Jude Ellen

Background

About Jude Ellen

I’m a business transformation advisor and trusted lateral strategist. When uncertainty surges or traction slips, I help re-centre, clarify what’s missing, and move with intent. Trained in economics, public health, and management, my work bridges structure, strategy, and creativity, and is grounded in the belief that people and ideas can flourish, even in complexity. I’ve founded businesses, scaled tech, advised ministers, and backed people with bold ideas. I’ve worked across the innovation ecosystem for over two decades. I understand the dynamics of disruption across converging systems-market, structural, technological and human- and how systems and people wilt and break under pressure. And I work best with people holding disruptive ideas they can’t shake. People come to me when • An idea is persistent, but not worked through • The vision’s clear but the path isn’t • Unease clouds direction and volatility feels permanent • The team’s strained and something has to give What I do I work as an advisor to steady the ground. I help separate the threads, clarify strategy, and reshape business models, while keeping people and wellbeing at the centre. Working with me enables people to • recalibrate • shape, validate, or reposition • sustain and transform What people say about working with me “Clear. Grounded. Strategic.” “Gets to the key factors fast.” “Our team felt seen, challenged, and energised.” “The most useful 75 minutes I’ve had all year.” Short, sharp consults are often enough to shift the path. Deeper work happens when we both see the value in inquiry. I also help make sense of AI-generated insights, spotting gaps, reframing direction, and anchoring what’s real. Interested in sense-checking? Start with a short consult. Most people get what they need from one clear, focused session. If there’s more to do, we’ll know. Rust490 is my business. It’s built for this kind of work; advisory, strategic insight, and practical business transformation. I’m also co-leading workshops with Bron Clee on understanding and navigating workplace psychosocial safety, where culture, compliance, and care intersect, and where transformation is often needed. If you're holding a question, a tension, or a sense that something needs to shift, message me. Our first conversation is where we start.