My career story:
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine carving out the career that I have enjoyed so far; one that has taken me around the world, filled with adventure and been marked by powerful and smart risks, that have helped me serve others throughout Australia and overseas.
From an early age, I’ve been fascinated by people and culture. I grew up in the diverse melting pot of the west of Sydney in a suburb called Bankstown, spending a lot of my childhood playing and learning from my community and best friend from the Ukraine. Observing European traditions, alive communal values and families living simply with purpose.
Understanding different cultures and how they drive individuals, fueled my curiosity into forging a career in serving people. Having missed the grade for an entry into a Bachelor of Pharmacy, and then turning down an Interior Design Degree, fate fortunately propelled me into a Bachelor of Business.
It’s amazing to reflect on my career journey so far, knowing that for the first ten years of my working life, I started in the New South Wales Public Sector in roles for: Policy, Transport, Environment and HR. These early years equipped me with the discipline in thinking, the importance of understanding and meeting the needs of the community and working within government structures to collectively shape and influence policy and decision making.
Our Approach
From there, I moved into the private sector with Arthur Anderson, and I can still remember the shock I felt observing and navigating the cultural and behavioural differences in a new organisation. It was my introduction to a highly competitive culture, which on reflection, has shaped the humility, resolve and fair leadership style that I have today.
I then moved to Woods Bagot, an Australian architecture and interior design firm, where I established the first HR function in the business. In collaboration with The Executive Coach Pty Ltd, I built and delivered one of the first board and shareholder executive coaching programs in Australia . This role was followed by HR roles in American based companies COMPAQ and AT&T, giving me my first look into the international corporate landscape and the cultural nuances that lead and shape global HR initiatives.
My time with NOKIA was undoubtedly the most special of my career. Eight years of incredibly fast-paced, demanding change and organisational transformation agendas requiring conscientious approaches to engaging people and delivering HR programs across Australia, Japan, Singapore and Finland. Leading impactful change at a local, regional and global level left a footprint on my heart, a company shaped by and walking in the tenets of it’s values; equality, fairness, trust, hard work and nature.
Leaving NOKIA to pursue my first start-up consultancy firm was a huge leap of faith. I established E.MOTION Global in Finland, specialising in my passion areas of executive coaching and co-creating business solutions that enable individuals and organisations to thrive. This was complimented by the completion of both an MBA and Masters of Science in Coaching and Behavioural Change from the Henley Business School.
My next leap of faith and adventure was a head-hunted opportunity to contribute new thinking and perspectives as the Head of Culture and Employer Branding at Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore. A lot of sweat and a myriad of stakeholders eventually saw the introduction of a new global employee engagement platform and a more agile approach to ways of working and understanding engagement. Following this, a contract consulting role with BHP Billiton Singapore was a great opportunity to build on this experience, creating a specific integration and change management plan for the organisation.
A move into tech space came from Criteo, a leader in digital performance advertising, located in Japan. An organisation with big ambitions, high energy and start-up growing pains, Criteo gave the thrill of working in a mature start-up with fantastic people. Developing a corporate foundation and HR function that was scalable for long-term growth, whilst building momentum and energy.
A travel sabbatical, time with family and a home renovation has seen me settle back into life at home in Bondi, Sydney. Since being home, I’ve enjoyed a consultant role with State Plus in change management and organisational strategic planning, reconnecting me with the Australian business and organisational culture that I've missed so much.