MEET THE MENTORS

Chelsea Rossney, is an accomplished senior executive & business leader, with extensive experience building & managing, diverse, high performing sales teams and cross functional units.  Significant tenure at HP and in the Tech Channel brings vast knowledge in a Multiplex organisation across SMB, Enterprise, Education, Online, Retail and Distribution segments. 

A specialist in stakeholder management, influential at all levels, with a history of expanding customers, revenue, profitability, and market share in competitive and dynamic environments. 

Known for a high level of operational rigor and financial cadence, coupled with a unique level of social awareness and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, successfully coaching multiple teams, individuals and other leaders to achieve critical business outcomes and their personal career goals. 

Jo is an entrepreneurial thought leader and business builder with 25+ years in corporate sales, marketing, operations, management, human resources, cybersecurity, cloud, digital transformation; and running her own small business in technology/cloud/cyber/business for small businesses.

Jo is currently a mentor at Wipro, and has mentored through her own small business & the Australian Small Business Advisory Services helping small start ups with GTM, digital, technology & business solutions; completed an MBA, and won a scholarship for the Women’s Entrepreneurs program through AICD.  Areas where Jo adds great value:

• Small Business start up
• Cloud Hosting & Cybersecurity
• Technology & Digital Transformation
• GTM strategies
• Sales & Marketing
• Business Coach

Melissa Ellul is an experienced senior IT leader with 20 year’s industry experience across Australia and Asia, including IT consulting, with a passion for leading Digital IT transformations and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.   She is a strong values, team and results focused leader, earning a reputation for successfully leading transformational changes and being a leading authority in Agile, Lean and Design Thinking delivery approaches and practices.

Melissa led the Retail IT function at Telstra from 2012-2016. During this time she successfully delivered a number of challenging programs end to end, including an inspiring world-class future retail environment as showcased in Telstra’s Melbourne and Sydney Discovery Stores.

Melissa is currently the Global IT Leader Enterprise at Aurecon, a global consulting, engineering design, management and specialist technical services firm that works across a broad range of markets and sectors fostering innovation, harnessing disruption and bringing ideas to life. Reporting to the CIO, she is the trusted IT partner for the business across the enterprise. She is responsible for executive/business engagement, shaping and co-creating business strategies, strategic roadmaps and is accountable for the delivery that drives strategic value for Aurecon and delivers a foundation for continuing and sustainable innovation.

Melissa is accountable for the Workday platform and building upon our established HCM capability and embarking on the delivery of a fully integrated Workday Finance, Projects, Procurement and People Platform…taking the opportunity to truly innovate how we work at Aurecon.

Secure Adaptive Infrastructure (SAI) Executive, Telstra Purple 

Gretchen currently leads Telstra Purple’s Secure Adaptive Infrastructure Practice which includes; MDN/SD WAN, Integrated Services, Professional Services, Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud Managed Services, Traditional Cloud Apps, Telstra Broadcasting (TBS), Enterprise Works, Managed Radio and Industry Solutions.  

SAI aims to help organisations achieve enterprise-wide transformation through cloud adoption, network modernisation and  Cyber Security. The practice offers customers services such as cloud strategy, readiness assessment, workload migration, cloud foundation, cloud management, cloud optimisation and cloud transformation – using Telstra’s network and security capabilities.

A highly experienced Executive and Board Member, Gretchen’s career includes 20 years at Telstra leading diverse product sales portfolios including Collaboration, Mobile and Network solutions.

She is deeply passionate about women in technology and is a strong advocate for the role technology and culture can play in transforming businesses.

Prior to her SAI appointment, Gretchen led Telstra Purple’s Next Generation Growth (NGG) team.  A group formed from expert teams from across Networks & IT, Product & Technology and Telstra Enterprise in the areas of Cloud, Security and IOT. NGG focused on responding to the rapidly evolving needs of our customers and is shifting our direction to the growth market segments that will ensure our business is successful in the future.

She also led the Victorian & Tasmanian Enterprise Customer Management teams driving them forward in our purpose to create better ways to empower businesses to thrive in a connected world. Her unique combination of industry expertise, product knowledge and leadership capability – underpinned by a customer-first obsession provides a unique perspective on how our customers can best drive productivity, efficiencies and growth.

Gretchen is a Telstra Super board member.

