Don Sharples & Lisa McLeod
Our why
We believe evidence-based practice matters and data should be easy to find, simple to use and available to everyone who is working to create change.
This is where we see the gap exists. Uncovering data across its many (and often hidden) sources, keeping it up to date, and finding it at the right scale is time-consuming, costly and frustrating.
Our goal is to make it easy for Councils, community organisations and those working for communities to have the data they need to develop policy and strategy, make informed decisions and communicate effectively.
That’s why we created Populus!
Who are we?
Don Sharples
Co-founder and Director
Don is passionate about the power of data to create change. He started Populus Data in 2020 after many years of providing data analysis and management advice to government organisations as well as several years as General Manager of Bang the Table, a successful software provider to hundreds of government organisations.
During the years at Bang the Table, it became clear to Don that governments of all kinds struggle between many competing voices to find objective measures for decision making. Working with community development leader Lisa McLeod, he founded Populus to make community data more available, and easier to manage.
Lisa McLeod
Co-founder and Director
With a diverse career, Lisa's experience in strategic planning, partnerships, and community development convinced her that there needed to be a better way for Councils and communities to access the data they need.
As a strategic thinker and social planner, Lisa knows that data is an essential ingredient to making a difference. Having access to information about a community in one place supports evidence-based practice. It strengthens approaches to advocate for a community's needs, design more effective local programs and services, develop successful communication and engagement strategies, and share compelling stories about how your community is faring.
A big thanks to those who have worked with us ….