Meet the founder.
From hospitality floors to boardroom strategy, Carmen’s 31+ year career has been built on clarity, empathy, and action.
Now as owner and Principal Improvement Coach of Strait Forward Solutions, she partners with businesses to unlock practical improvement—always with people at the centre. A Sydney to Hobart sailor and catamaran builder, Carmen knows the power of direction, teamwork, resilience and momentum.
With over 31 years of executive and operational experience across hospitality, logistics, mining, and industrial sectors, Carmen Irwin brings strategic clarity, practical know-how, and a deep respect for human capability to every engagement.
Carmen grew up in country South Australia, with deep roots in farming and a lifelong drive to be a force for good. From volunteering with adults with disabilities to working all over Australia with one of the world’s largest mining companies, her path has always been people-led, results-driven, and sleeves-up. Her reach is broad: leading large-scale transformations and SAP implementations, while also partnering with small and local businesses to build their own capabilities and improvement roadmaps.
Carmen founded Strait Forward Solutions to challenge the sugar-hit approach she often saw in business improvement. Her philosophy is simple: real change is built with people, not delivered to them. She’s an Associate Certified Business Coach (ACC), Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and holds multiple Change Management certifications. She’s known for tailoring tools and messaging to fit each client’s unique context, from food producers and local manufacturers to large coal producers.
“I started Strait Forward Solutions because I saw too many teams stuck in cycles of red tape and short-sighted fixes. Team members were raising the same issues, offering ideas, and asking for change but they weren’t empowered to solve the problems themselves. Instead, they were met with bureaucracy or rewarded for cuts that looked efficient but eroded trust and destroyed team culture. I knew there was a better way - one where improvement is built with people, not imposed on them. One where systems support capability, not malicious compliance.
‘Forward. Together’ isn’t just our tagline - it’s how I lead, how I listen, and how I help businesses grow”.
OUR SERVICES
Core Capabilities
Operational Coaching
Lean six-sigma inspired, people-first process improvement that sticks.
Change Management
Structured, empathetic support through transformation and growth.
Training & Enablement
Engaging, jargon-free learning experiences using visual metaphors and storytelling.
Operational Excellence Assessments
Clear, actionable insights into systems, processes, and team dynamics.