Currently working as a Principal Consultant in Cybersecurity and Risk Services, Peta is heavily involved in helping clients navigate the ever changing regulatory and compliance landscape in Australia and New Zealand. An effective and efficient Security posture is the foundation Peta utilises to help clients successfully manage their transition to the cloud.

With a career spanning over 20 years in the IT industry Peta, has experience across a broad range of sectors with particular interest in legislative and regulatory compliance in the Cloud. Technology has come a long way and continues to develop at faster and faster rates, making the need to be on top of these changes more important now than ever before. Peta loves a challenge and being able to work out all the puzzle pieces to a client’s situation to determine the best solution for them.

Peta looks forward to being able to pay it forward with helping other women in their career journeys and sharing advise and her experiences along the way.

Pia is a business leader with a career built over 20+ years in the technology community. She has worked with global and local IT channel organisations to grow and expand their reach and yield to achieve financial and business goals. Pia has built high performing teams with outcomes focused mindsets; and has supported the career growth and personal development of many individuals throughout her career.

Pia has a passion for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and had led the creation of DEI councils and initiatives across the industry to drive a culture of openness, inclusion, and allyship within teams; and to empower individuals to bring their whole selves to work.

Pia’s career history and personal journey includes many transitions and challenges including a complete career and industry change; the decision to take time off to become the primary caregiver,  re entering the workforce as a working mum (her kids are now  teens – yikes!); transitioning from being an individual contributor, to team leader, back to individual contributor, to manager, to now business leader. Through these transitions Pia has approached the challenges and opportunities by cultivating a strong sense of self-belief.

As the Head of Alliances and Marketing of Outcomex in Australia, Sharlie Raymond works with technology vendors to best position their products within her company’s portfolio. Having completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and a Master’s Degree in IT Project Management, Sharlie leverages her decade of experience to develop new partnerships with key industry players, and to increase brand awareness, loyalty, and credibility. Alongside these responsibilities, she manages a team, distributed across three states, and encourages them to find innovative ways to promote the value of Outcomex’s solutions for customers.

In recognition for her contribution to the technology industry, Sharlie was awarded ARN’s Emerging Leaders Award: 30 under 30 in 2019, and was a finalist for the ARN Women in ICT: Rising Star award in 2017 and 2020.

Sharlie is dedicated to promoting the next generation of women and give them the confidence and guidance to achieve their own goals and realise their full potential.

Shilpa is an Executive Architect for Oracle’ Strategic Clients in APAC. She works with her clients as a trusted advisor to help them make the right choices for their business when partnering with Oracle across data, applications, platform, infrastructure and industry solutions.

She has over 20 years of global experience with large organizations in a variety of consulting, strategy and delivery roles. She has helped multiple clients shape their investments to achieve strategic business outcomes and realize sustainable long term value from their technology investments.

Shilpa is a thought leader with extensive experience in Financial Services & Banking. With a customer centric approach, she is passionate about solving complex problems for enterprises.

Shilpa holds a Bachelor’s in Finance and Master’s in Computers. She grew up in India and lived in the UK before moving to Sydney. She enjoys playing board games and travelling with family in her spare time. She is always ready for a good chat – work or otherwise.

Simone Filetti is passionate about people, partnership and teams in the ICT industry. Simone has consistently brought her energy, skills and capabilities to her roles to effectively contribute to business operations and play an active part in fostering work cultures of inclusivity and empowerment. She strives in building high performance teams and driving customer value through innovation.

Simone also supports and encourages a balance of genders and generations, and different cultural, religious and educational backgrounds. Simone leads working groups across the business to highlight the importance of diverse teams which in turn enable outstanding results and creativity.

Simultaneously to this, Simone is active in her leadership and participation in HPE-partner events like Lean In Circles and Virtual Coffee Session, as well as community activities including volunteering at the Smith family, Our big Kitchen and Foodbank.

In addition to the above, Simone also makes herself available to coach and mentor young employees and early career hires through one-on-one sessions. Not only does she offer this opportunity to team members within the organisations where she has worked, but also broadly to anyone in the ICT industry, often at times connecting through social media or via word-of-mouth recommendations from her current and previous colleagues.

