About Imprint Strategic
Imprint Strategic was founded in 2014 by Siebert Neethling, encouraged and supported by two best friends: Julia Milner and Rory Robertshaw.
Professor Milner is a leadership academic at the prestigious EDHEC Business School, one of the Grand Ecoles of France. She lives in Nice and works extensively across Europe. Siebert and Julia met while working together on leadership programs for senior leaders.
Rory is a leader of wide experience, currently head of the largest UNICEF education program globally. He is based in Turin and in Afghanistan. Rory and Siebert met in London in 1989, and remained friends over the decades – occasionally losing touch then getting in contact again, each time renewing the friendship as if no time had passed.
Siebert is the bridge, with one pier in academia and the other in practical leadership.
At an early 2014 reunion between Rory and Siebert in a pub in the West End, the spark was lit that became Imprint. It later grew at discussions in Cambridge and at The Shard in London, culminating in a founding conference in Sydney in June 2014.
Initially the Imprint tagline was Specialists in the Challenges of Leadership. This remains a key theme. For some years, much of the work of Imprint was folded under the banner of The Being Group, of which Siebert was the CEO. Today, Imprint Strategic is again an active, independent company sharply focused on growing leaders, teams and organisations.
We work with a trusted, accomplished team of analysts, designers, visual media experts, digital media specialists and other professionals to deliver a broad range of projects for private and public sector clients.
Our business is simply a vehicle for doing what we do best – what we love doing.
Our name, Imprint Strategic, was chosen because of the sense of expectation – of anticipation – evoked by the seemingly incomplete phrase. Why Imprint? The word has three distinct meanings, all perfectly appropriate: [Imprint/Im’prInt/ v.t. 1. to make an impression. 2. to fix an idea firmly in someone’s mind. 3. come to recognise another as an object of habitual trust] (Oxford Dictionary). Why Strategic? We are not about short-term or temporary success. Strategy is in our name and at the heart of everything we do.
As for our logo – the simple Imprint “i” has an unexpected origin. Yes, it reminds us of a cursive “i”; it resembles the “tick” sometimes used by auditors; it also evokes the way Europeans write the number 1. But all of that is, to be honest, post-rationalising the design. The logo represents continuity from a pre-curser to Imprint Strategic. Siebert Neethling worked under the business name Neethling before. Its logo was a stylised N. When the new company was established, we simply removed 2 lines from the old logo and the new emblem was born. This was updated in 2025 into its new, sharper appearance.
Rory Robertshaw, Siebert Neethling and Julia Milner in London, together with Kerry Neethling.
Siebert Neethling
Our CEO and Founder has extensive experience as senior leader in commercial, creative, academic and not-for-profit environments. He is widely consulted as specialist and thought leader.
Experience
Siebert has worked with clients in 22 countries on five continents, with some of the world’s leading corporations, with Government departments, and with organisations and networks in all stages of development. His clients include, amongst many others, HSBC, Rabobank, Amgen, Novartis, Pfizer, AbbVie, Rio Tinto, The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Macquarie Bank, SABMiller, The UK Department for International Development, The International Labour Organisation (ILO), and Government departments in eight countries.
Siebert gained extensive leadership experience over 20 years in a range of high-profile positions. He has corporate leadership experience in an executive role with the world’s leading brewing company, has managed a commercial radio network, a firm specialising in turn-around management, and a creative marketing agency, and was the CEO of two nation-wide NGOs.
Outside of business, Siebert has worked with programs for children living on the street, marginalised youth and micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries. He co-founded a pre-school for children with hearing and speech disabilities and had a leadership role in the early years of Nelson Mandela’s Makana Trust for ex-political prisoners.
Education
Originally educated in Psychology, Siebert holds additional tertiary qualifications in Leadership and Business, postgraduate qualifications in Literature and Education, and a Master’s Degree in International Business (with Merit) from The University of Sydney’s Faculty of Economics and Business, where he finished top of his year.
Achievements
In recognition of his scholastic achievement Siebert has been inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Honour Society for outstanding scholars in the world’s very best business and management programmes. He is a guest lecturer on Master’s Degree business programmes in three countries, and has been rated by the Institute for International Research as one of the top five speakers on management nationally.
Siebert is the author and presenter of the video, podcast and short reads series Lessons in the Challenges of Leadership.
Current role
As Principal of Imprint Strategic, Siebert works with teams large and small, leaders in junior and senior roles, multinationals as well as small and medium businesses, and a broad range of Government departments and bodies at National, State and Local level.