities, and encouraging me to push personal and professional boundaries. I owe a great deal to these individuals, both of whom have become close personal friends. This progression was underpinned with further study, and a unique interest in people, motivation, and behavior.Adventure and opportunity ultimately brought me to the United States in late 2016. I balance full-time work with research and writing - exploring the use of heuristics and cognitive bias in organizational change management efforts; imagine a world where change resistance does not exist – I do. Watch this space.

Experience

1. Assistant Vice President - Change Management

   Moody's Analytics

   Oct 2024 — Present · New York, NY, US

   Recruited into a newly created Moody’s (a Fortune 500 financial services company with offices across 40 countries, full-time employees, and $6B in annual revenue) Ratings core business position, and working within the Process Improvement and Data Management team, I assist department leads with all facets of change management (behavioral assessments, design, and adoption) activities. As both an advisor and workstream lead, I am responsible for the development and operationalization of successful change and communication strategies – driving digital transformation and establishing Moody’s Change Management Center of Excellence.

Education

• University of Southern Queensland

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD (Cognitive Psychology), researching the use of heuristics and cognitive bias in organizational change management efforts

  2018 — 2025

• University of New England (AU)

  Master of Strategic Organizational Development

  2016

• Griffith University

  Master of Aviation Management

  2012

• Western Sydney University

  Bachelor of Arts - Industrial Design

  2002