Tara is an experienced business and technology Manager for HP Australia. Currently managing the Customer Success teams across Australia and New Zealand for the Managed Services Business within the Global Services and Solutions group. Having over 20 years of experience in the managed print, personal systems and solutions space, Tara is responsible for leading teams and driving contractual services and solutions growth for commercial clients.

Tara leads by example with Authenticity, Integrity, and Empathy. Strongly believes effective employee coaching and development leads to high performing teams. Taking the time to teach, learn and develop builds trust, relationships, and a strong growth base of knowledgeable future leaders. 

Tara prides herself on her genuine passion for achieving best in class customer service; working with internal and external executive leadership teams to achieve financial, sustainability and operational goals.

Tara has been with HP since 2011 and previously held team and leadership positions across the ICT industry. Personally, Tara lives in Brisbane with her Husband. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, listening to music with an eclectic collection, watching movies and the odd competitive online game.

Kathryn Harper brings over 20 years’ experience in executive search and consulting, building her career with boutique agencies and large international Executive Search firms.  She joined Amrop Carmichael Fisher as Partner in 2019.

Specialising in the Government sector, Kathryn has provided Executive Search services for senior level appointments including CEO, Deputy Secretary, Executive Officer, General Manager and Director mandates for various State Government departments and agencies.  Additionally, she has also managed Chair and Board appointments for several Statutory Authorities.  As a result, she brings a strong understanding of the sector and its specific requirements, including diversity, to the search and engagement of executives and non-executive directors.

Relationship management has been a major focus for Kathryn and she is passionately committed to understanding the ever-changing needs of clients and candidates, carefully assessing the capabilities of candidates to ensure a good cultural match between the two. She has a strong understanding of the importance of building lasting relationships with clients and candidates alike. Providing career advice and mentoring is an aspect of her role which she finds particularly enjoyable and rewarding.

Megan O’Donnell-Lace is a highly accomplished professional with an impressive career spanning over two decades, predominantly within the financial services sector. With a remarkable talent for spearheading strategic initiatives and fostering operational excellence, Megan has consistently demonstrated her prowess in leadership and transformative change management.

Throughout her career journey, Megan has displayed a remarkable ability to align organisational objectives with strategic priorities, resulting in impactful outcomes. Her areas of expertise encompass strategy, operational risk management, compliance, stakeholder collaboration, and continuous process improvement. Megan’s proficiency in navigating complex challenges and leading cross-cultural teams with agility underscores her exceptional leadership qualities.

Megan’s admired career journey is a testament to her exceptional leadership, strategic acumen, and unwavering commitment to driving organisational success in the dynamic landscape of financial services. As a mentor, Megan brings a wealth of experience and insights, empowering individuals to unlock their full potential and thrive in their professional endeavours. teams. 

Malaysian-born Jocelyn Chong is an award-winning, #1 International Best-Selling Author, CEO and Founder of Seed to Sequoia. After a successful twenty-year career at Australia’s leading banks (where she generated over $200 million in revenue), she changed paths to pursue her true passion as a Certified Life and Business Coach.

Utilising her MBA and background in high-level sales, leadership and management, she has worked with over 500 entrepreneurs to date, teaching them how to earn with ease, attract dream clients, and create a life by design. Her mission is to help business leaders tap into their true purpose while scaling their business with feel-good strategies and intuitive guidance.

Her clients love her instinctive ability to uncover the core problems stifling their growth — and the practical tools she provides to unlock their full potential. She’s known for her fun, bubbly attitude and unapologetically ambitious dogma.

Jocelyn has been featured in Thrive Global, Digital Journal, FOX, Ask.com, The Times and Finance News World. When she’s not empowering her clients, you can find her working on her own self-development, enjoying nature and planning her next getaway.

She is a Partner at SLF Lawyers who has over 12 years of experience in commercial litigation during which time I have focused predominantly in practice areas of property, strata, debt recovery and insolvency. She is passionate about achieving results for her clients and willing to face the challenges of litigation head-on.

Some of her time is spent teaching with the Australian National University in their post-graduate law courses where she enjoys enabling the next generation of lawyers. Being fluent in Italian has also enabled her to assist clients and mentees from a non-English speaking background in resolving their legal disputes and navigating their way through the legal system.

Annie commenced her career in Recruitment in 1994 and over the past 20 years prior to co-founding Sprout Recruitment Annie held Senior Management roles within some of the worlds largest recruitment organisations including Select, Manpower and People Infrastructure.

