WORK WITH MENTOR WALKS

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Tanya Cole is the Founder and Chief Executive of the Hessel Group which has been in operation in Australia since 1998. Starting as a home based business with two young children, passion to succeed and take risks allowed the company to grow. The Hessel Group now provides professional care both in and out of the home, training educators for employment in childcare, aged and disability through Enhance Training our Registered Training Organisation, and on site portable Creches.

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Tracey brings a background of 15-plus years in multi-channel operations, business and people management across media and sales/marketing agencies, at CEO level both internationally and here in Aotearoa. Leading with aroha and a cohesive, people-first approach woven into commercial strategy, Tracey has been a catalyst for the tremendous foundational shift in business across Aotearoa, forging equity and intentional diversity throughout.

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Lisa Wall, Chief People Officer, joined Seequent in 2017. She brings nearly two decades of diverse human resources experience to her senior leadership role in this multi-national ground-breaking technology firm. With a background in HR and operations management, a psychology degree from Dalhousie University and Human Resource Management at Mount Royal University and London Business School. Originally from Canada's East Coast, Lisa is now based in Calgary. As Chief People Officer at Seequent, Lisa's mandate is to foster a world-class place for people to do their best work together.

Jenet has 19 years in the APS, the last 12 at the Deputy level, and has worked in 6 difference departments/agencies.

Prior to the APS she worked in the private sector; prior to that state governments in WA and Victoria. With a Masters degree in Organisational Psychology, Jenet has a passion for helping organisations achieve their highest level of performance – through their systems, people and processes.

Nadine is an accomplished senior workplace director with 20+ years of experience. Her expertise is in driving change and performance, and in large scale structural adjustments. 

Nadine is also an experienced Company Director and Deputy Chair in both public companies and not for profit organisations. She is professionally qualified as Company Director with the AICD. Nadine holds qualifications in business, a law degree with honours and a PhD covering organisational change and workplace relations.

Charlotte was the former CEO of Jade Software Corporation for six years. Prior to joining Jade she has led global businesses in Health Technology, and Packaging & Print. Charlotte is also an experienced company director, including current roles on the Board of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, and the Dodd Wall Centre for Quantum and Photonic Technologies. Outside of work she has three children and is an avid fan of new technologies and Jeeps.

Di is an experienced chief executive officer, and board director with a demonstrated history of working with the multi faceted businesses within retail, ecommerce, wholesale, tourism, sports and education. Skilled in governance, business strategy, brand strategy, marketing strategy, high performance leadership, product and design strategy, financial management, transformation project management and mentoring women in business.

Afsaneh was a banker for 25 years, the majority of which were spent at Citibank in the EMEA region, managing SME and multinational businesses, credit, trade finance, and cash management products. In the UAE, she headed the corporate bank of a local bank. She was a Senior Consultant for banks in the Middle East before joining IFC as a Senior Investment Officer in mid-2020, where she has been working on their Upstream initiatives in Emerging Markets, mostly focused on gender, SME & trade issues. Afsaneh holds a BSBA in Finance and an LLM in Financial Crimes and Money Laundering. 

Rola Abu Manneh is the Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank UAE, a role she has held since August 2018. She is the first Emirati woman to head a bank in the UAE. In her role, Rola has been responsible for transforming the UAE business into one of the biggest five markets for the Standard Chartered Group. Rola completed her studies at the University of London – Royal Holloway and Bedford New College and holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics & Operational Research. She is fluent in Arabic and English and is married with two children.

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Andi is an executive coach and facilitator with over 25 years experience in corporate and community based environments. With a background in global corporate enterprises, Big 4 management consulting and boutique leadership development consulting, Andi's worked with organisations such as IBM, KPMG, NAB, Telstra, Corporate Vision, CBA, Australia Post, Deloitte, ANZ, Coles Myer, Holden, and the AFL. Andi’s particular passion is assisting women in transition, career advancement, career change and resilience and work/life integration.  Andi is the Director of Life NRG Pty Ltd, an organization that empowers women.

Mim heads up Mim Bartlett Consulting where she leads a team focused on maximising strong authentic leadership and wellbeing. She is a qualified lawyer, psychotherapist, a sought-after coach, facilitator, human rights champion and gender equality advocate. 

Mim joined MW to support and empower women  to reach their potential across their life and to create a supportive and caring community of women all lifting each other up.

Bernadette Inglis is the Chief Executive Officer of Newcastle Greater Mutual Group Limited (NGM Group). NGM Group is one of Australia's largest customer-owned financial institutions, providing retail banking services to more than half a million Australians under its brands Greater Bank and Newcastle Permanent. Bernadette is also an experienced non-executive director, with a broad spectrum of Board appointments encompassing arts, education, infrastructure, supply chain and charitable foundations. She is presently on the Board of GWA Group Limited, and Chair of the People and Culture Committee.

