Friendship fosters innovation for alumni Tessa Forshaw & Meredith Caldwell
The friendship between Burgmann alumni Dr Tessa Forshaw (2008–2010) and Meredith Caldwell MBA (2006–2008) has endured beyond their time at College into their professional lives. They have both found success at prestigious companies and institutions, including teaching roles at Harvard University, and collaborating at People Rocket, an innovation and systems consultancy for future-oriented business leaders.
Following the launch of her bookInnovation-ish: How Anyone Can Create Breakthrough Solutions to Real Problems in the Real World, Dr Tessa Forshaw reached out to share her exciting news with Burgmann College, and recounted how her good friend and fellow Burgmann alum Meredith Caldwell MBA was a co-teacher of the principles of Innovation-ish for many years. Of course, we had to hear their story!
We’re honoured to share the achievements and friendship of these dynamic business leaders and proud Burgmann alumni.
What led you to study at the ANU, and how did you choose to live at Burgmann College?
Tessa: I moved from Melbourne to study at ANU because I liked the idea of moving away for university a bit like the American model. It felt like such an important step in learning how to be an adult in a contained, supportive way. ANU’s research-intensive focus also appealed to me. I’ve always been drawn to environments where ideas are tested and stretched.
When I was choosing a college, the warmth of Burgmann’s community stood out immediately. That sense of belonging shaped my whole experience […] Moving away from home at that age and going through big developmental shifts alongside others at College created a sense of connection that has stayed with me ever since.
While at Burgmann I had the privilege of forming a few very deep and lasting friendships, and those relationships are what made Burgmann truly special.
One of the best parts of Burgmann for me was meeting Meredith Caldwell. She’s become a lifelong friend and collaborator, and we’ve since taught together at Harvard for several years and worked with organisations around the world. We are quite different in how we approach problems, and that’s something I really value. Working with Meredith means I’ll always learn something new, see fresh insights, and know the outcome will be stronger because of our collaboration. She’s incredibly thoughtful in how she leads, and her work in responsible business and innovation continues to inspire me. I feel very lucky Burgmann brought us together.
Meredith: Before I came to Burgmann I knew very few people in Canberra, but starting at Burgmann meant I had hundreds of new friends straight away. It meant I had an instant community and people with whom I could learn and grow. I felt I belonged instantly, and this made my time at uni so much more rich and exciting.
I came to ANU for its reputation in research and science. I also loved the idea of being in a university town where you can have a tight-knit community with your peers. I chose to apply to Burgmann because I'd heard it had a great culture, a relaxed and friendly environment, and a mix of students from across disciplines. It was all that and much more!
Burgmann had so many opportunities to bond with others and try something new. Whether it was O-week activities, IB sports, Tim-Tams in Convo, or everyday dinners, there was always a chance to connect with people. I valued this safe space to learn about others, create deep connections, and try new things.
This set me up well for my second college experience at New College Oxford, where I deliberately sought out opportunities to meet people and try new things outside my comfort zone (such as learning soccer at age 30), knowing the benefits arise when we allow ourselves to be complete novices. This has translated into my professional career where I aim to step into new situations with fresh eyes, not afraid to be a novice and learn new things. Burgmann played a big role in enabling the confidence I feel to do this today.
Tessa has been a fantastic support, mentor, ally, and friend throughout my career and I'm so glad I met her at Burgmann. Her leadership in innovation and the cognitive science of creativity is really inspirational, and I continue to learn from her.
What did you study at the ANU, and where did your subsequent professional journey take you?
Tessa: I began in Science and Commerce, but I left with a BA. The turning point came when I accidentally sat in Professor Alistair Greig’s Sociology intro course in my first year. I had wandered into the wrong class, but I loved it and kept coming back and eventually made Sociology my major.
After graduating from the ANU, I joined a consulting firm in their organisational behavior practice which eventually took me to San Francisco. There I worked on questions of future skills innovation AI and human skills—even back in 2015—and workforce reskilling.
But I also realized I didn’t actually understand how the brain learns, and that felt like a big gap. So, I pursued a master’s degree at Stanford, and ultimately a PhD at Harvard focused on the cognitive science of how people work, learn, and innovate. I’m now based at Harvard as co-founder of the Next Level Lab.
Meredith: I studied Science (Psychology) and Law. This gave me a great broad base of structured thinking and understanding of behaviour. Whilst at ANU, I was a Lifeline counsellor and volunteer coach. I initially applied this experience to management consulting, and have since applied it to my own startup, working in creativity and co-design, helping to run a boutique consultancy called People Rocket, teaching innovation and systems thinking, and now in responsible business leadership. I also built upon my bachelor’s degrees whilst studying for an MBA at Oxford University.
Some career highlights include teaching students from around the world at the Harvard Extension school, working with clients in Africa, Europe, USA and Australia whilst at People Rocket, hiring and meeting fantastic people from around the globe, winning Skoll Foundation awards and European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) funding, and coming back to Australia and joining a vibrant culture of designers through judging the Good Design Awards through Good Design Australia.
How have you two professionally collaborated?
Tessa: I’ve been teaching the concepts that would ultimately become the book Innovation-ish in classrooms, boardrooms, and everywhere in-between for years. I noticed that many of the adult participants don’t believe they are creative or innovative. Yet when you ask a room of primary school kids, every hand goes up. Somewhere along the way we lose that confidence, which is such a shame, because the truth is we all have the cognitive capacity for creativity and innovation.
The idea for the book really came from our students. Meredith (a co-teacher of the program and also a teacher at Harvard), Rich Braden (my co-author and my co-teacher at Harvard) and I were often asked if there was something participants could read that captured what we were teaching. We couldn’t find a book that helped people unlock their creative potential without prescribing a single ‘right’ process, so we decided to write it ourselves.
Meredith: I've loved teaching and working with Tessa at Harvard and with clients around the world. Now that her book has been released, I am so excited for more people to learn about the approach that has transformed so many of our clients’ and students’ approach to problem-solving.
Do you have any advice for current residents?
Tessa: Stay open to the people around you. Some of the friendships you make at Burgmann will shape your life in ways you can’t yet imagine. And when it comes to your path, don’t worry if it feels winding. In Innovation-ish, we talk about how creativity and innovation often come from embracing ambiguity and experimenting along the way. The same is true in life; the detours can turn out to be the most important parts of the journey.
Meredith: Take the opportunity to try something new every chance you get. Whether it be a sport, internship, subject, leadership role, or a new conversation. Burgmann is a great place to expand your approach to learning; something that will continue to be important throughout your life.