Annie has delivered successful business outcomes for organisations from small family businesses to global organisations across a diverse range of industries.

Holding formal qualifications in Communications, Psychology and business management Annie is Passionate about leadership, people and believes that communication is the key to both personal and business success.

When not working Annie enjoys time with her family and friends on the beautiful NSW Central Coast and has a keen interest in Horse Racing. Annie is passionate about PT by the waterfront and skiing in Winter to maintain balance in a hectic crazy world.

Celine Dickson is currently the National Manager of Allianz Financial Institutions Partnerships Division, leading a sales team of 25 people, 23 banking Partnerships and a business portfolio in excess of $286 Million.

Celine’s record of success has been achieved in driving growth for both direct, intermediated and partnership channels which has been underpinned by a diverse range of interpersonal, strategic and technical skills developed over 18 years.

In 2017, Celine was selected to lead a major Global Transformation project leading to the merger and acquisition of one of the US leading InsureTech companies which redefined customer experience and growth in the insurance industry.

Leading by example – Amanda

Amanda Theodosiou is Queensland State Manager for Strata Community Insurance, based in Brisbane. With an insurance career spanning 30 years, Amanda has a diverse skillset across many facets including loss adjusting, operations, claims, new business and learning & development.

Amanda is a collaborative and solutions-focused leader, who is passionate about developing and implementing successful business strategies that drive growth and create value for clients. Her deep understanding of the insurance industry, combined with her compassionate and client-centric approach, has earned her a reputation as an influential leader who is committed to achieving favourable outcomes for her clients.

Kayla is a Senior Relationship Manager at Macquarie Bank and has been in the finance sector for the last 13 years. As part of the Professional Services team in Queensland Kayla specialising in the segments of Insurance Broking, Legal and Insolvency. During her time at Macquarie Bank, Kayla has worked across a variety of segments, and formed strong relationships with these clients over the years. It’s not enough to simply sign a business up to a product – you need to understand what makes a business tick and how you can help them build a stronger business and deliver insights.

Macquarie Bank has been providing solutions to professional services for over 35 years. We work across the board with small businesses, established large corporates, and high net-worth individuals, providing value across a wide range of product offerings. Customers benefit from access to specialist teams in accounting and financial services, legal, insolvency and insurance broking.

Kayla joined Macquarie Bank in 2014 because of the diverse range of solutions that enable customers to succeed. Kayla enjoys forging strong relationships with her clients, sharing insights on achieving faster growth and better efficiencies, as well as getting like-minded groups together to discuss big picture ideas.

Kayla relocated to Brisbane from Northern NSW to attend university obtaining a Bachelor of Business majoring in Marketing at the QUT, she then spent 2 years in London before returning to Brisbane and commencing her finance career recently completing postgraduate studies with UQ a Masters in Business Administration.

Director QSelect Agencies

Melissa is enjoying a 35 year career in insurance. Her experience expands across SME to Corporate Broking.  Following several years in a Sales Management role for an Insurer she took the
plunge into her own brokerage and underwriting agency, which she has owned for the past 8 years.

She is also the Brisbane Branch Director for Business in Heels and enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience through mentoring.

Orla is a senior technology leader, skilled in leading teams and delivering large scale and transformative
national and international programs of work across multiple industries.
Recognised for talents in strategy development, innovation and delivery. A strong track record of converting
strategic plans into tactical reality through guiding and empowering teams to deliver at pace, and effectively
managing the resulting transformational change.
Experienced in utilising emerging technologies and practices to develop new digital products and experiences,
resulting in enhanced customer experiences and elevated sales conversion

In her current capacity as Broker Solutions Manager QLD, Tiana Iuvale leads a team of market-facing Account Partners and Business Relationship Partners, who are the face of the CGU brand in broker offices as far north as Cairns and as far south as Northern NSW.   Her role encompasses key metrics focused on building strong partner relationships, sustainable growth, and profitability through authentic leadership, to bring to life the IAG purpose of making our world a safer place.

After graduating with a Degree in Communication she gained leadership experience in operations, finance, project management, sales and marketing across a range of industries including advertising, retail, wholesaling and premium funding. Prior to taking on a state leadership role, Tiana gained valuable experience working as a BDM and National Key Account Manager at CGU.

