Every now and then, you meet someone whose influence shaped the profession long before “PMO” became a household acronym. For many of us in the global project management community, Iain Fraser is one of those people.
Iain’s name has long been synonymous with governance, value, and the business of projects. He’s not just a practitioner; he’s a thinker who helped move project management from an operational discipline to a strategic enabler of organizational value.
As a former Chairman of the PMI Global Board of Directors, a Chartered Director, and author of two globally respected books, The Business of Portfolio Management and The Business of People, Iain brings a rare mix of boardroom wisdom, entrepreneurial grit, and human insight.
Highlights from the Conversation
From the Highlands to the Boardroom
Iain’s story begins far from corporate boardrooms, a kid from the Scottish Highlands who discovered early on that his future lay in connecting people and ideas.His global journey took him across sectors including oil & gas, power, telecom, government, and banking. It took him and across continents also, shaping his perspective on how culture and context redefine what “good project management” looks like.
“I was an accidental project manager,” he says. “But the profession offered a means and an opportunity — not just professionally, but socially and personally too.”
The Accidental Entrepreneur
After years in mega-projects, Iain founded Project Plus, a consulting and training firm that expanded from New Zealand to London, Dubai, and Malaysia.His entrepreneurial journey mirrors what many of us experience when we step out of corporate structures. Suddenly, you’re managing payroll, strategy, and client relationships, all while building credibility in a skeptical market.
He shares how scenario planning, a tool we used for PMI’s global strategy, later helped him steer his own company through growth and acquisition, proving that project thinking is business thinking.
The Dale Carnegie Lesson
Perhaps the most human moment of the episode comes when Iain recalls a decision he and his wife made years ago — to take a 14-week Dale Carnegie course together.
“It changed everything,” he reflects. “I went from being a shy kid to realizing how powerful it is just to say hello, to engage, to listen. That’s what project management is really about, people.”
It’s a reminder that beneath every schedule and budget, success still depends on our ability to connect and influence. It’s a message that resonates deeply in a world increasingly filtered through screens and AI.
Governance and Value — The Next Frontier
Few people can speak about governance with the same clarity and conviction as Iain. He argues that organizational governance and project governance can no longer live in separate worlds. The pace of change demands greater overlap and proactive collaboration between boards and delivery teams.
“We need to move from passive to proactive governance. The old demarcation line between boards and operations doesn’t work anymore.”
When it comes to defining success, Iain doesn’t shy away from challenging the profession:
“We’ve gone too far in dismissing time and cost. They still matter.vBut the real measure of success is value delivered and that means defining what value actually means for your organization.”
His framework extends beyond financial metrics to include strategic, social, and brand value, a holistic view that ties projects back to purpose.
Advice for the Next Generation
The conversation closes with advice for young professionals entering the field. It’s the kind of timeless counsel that could easily hang on a wall in every PMO:
“Don’t rely entirely on AI or technology. Get out from behind the screen to meet people, listen, and build empathy. Keep learning, keep building experiences, and one day you’ll become a trusted advisor. Use your head, your heart, and your gut together, they make the best decisions.”
Final Reflection
Listening to Iain talk about value, governance, and human connection, you’re reminded that project management was never just about deliverables, it’s about enabling change that lasts.
Whether he’s talking about selling his company, coaching the next generation, or sitting quietly in the back of the room, his words carry the weight of experience and the calm of perspective.
This episode isn’t just a look back at a career, it’s a roadmap for what modern project leadership should look like: strategic, human, and guided by purpose.
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