About John
Dr John Goddard
Today John leads an advisory firm, Better Managers, and chairs a CEO group of business owners in Sydney.
- DBA, Charles Sturt University
- MA, Macquarie University
- BSc Industrial Engineering, Hatfield Polytechnic
- CEO, Rockend 2004–2014
Or connect with John on LinkedIn.
10 years
As CEO of Rockend, a privately held software company
1,200 → 4,500
Client numbers over that decade
12×
Increase in profit
National
Client service awards, with high staff engagement and retention
Career
From the workshop floor to the boardroom.
Engineering
BOC apprentice to industrial engineer
Dr John Goddard commenced his career with BOC (British Oxygen Company) as a technician apprentice. Following five years of technical training he completed a four-year Industrial Engineering BSc degree at Hatfield Polytechnic. During this time he worked in BOC’s central engineering team implementing advanced manufacturing systems in the UK, Europe and South Africa.
Management consulting
Peat Marwick Mitchell (KPMG) and Coopers & Lybrand
In his 30’s John expanded his skills through management consulting organisations Peat Marwick Mitchell (KPMG) and Coopers & Lybrand in the UK, South Africa and Australia assisting clients manage change while implementing new business solutions.
Founder, then HP
Cimplan and Hewlett Packard
This work led to John founding a consulting company (Cimplan) focused on implementing ICT solutions based on open systems, which he led for five years before returning to a large ICT organisation – Hewlett Packard. While at HP he completed a MA through Macquarie University.
2004 – 2014
CEO, Rockend
In 2004 he became the CEO of a privately held software company (Rockend) which he led for ten years, growing client numbers from 1200 to 4500 and increasing profit by 12 times. The business won multiple national client service awards, increased employee engagement and maintained high staff retention levels.
Today
Better Managers
Today John leads an advisory firm, Better Managers and chairs a CEO group of business owners in Sydney.
2026 · Doctor of Business Administration
“Exploring the impact of Action Learning and Communities of Practice on Owner-Manager and Business Performance in Regional Networks.”
In 2026 he was awarded a Doctor of Business Administration degree by Charles Sturt University based on research undertaken with NSW mid north coast firms which participated in a community of practice network.
John has been a network group member since 2004 and chair since 2015.
Do you want to increase productivity & grow your business?
Would you value some external help or new ideas?
You’ll speak with John directly.
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