As a working mother of two wonderful young gentlemen, Tiana has a deep personal interest in all aspects of diversity and inclusion.  Speaking from the heart, she is determined to share her career and life experiences truthfully and honestly in the hope of inspiring future generations of leaders to create balanced, equitable and flexible workplaces where everyone can thrive.

Nabila is a digital marketing communications expert with over 15 years of extensive experience in paid, owned, and earned communications having worked in consulting agencies and client-side. She has driven and implemented digital strategies for Australian ASX-listed companies such as BHP and Telstra and US-listed companies like Intel, LVMH, Mastercard and Cushman & Wakefield.

She is highly experienced in digital marketing and communications for industries such as mining, technology, finance, consumer, and government.

Nabila recently completed a Certificate in Cybersecurity, where she now adds python coding and cyber-attack management to her expertise. In her spare time, Nabila enjoys mentoring others in the marketing and communications field while consulting start-ups on the best practices for digital marketing.  

Nabila is a strong advocate of inclusion and diversity matters. She is a committee member for the women’s group at BHP, a platform for women in the business to advocate for each other. Additionally, Nabila is also a strong LGBTQIA+ ally and is a global committee member of Jasper, a BHP employee-led group that champions LGBTQIA+ policies and issues.

Nabila earned her Communications degree from Richmond, the American International University in London. She regards herself as someone dynamic, agile, and highly motivated. 

Jen is the Transport Group Lead with AECOM in Southeast Queensland, leading a talented team of more than 150 Transport Infrastructure professionals delivering engineering designs for road and rail projects for State and Local Government clients. Jen is a Civil Engineer, Chartered Civil Engineer and a Fellow of Engineers Australia and has worked in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. She has been fortunate to have been involved in a variety of projects, from the design and construction of the changes required to the streets of Hamilton in New Zealand to facilitate the V8 street race (Hamilton 500) to the design Gold Coast Light Rail, a project that has provided new ways to connect communities. 

With over 30 years of experience in the retail industry, Deborah is a renowned executive coach and mentor supporting women navigate and build their retail careers and businesses. Deborah offers her clients a unique perspective for growth that is driven by self-reflection and goal orientation that is focused on developing the skills and capabilities to be the best person they can be for their team, their family, their friends, their customer, but more importantly, themselves. 

Starting her career in Fashion Design, Deborah developed and sustained the passion to be continually curious in understanding the evolving needs and desires of the customer and to be driven to continuously focus on delivering creative solutions that not only inspires but excites consistently customers.

Deborah evolved her retail career from Fashion Design to Executive leadership roles in Marketing, Finance, Buying, Merchandise Planning, Operations, Supply Chain and eCommerce in industry leading Specialty and ASX listed businesses including Kmart, Target, Officeworks and more recently Mecca. 

Throughout her extensive career Deborah has had an unwavering customer-centric approach which has enabled her to play an integral role in the industry leading transformation of multiple businesses through a focus on embedding a customer focused, results driven, collaborative culture within her teams. 

With customers and serving others being at Deborah’s core, she now uses her experience and expertise to support others through her coaching and mentoring business with her focus on supporting others be all that they can be for themselves and their customers. 

Having started my career in retail stores as a “fill in time”  role post High School, I quickly realised the retail sector was one I wanted to explore.

Working my way from the shop floor to management roles within the store portfolio, and then into a trainee buyer ship in HQ at Coles Myer. I learnt very quickly that the customer is at the forefront of everything we do. NO MATTER WHAT! 

18 years of Womenswear buying within Kmart- across Lingerie, Sleepwear, Active wear, Denim, Dresses and Knits/ Jersey followed- ensuring a variety of departmental variances keeping me challenged and interested. To add to that I finished my career at Kmart as a Senior Buyer myself, mentoring up and coming buyers in training.

From Kmart I had an amazing opportunity at Sussan Corporation- with an incredible mentor in Felicity McGahan- leading the way in leadership for Women!

10 years at Witchery gave me incredible design and sourcing opportunities- a role I relished with the support of Iain Nairn- MD Witchery at the time.

I finished my “rag trade” career at Just Jeans- a volume driver in the Australian marketplace.

My current role at T2 as Head of Product- 5 years has been an exceptional learning experience and change of pace and process from the clothing industry I was immersed in. One which I absolutely adore and am supported across the board by the leadership team at T2.

