Ben Darwin

Ben Darwin is the CEO and Co-Founder of Gain Line Analytics and a former Wallaby whose career has moved from elite sport into one of the most intriguing analytical fields in organisational performance. Drawing on years of experience as a player, coach and strategist, Ben developed the discipline now known as Cohesion Analytics—a data-driven approach that explains why some teams consistently outperform expectations while others struggle, regardless of talent or resourcing.

Ben’s work centres on the idea that stability, connection and decision pathways inside an organisation matter far more than most leaders realise. Through Gain Line Analytics, founded in 2013, he and his team analyse the structural patterns behind performance in professional sport, aviation, emergency response, financial services and corporate environments. Their research challenges traditional thinking around culture, leadership and recruitment, demonstrating that success is often determined by the unseen architecture that sits beneath a team.

In his keynotes and workshops, Ben explores themes such as:

Cohesion and Team Structure: How continuity and alignment measurably influence performance.
Talent Portability: Why star performers don’t always thrive when they move to a new environment.
Culture Myths: Why culture is often the result of good systems, not the cause.
Capability Development: How some organisations consistently produce high-performing individuals while others plateau.
Ben’s insights are grounded in real data, real case studies and a clear, practical understanding of how teams behave under pressure. His ability to translate complex analytics into engaging, accessible storytelling has made him a sought-after voice for leaders wanting more than clichés and motivational messaging.

Before entering the analytics world, Ben represented Australia in 28 Tests between 2001 and 2003, including the Rugby World Cup campaign on home soil. A serious neck injury in the semi-final against New Zealand ended his playing career at 27, leading him toward coaching roles with both domestic and international teams and eventually into media and high-performance consulting. These experiences became the foundation for Gain Line Analytics and Ben’s ongoing mission to bring evidence-based thinking to how organisations build and sustain success.