Meet the Mentors
Lisa Sweeney
CEO of Business in Heels, daily she works to fast-track women on their journey. She has 8 years of small business experience and well understands the transition from corporate to business owner.
Her expertise includes strategic planning, marketing, expansion through digital marketing, she is a strategic connector.
Her background is 25 years of corporate buying experience with expertise in strategic planning, sourcing, online retail, negotiation and she well understands the hurley burley of a corporate career.
She is passionate about making a difference for women & on a daily basis works to find solutions to level up the playing field.
Kistin Gunnis
COO of Business in Heels, t
Jo Plummer
She is an experienced Chair and board executive working across a portfolio of positions including Barwon Water, Deakin MBA Advisory, Barwon Asset Solutions, South Melbourne Market and Geelong Regional AICD Advisory Committee. She was recently made a Fellow of the AICD and is a graduate of the Company Directors and Mastering the Boardroom courses.
Jo holds an MBA majoring in Strategy, Planning, Leadership & Communication and is a Business in Heels Ambassador.
Jo is known for her optimistic, energetic style and has been affectionately coined the ‘positive provocateur’. She is relentless in her drive to focus on and positively shape the futures of the organisations with which she is engaged. Her trademark is aligning customer and community expectations with sound commercial, social and environmental outcomes.
Melissa Ellul
Chief Information Officer | GM Digital & Technology at Calibre Group Experienced senior IT leader with 25 years’ industry experience across Australia & Asia, with a passion and specialisation in leading IT/Digital transformations and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration through Agile ways of working.
Diverse experiences and exposure to consulting, enterprise solutions, architecture, business intelligence, complex strategies/roadmaps, infrastructure modernisation, security, contract negotiations, end user computing/collaboration solutions and new disruptive emerging technologies that are reshaping traditional business models.
A strong values, team and results focused leader with an outstanding track record in shaping and delivering cost effective, innovative and resilient solutions in complex business environments. Melissa has earned a reputation for building and leading high-performance teams which deliver high-value outcomes, making the complex simple, removing obstacles and creating inspiring world-class customer / employee experiences. I thrive in fast paced environments.
Cathy Dimarchos
Dimarchos is an award-winning Mentor, Global business advisor and coach, an indefatigable philanthropist, TEdX speaker and author who believes that knowledge is only of value when shared.
As a professional advisor and motivational voice, she dedicates her time to sharing lived experiences and knowledge that combines people, business and situational skills to deliver tangible tools and skills to clients and businesses across the globe. Her values take centre stage and business becomes honest and expressive.
She has clear boundaries in the way she lives life and works and together with her values steps forward into every challenge knowing the impact she can create.
With over 3 decades of experience in finance, setting-up and scaling businesses, a counselling degree, and certification in psychological safety she supports people to realise their unspoke ambition so they can step outside their comfort zone that would normally hold them back.
Through empathy and strategic positioning, she empowers people to establish healthy professional boundaries, think limitlessly and create the impact they want.
She believes in showing people a path and leading the way so that they can sustainably transform in business and in life.
“I believe, that as we rise, it is important to also lift those around us”. Cathy Dimarchos
Deb Donehue
A senior retail executive, I have spent the last 20+ years developing and delivering my end to end business & leadership skills in Retail/wholesale businesses. With a love for design, and a desire to make a difference in the lives of individuals, within the business, and as customers/ communities, I have had the great privilege to have worked with some great entrepreneurs, and businesses who have absolutely made a credible difference in their world of expertise.
I am now in a privileged position to take what I love most, and provide support to individuals, business owners, entrepreneurs through mentoring, coaching and education tools that enable them to design their best lives, their best businesses, and their best pathways to success.
I have demonstrated expertise in:
General Management of a Retail/Wholesale business.
Leadership of large teams 30+
Optimising operating costs through re-evalution and implementation of systems, processes and structures
Management of Merchandise Planning, Replenishment and Supply Chain functions
Category/ Brand Portolio management
Management of store & DC operations
Product Design and Development
Commercial Business Management
Ecommerce Management including site design, content management, marketing
Wholesale Sales Operations
Sourcing/ Importing/ Freight Management
Sector experience: Big Box Discount Retailing, Stationery and Office Supplies, Fashion Apparel, Homewares, Beauty & Cosmetics.
Cassandra Ashworth
Senior Director Partner Ecosystem Sales APJ at DocuSign
Cassandra is a dynamic executive with more than 25 years’ experience in Global, APJ, ANZ leadership across Sales, Marketing, Channel, GM and HR, primarily in the Technology and Education sectors.
Known for her agile transformational methods, entrepreneurial, strategic, collaborative, solution-oriented leadership along with her strong coaching, networking abilities, data-driven passion and results, Cassandra doesn’t shy away from a challenge of growth and build executive roles
Ricky Nowak
After a successful and rewarding career in education. in 2003 I became a professional Speaker, MC and Executive Coach specialising in Leadership Management and Behaviour. I support and coach clients virtually as well as in real time in leadership development and help them increase their impact and results.
I have presented over 4000 presentations at leadership conferences, meetings and corporate events and also consult for businesses and corporations developing their top talent and emerging talent. My focus is working in legal, finance, insurance, health, manufacturing and urban design.
Specialties
Leadership Speaker
Female MC and Panel Facilitator | Moderator
Vox Pops Interviewer
Presentation Skills (Virtual) Coach
Body Language Presenter and Coach
Jeni Clift
Professional EOS Implementer
We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. Alber Einstein
* Business &
Leadership Coach
* Business and Growth
Strategy
* Create high
functioning teams –
get the Right People
in the Right Seats
* Medium Business
owner &
General Manager
* Family Business
expertise & strategy
Jo Surkitt
Founder at Revitalise Escapes
Develop a powerful, clear mindset that will enable you to make sustainable “Positive Change” so you can thrive and flourish in your career and personal life.
* Expert Strategist
* Resilience Educator
* Communication
specialist
* Work/Life Balance
* Coaching Emotional
Intelligence/Positive
Psychology educator
* Professional Mentor
Annie Milne
It’s never too late, Start, today!
* Recruitment
specialist
* HR Strategy
* Fintech specialist
* IT specialist
* Productivity &
Performance Coach
* High Performance
Team Creation &
Mentoring, Culture
creation
* Effective
Recruitment- How to
get the right person
for the right role
* Leadership Coaching
* Communications
* Psychology
Maxine Driscoll
She has lead schools in Australia and Asia to become future-focused always bringing creativity, change and innovation to my teams. She is a passionate and inspirational edupreneur.
Her mission is to empower and develop a whole new generation of leaders to change organisations, businesses & schools around the world to truly meet the needs of the 21st Century.
It’s exciting!
Renee Jovic
Business Advisor & Strategist Zenith BA
Passionate about making small business financially successful.
* CPA Accountant
* Small Business
Owner and Educator
* Financial acocunting
specialist
* Budgeting for
business and
personal goals
* Small business
cashflows &
business structures
* Networking – both
professional &
personal
* Property
development and
investment
* Professional mentor
* Long-term business
goals strategist
* Business exit
strategy advice
Julie Hyam Elliott
Finance is not merely about making money. It’s about achieving our deep goals & protecting the fruits of our labor. It’s about stewardship &, therefore, about achieving the good society. Robert J.
* Business & Growth Strategy
* Governance including identification management of risks
* CEO – running a business, driving business efficiency & delivering superior outcomes
* Finance Strategist including analysing the financial position of a business,
ensuring you have access to sufficient resources for your growth and understanding cashflow
* Fintech Expert Board & Chair Roles including Government, Industry
and start-ups
* Financial Industry Specialist