Mentors like Nicky Sparshott and Georgie Poulos were and continue to be inspirational female leaders- at the forefront of leadership, equality, diversity and inclusion, a voice for change and always thinking outside the box.

The retail landscape continues to evolve, and I look forward to the many challenges and changes that brings!

Charlotta is Head of Merchandise Planning – Supercheap Auto

Multilingual retailer with robust international experience.
Successful in management and expansion of multiple segments and multi-channel retailing.
A straightforward and inspirational leader with focus on driving continuous optimization and refinement of the team with a consumer, sales & margin attention.

📌𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬:
-Cross-functional Team Leadership
-Consumer Driven Supply Chain Planning
-Profitability Focused Problem Solving
-Strategic Partnership Management
-Driver of Performance Excellence

📌𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞:
-Empowerment, Ownership, Accountability & Results
-Ability to think Creatively, Add Value & Challenge the Status Quo
-Lead Dynamically & Collaboratively
-Continuous Development Opportunities & possibility to drive Projects
-Ambitious, Enthusiastic & Determined people walking the walk

I am passionate about managing business wide improvement projects & cost saving initiatives alongside of streamlining the daily tasks, not only of my direct team but also with our collaboration partners. Demonstrated by the several successfully completed projects in setting up brand new departments I have behind me.

Lyly Greca, a Vietnamese immigrant lucky enough to arrive in Australia with my mother and older brothers at the tender age of 6. Today, I’m married to a beautiful Italian man whom I met at University whilst studying my Bachelor of Economics and Finance degree and together we’re blessed with 2 amazing children living in Australia’s most livable city Melbourne.

I am the 3rd child in our family of 2 older boys and a younger half-sister. My brothers and I were raised by an incredibly strong and traditional woman with amazing smarts, fantastic work ethics and greatest generosity. From a very young age, I knew what I wanted and often map out how I’d achieve those goals. Today I operate a premium flower and gift social enterprise called “Miei Fiori”. With more than 10% of Australian population living below the poverty line and just half of those are Children, Miei Fiori was created as a vehicle to combat poverty, serve our people, support our community and protect our planet.
We do that by that by:
Donating 100% profit to children’s charities within Australia
Commit to sustainable options
Complete transparency.

My entrepreneurship started at about 15 years of age when I was able to make my very own first dollar at McDonald’s. I mapped my path to owning my first property by 18, how I’d earn 6 figures by 25 and operating a Company that is dedicated to solving some world challenges by 40. Today I’m 37 years old and couldn’t feel luckier and more grateful for everything I’ve achieved thus far with my best-friend and soul mate.
Before taking the bold step to start my own company, I had an incredible Corporate career in varying roles across many industries practicing the lessons learnt from mentors, making many mistakes along the way, solving problems and pivoted through challenges whilst having a lot of fun along the way

Sharenya is an exceptional People & Culture Executive, renowned for her expertise in driving outstanding business results and fostering positive cultural transformations. With a profound commitment to reshaping the future of work, she is dedicated to revolutionising the employee experience and cultivating more inclusive and equitable workplaces.

With over 20 years of broad experience in people and culture, Sharenya has honed her skills in implementing impactful culture and transformation programs. Her career began in learning and development, where she cultivated a passion for creating enriching experiences that enable individuals to unlock their full potential. Driven by curiosity and a desire for personal growth, Sharenya fearlessly embraced new opportunities and challenges, propelling her career forward and allowing her to evolve into her most recent role as General Manager of Employee Experience.

With an impressive breadth of experience across multiple regions, including EMEA and ASIAPAC, Sharenya has gained invaluable insights into the nuances of different cultural contexts and organisational dynamics. This global perspective has equipped her with a keen understanding of the diverse needs and aspirations of individuals within the workforce.

Sharenya is now embarking on an exciting new chapter in her career, embracing the opportunity to explore her passions and expand her horizons. After recently tying the knot, she is currently taking time to travel and immerse herself in new experiences. Simultaneously, she has ventured into the realm of entrepreneurship by establishing her own business in human experience consulting.

Driven by a deep-seated belief in the transformative power of personal growth, Sharenya is dedicated to helping individuals unlock their true potential and lead more fulfilling lives. She possesses a profound understanding of the intricate connection between values, work, and personal fulfillment, and she guides others to align their aspirations and passions with meaningful and purposeful careers.

