Behind Resolve with Greg Lally
Meet Greg Lally – Director, co-founder and the steady force behind Resolve.
In the first instalment of our Behind Resolve series, Greg will take you behind the scenes of his career, his philosophy, his passions and the surprising plot twists that shaped who he is today.
This is Greg beyond his job title – thoughtful, curious and relentlessly committed to helping people navigate complexity with confidence.
Meet Greg Lally
Who is Greg Lally?
I’m Greg, a Director here at Resolve and one of the founders. Resolve technically started in 2019, though if I’m honest, it only started behaving like a ‘real’ firm once we put some proper attention into it over the last couple of years. Since then, it’s gathered a nice bit of steam, and Resolve Recruit followed soon after – something Saffat and I built as an extension of what we were already doing (and learning!) along the way.
What drew you to your current role/field? Tell us your origin story.
My pathway into this world wasn’t exactly a straight line. When I left college, I knew two things: I loved business and I loved people. So, I threw myself into a Commerce (Accounting) and Science (Psychology) double degree at ANU. Psychology wasn’t the most practical career path in Canberra at the time, so I naturally gravitated toward accounting – first in a boutique firm supporting private clients, then into an accounting cadetship at what’s now the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Fast-forward 15+ years and that foundation has taken me through Commonwealth financial management, high-value procurement, commercial advisory and running several private businesses along the way (mostly hospitality… and a few more obscure ventures that both did – and didn’t – work out).
Conveniently, and quite unintentionally, the journey has also brought me back to where I started: advising small-to-medium businesses. I’m now doing far more strategic business advisory again, which has felt like a genuinely energising return to my roots. And funnily enough, that full-circle moment has made Resolve Recruit even stronger. Most of our Resolve Recruit family are small business owners in their own right, so having lived and breathed SME life (several times over!) gives me a deeper appreciation of what they actually need and what genuinely supports them.
It’s been a winding road, but each step has built on the last and given me a very well-rounded lens for the work I do today.
Let’s get personal
What do you do outside of work to recharge?
I’ve got a few things that keep the cup overflowing. Pilates has become a big part of my life (helped along by my better half being in the industry). I also have four beautiful dogs – three golden retrievers and a labrador – so daily walks and an outrageous step count are just part of the lifestyle at this point.
I’m a tragic hospitality man at heart, so you’ll usually find me at a restaurant, pub or wine bar catching up with friends. I’ve also got a soft spot for horse racing, and on weekends there’s a good chance I’m taking my latest love – a classic Mercedes-Benz SL500 – out for a very cruisy drive.
What's something you're passionate about that might surprise others?
The Starlight Children’s Foundation holds a huge place in my heart. I’ve been involved with Starlight since 2013 and now have the privilege of sitting on the Victorian State Advisory Board. The mission – brightening the lives of seriously ill and hospitalised children – is something I feel genuinely called to. It’s work that grounds me, gives me perspective and reminds me what really matters.
And in the spirit of shameless self-promotion (the good kind), I’m known to gently pester organisations and individuals to get involved – so consider this your warning and invitation!
What's been your biggest "plot twist" moment - career or personal?
My biggest plot twist? Definitely moving from Canberra to Melbourne. As someone proudly born in the old Royal Canberra Hospital and deeply embedded in Canberra life, I genuinely never thought I’d call anywhere else home. Yet here I am – and I absolutely love it (even if I still seem to be on a plane back to Canberra every other week).
Professionally, a mid-career pivot from accounting into procurement, strategic sourcing and all things commercial was another curveball I didn’t see coming. In hindsight, it ended up complementing my accounting background perfectly, but at the time it felt like a pretty unexpected left turn.
And for a final twist: I somehow ended up helping build and operate a hatted South-East Asian restaurant in Canberra for eight years – something my younger self would never have seen coming. It was one of the most rewarding (and outright chaotic) chapters of my life. Running two venues through COVID taught me a lot about resilience, keeping a sense of humour and holding onto whatever peace you can find when everything around you feels like organised chaos.
On a professional note
What's one thing you wish people understood about what you do?
That my work sits at the intersection of people, strategy and commercial clarity – whether I’m advising a government agency, a founder, a not-for-profit or supporting talent through Resolve Recruit.
The common thread is helping people cut through complexity so they can make confident decisions. My background across accounting, procurement, commercial strategy, hospitality and recruitment might look eclectic on paper, but it means I’m used to seeing problems (and opportunities) from a few different angles.
At the end of the day, what I actually do is bring structure, calm and commercial sense to situations that usually feel messy, overwhelming or high-stakes for others. And I genuinely enjoy being the person who can make things clearer, simpler and a whole lot more manageable.
What's a professional skill you've developed that's made the biggest difference in how you work?
Staying curious. Relentlessly curious.
I’ve never subscribed to the idea that you need to stay neatly inside the guardrails of one discipline. Every time I’ve followed my curiosity – whether that’s accounting, procurement, hospitality or recruitment – it’s opened new doors, built new capability and given me a perspective I would never have developed by staying in one lane.
The other big one for me is commitment to the craft. If you turn up consistently, stay open, keep learning and genuinely care about the work, the passion has a funny way of compounding. It’s probably the one through-line that’s made the biggest difference in how I operate today.
Finally…
What's the best career advice you've ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received is deceptively simple: the only two things that truly matter are your health and your peace of mind (credit to my good friend for that one!).
It doesn’t sound like traditional “career advice,” but it’s probably the most practical guidance there is. When your health and headspace are intact, everything else – clarity, performance, judgement, resilience – falls into place. And after a few fairly wild chapters across work and life, I’ve learned that when those two things slip, nothing else really works.
It’s a grounding reminder I come back to often, especially when the road gets loud.
If there’s anything to take away from Greg’s journey, it’s that careers don’t always go in a linear direction – its curiosity, lived experience and the courage to pursue what energises you that will shape your path.
Greg’s breadth of experience, people-centred approach and entrepreneurial grit have all shaped the way he leads, mentors and supports our clients, making him the thread that weaves Resolve together.
To connect with Greg, find him LinkedIn.