Industry voice: Smartsheet Accelerates Australian Growth with Champions of Change Win

Driving Digital Transformation: Smartsheet and Champions of Change Deliver Scalable Solutions for Australian Enterprises

Smartsheet, the leading work management platform trusted by more than 90% of the Fortune 100, is rapidly expanding its presence in Australia by aligning a partnership with Champions of Change, a change champion known for its consulting first approach for enterprises.

Known for its centralized collaboration and streamlined work management, Smartsheet empowers teams to plan, track, and deliver with greater efficiency.

At the same time, it provides executives and CIOs with the visibility, agility, and control necessary to connect strategy with execution, simplify complex project portfolios, and achieve measurable business outcomes.

"Value is what builds trust. Vision is what builds partnerships. That's the foundation of Champions of Change which aligned with Smartsheet perfectly," added Danobrega.

Since opening its first Asia-Pacific headquarters in Sydney five years ago, Smartsheet has seen extraordinary growth. Customer numbers in Australia and New Zealand have increased by over 260%, with nearly 250% growth across the broader APJ region. Its partner network has also expanded significantly, growing 30% year-over-year and now encompassing nearly 100 partners across 20 countries.

Recently, Smartsheet launched a dedicated Australia-hosted region, with primary data centres in Sydney and backup facilities in Melbourne. This move supports compliance with Australian privacy laws, including the Privacy Act, and offers enterprise-grade security tailored to regulated industries.

In one of its latest Australian successes, Smartsheet partner Champions of Change secured a critical win with a leading healthcare not-for-profit organisation. With more than 10,000 members and a strong focus on IT project management and business transformation, the organisation engaged Champions of Change for a consulting led proof of concept.

Led by Alex Danobrega, Account Director at Champions of Change, the team mapped existing workflows, identified inefficiencies, and designed a scalable solution tailored to the client’s evolving needs.

The engagement demonstrated how Smartsheet could streamline resource planning, improve executive decision-making with real-time dashboards, and unify change management within a single, transparent platform.

A comprehensive ROI analysis proved pivotal in the decision-making process. Comparable offerings were estimated at $350,000 to $450,000 for setup, software, support, and on-going maintenance, while still delivering fewer features in the first year and beyond. In contrast, Smartsheet’s Enterprise licensing, inclusive of full support and a more advanced feature set that enabled the client to accelerate innovation, delivered the better outcomes at an estimated 70% lower cost.

“This wasn’t just a software sale, it was about aligning the right solution with the customer’s business vision and proving its value before the contract was signed,” said Danobrega.

The client experienced immediate benefits, including enhanced project oversight, improved cross-team collaboration, and faster access to critical performance metrics.

“Our business previously relied on multiple project tools, which led to data fragmentation, inconsistent reporting, and inefficiencies across teams. We selected Smartsheet because of its simplicity and the way it aligns with our requirements for an enterprise-wide platform. With support from the Champions of Change, we’re on the journey of unifying project management across the organisation. Our vision is to establish Smartsheet as the central PMO tool, driving consistency, transparency, and actionable insights that were not possible before” - says Manager, Service Delivery for non-for-profit organisation.

This consulting first approach proved decisive, showcasing Smartsheet’s capability to deliver both immediate operational gains and long-term strategic value. This win also comes to light as Champions of Change takes a holistic approach to technology, looking well beyond the software layer. The team focuses on delivering measurable ROI through structured change management, planning, and execution.

With Smartsheet, Champions of Change highlights that the transformation is more than simply adopting a new platform. It represents a broader organizational shift in the way work is managed. As Danobrega explains, “It can be a big shift that really improves the business and its flow. The key thing is that it can start small with the fundamentals, and that alone already delivers a great boost to performance and collaboration. From there, it can grow in time and in phases.”

According to Champions of Change customers, these initiatives aren’t just about new technology. They’ve helped simplify processes, improve performance, and deliver results that can be measured in real business outcomes.

This article is sponsored by Champions of Change.