Sandymcdonald.com and charity, CreateCare Global, Sandy McDonald is an author, a TEDx speaker, and a storytelling trainer, working with business and academia to improve and enhance communication through purpose-led story.

Artwords in started out in 1992 and Twenty two years later, it had become an award-winning marketing communication solutions destination for some of Australia’s most successful enterprises. In 2008, Sandy started her first charity Knit-a-square which led to her next career. She delivered a standing ovation TEDx talk about this extraordinary adventure in 2014.

 The intersection of these two experiences was to prove pivotal to the work she does now. In ArtWords, if they couldn’t get their clients clear on what they were positioning, why, and for whom, they’d failed. This became the single most important component of their work. During the formative years of Knit-a-square, they learned that online stories with a focused purpose touched lives everywhere.

They helped build a worldwide community of 20,000 people in 71 countries which is still growing. Sandy wrote the book, Get It Right Online to detail the framework for how this was achieved.

CEO/Founder, Taurus Marketing

Dedicated to Entrepreneurship Sharon is a pioneer in the Australian agency industry and a Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Australia. In 1995, she established Taurus, a boutique integrated marketing PR agency after a successful career in marketing and management across the UK, Europe and Asia. Taurus has since gone on to help over 1000 businesses.

Under Sharon’s leadership, Taurus is now recognised as one of Australia’s highest profile agencies, offering unparalleled levels of service to entrepreneurs and global corporations including Dicker Data and HCL Technologies.

Sharon was instrumental in helping founding client KAZ Group go from media obscurity to one of Australia’s highest-profile and largest information communications technology companies. Public speaker, personal brand expert, blogger, CEO, media commentator, ‘no bull’ international marketer, entrepreneur, editorial contributor and Mother – Sharon’s experience and knowledge is an unbeatable combination.

Founder of Human Kind Collective, Virginia is a people, talent, and culture expert with nearly 30 years of experience in the creative and media industry. In that time she’s seen the work environment change to become more inclusive, more compassionate and more focused on employees’ health and wellbeing.

Virginia left her role as agency managing partner to magnify that change. To help protect people for prosperity with a commitment to social impact beyond financial gain.

Healthy employees mean a healthy bottom line but it goes further than that.

Likeminded Folk is a programme she offers to HR professionals who are operating solo or in small teams to accelerate their impact and support their wellbeing and foster collaboration through a community.

Virginia mentors women in the industry and beyond. She is a passionate advocate for gender equity and empowering women, a mental health change expert and mental health first aid instructor.

Awarded for her work in culture and change, Virginia is such a people person she even created a couple for herself. Her bravest achievement has been the decision to prioritize herself (a lesson her children still struggle with but she will impart on you if you walk alongside her).

Rebecca Moroney brings over 20 years of ICT experience, having worked for some of the largest global brands and her own consultancy business, helping clients to develop transformation strategies within their own environment and initiatives those organizations can take to market.

Bek’s is currently ANZ Director, Strategic Pursuits Practice at VMware – leading a broad team of consultants, architects and commercial analysts to strategically pursue larger transformation engagements in VMware’s top 26 clients. Prior to that, Bek was State Government and Health Industry Leader at IBM, where she was responsible for the leadership of key pursuit initiatives and brand differentiation to Market. Prior to IBM, Bek was Northern Region Business director at HP, where she was responsible for the strategy development and team build of the Managed Services business for End User Compute, leading the business to 200% growth YoY over 5 years and teams to acquire several >$100mil new logo business deals. Bek’s professional passions are engaging with and building successful teams, developing pursuit initiatives that are unique to each client and leading businesses to successful change.

Empowering women to be who they are, and do what they want, without the self-sacrifice that is engrained in many of us is a mission close to my heart. I am fulfilled when I can help facilitate someone to first understand and then breakthrough what has been holding them back.

I have led teams in global and regional senior leadership positions in the technology industry, I have developed many training and development programs and mentoring programs, and most recently in the middle of a pandemic, decided to throw it all in to follow my dreams of being a coach and running my own business. From imposter syndrome, perfectionism, self-judgment, our inner-critic, conditional self-esteem, our fear of “being seen”, caring what others think, the worry of being misunderstood, feeling unheard…. I’ve seen, and experienced it all.

Now as a coach, my unique approach promotes shifts in thinking and behavioural patterns getting at the heart of what has been getting in my clients way, and helping women to move from uncertain to unstoppable leadership by building the clarity, confidence, communication skills and capability needed for success.

I look forward to giving back through Mentor Mornings, and look forward to meeting you soon.

After partnering with Jeep, United Colors of Benetton, and Sesame Street, I built a global manufacturing company in my twenties. Collaborating locally to secure media coverage, distribution in David Jones, Target, and Big W plus a promotion with Huggies Nappies enabled me to turn over $1+million in my first year, before scaling to a global company.

After successfully selling my first company, I moved into ecommerce with $500m ASX listed company, Grays Commerce Group I led partnerships and social revenue before moving into a General Manager role in their jewellery division – selling over $7 million worth of precious diamonds and gems nationally.

I now work with the big brands collaborating with The Block, Selling Houses Australia, Three Birds Renovations, and identities like Shelley Craft to secure these high-profile brands a constant stream of content, build credibility, and grow sales.

I am an engaging, passionate speaker, mentor to women in small business, and ambassador for Inspiring Rare Birds.  At home in Sydney, you’ll find me playing Rummy with my two teenage sons while my husband is in the garage restoring his vintage car or enjoying a cocktail by the harbour with my girlfriends.

She bridges the gap of communication with specific communities, market and businesses and Medi bank services. With over 20 years in corporates in Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia, Jackie has extensive leadership experience in the insurance and banking industries managing a sizeable team. Her passion is to lead with purpose and growing team capabilities.

Her other passion is ensuring diversity and inclusion of all cultures that lives in Australia to get a chance to be a part of community. She led the strategy of migrant and multicultural and rural and regional across all retail whereby stores involve with local communities and universities. Jackie is a recipient of multiple awards such as Medi bank Shine Award and St George Bank Top 1% Best of the Best Awa rd.

Lastly, as a cancer survivor, Jackie believes in spreading the need to live better through wellness program as well as having the right cover when it comes to health insurance. She happily shares her experiences with other cancer patients through cancer forums and etc.

Kris has been a health & wellness advocate since she was 15! She has studied Science, Exercise Physiology, PE and nutrition, and spends her time writing, speaking, and consulting on all things health, wellness, Travel & Spa. 

Her career in the health and fitness industry spans 30 years, accumulating a wealth of knowledge and experience, including facilitating health & wellness workshops in both Australia and over seas.

She has authored several books, with her latest book, The Low HI Diet (New Holland) has sold globally.

She publishes Travel, Wellness & Spa magazine and blog (travelwellnessandspa.com.au) a media platform  inspiring readers to achieve an abundance of vitality and wellness in their everyday lives. And owns a results-driven fitness studio (icycleinside.com) which feeds her love for helping people push beyond their comfort zone.

For more of Kris’s work, to join her blog, to try one of her programs or join one of her retreats visit krisabbey.com.au or follow @spagirlkris.

She is a people and culture expert and Founder, Human Art – Career and Leadership Coaching. Leesa has over 15 years in Human Resource and Organisational Development with a strong track record leading strategic business partnering, diversity and inclusion, and culture transformation projects in complex, challenging and ambiguous circumstances.

Her key strengths are helping leaders and organisations navigate change and uncertainty, connecting people, ideas and opportunity. Leesa has worked in multiple industry sectors including IT, government, private education, financial services, property, telecommunications, and managed services. Prior to working in HR, Leesa managed a number of key change projects and led high performing operational teams in sales and customer service.

Leesa is an IECL Level 2 Certified Executive Coach, and is also Certified in Career Coaching, Mental Health First Aid, Psychological Safety, DiSC and the Hogan Personality Inventory. Leesa set up her own consulting, career and leadership coaching business – Human Art, 6 years ago. Her coaching practice is heart centred and leverages the latest research in neuroscience, and future of work studies.

She loves working with forward thinking leaders, emerging talent and start up founders, helping them create and craft their own style of leadership and entrepreneurship. Leesa is passionate about enabling individuals and organisations to reimagine and create a more positive and productive relationship with work. Leesa also enjoys mentoring women, youth and refugees on a pro-bono basis. She is an accomplished speaker and facilitator.