A professional director with twenty years’ experience, Sam is passionate about creating value through human capital, emerging technologies and contemporary governance. Sam is currently a non-executive director of NGM Group Australia, one of Australia’s largest customer-owned, multi-brand banks where she chairs the People, Culture and Remuneration Committee. Sam is a former Businesswoman of the Year, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a conjoint academic at the University of Newcastle, Australia and a thought leader for Forbes, America’s leading business magazine.

Professor Alphia Possamai-Inesedy is the Pro Vice Chancellor of Engagement and Advancement at Western Sydney University, President of the Australian Sociological Association and inaugural Chair of the Social Justice Network. Alphia was Chair of Academic Senate and the inaugural Director of WSU’s Sydney City Campus. She has worked as an Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor of Academia and led the co-creation of the Master of Research at WSU (the first centralised degree of the University).

Helen started her career at Deloitte as a graduate in the London office and moved to Sydney in 1997 on the global development program. After transferring permanently she became a partner in the audit and advisory group (A&A) in June 2004. Helen's experience covers audit and assurance services to clients in many industries, with a focus on real estate, consumer business, not for profit and healthcare. She was previously the leader of the firm's national senior living group, which focuses on the aged care and retirement village sectors.

Melissa is a commercially astute, highly focused and driven executive leader with significant experience in human resource leadership, industrial relations, organisational development and change management.

Melissa is passionate about leading large scale business transformations which result in increased business and people performance.

Alison is an experienced senior executive with extensive background in all aspects of corporate affairs, general management, legal and regulatory compliance, finance, marketing and international business operations. She is passionate about improving diversity and building opportunities for women through mentoring and leads Mentor Walks in Perth.

Welcoming every opportunity to enjoy outdoor conversations about careers, diversity and life balance during walks along the beautiful Swan River, Alison is an enthusiastic promoter of the benefits of Mentor Walks for mentors as well as mentees.

Linda O’Farrell is a senior executive with extensive experience in the Western Australian resources sector. Linda has shaped people strategy for leading resource companies and since 2013 has led the People and Infrastructure Services teams for Fortescue Metals Group (FMG). In 2015 Linda was honoured to be awarded the CME Women in Resources Champion award and has continued to contribute to empowering women through her involvement with Dress for Success WA (2017) and Chief Executive Women. 

Aliza built and led APAC businesses for Google, Twitter and Cloudflare. Prior to that, she was in banking and consulting. She is now a senior advisor for BCG, a Forbes columnist, and a NED (Tyro and HealthMetrics - Australia; Azentio and Healthway Medical - Singapore).

Aliza is the author of Don't Quit Your Day Job, outlining 6 mindshifts you need to rise & thrive at work as part of her commitment to empowering the next generation of leaders. Recently listed in the Top 100 Women in Tech (Singapore, 2021), she's also been named the IT Woman of the Year (Asia, 2020).

Belinda is the Vice President of APJ Marketing at Veeam Software and a proud Executive Sponsor of their 'Women in Green' and ‘Mentor Labs’ programs.

Passionate about leadership and advocating for equality, she is a true believer in the power of women supporting women.

Belinda joined Mentor Walks Singapore after a positive experience in Australia, to connect and empower women in Singapore in their career development.

A career entrepreneur, Laura is the co-founder and CEO of Tealish, a market-leading Canadian specialty tea company, founded in 2005. She is also the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of JOYN Botanicals, a cannabis biotech company with patented technology. Laura has created brands and products sold across the continent for some of North America's largest retailers including Macys, Whole Foods, Indigo, Hudson's Bay, Staples, Avon, and Goodfood. With expertise and a history of success creating cutting-edge products in the plant-based wellness sector, Laura's products have garnered attention worldwide. 

Penny is an accomplished technology executive with a passion for empowering customers to make better business decisions through innovative technology solutions. Currently serving as the VP of Mining Data Management Solutions for Seequent, she has over 25 of experience in sales and technical roles for large software companies. 

Outside of work, Penny is on the board of directors for Vancouver Skating Club and enjoys skiing and mountain biking. She is committed to leading a balanced and fulfilling life, and is excited to share her experiences and knowledge with mentees in the mentorship program.

Angelina is a highly sought after facilitator, coach and consultant. She has 20+ years experience running women's leadership development programs within corporations, professional service firms, the education and not-for-profit sectors. She has also worked as a management consultant in both Australia & the United Kingdom. She also currently teaches Positive Psychology to Masters students in the Faculty of Business and Economics at Monash University. Angelina is a mum, a step mum, a fur-baby mum, a wife, a daughter, an aunty, sister and godmother. She likes big books and has lived in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney and London.

Courtney West provides taxation, compliance and business services to a range of clients across the Illawarra. Courtney is proud to be KPMG Wollongong’s first female Partner. Courtney enjoys working with her clients and teams to navigate change. With over 20 years experience, Courtney brings insights to help her clients and teams grow and succeed. Courtney is an alumni of the University of Wollongong & the Sydney Business School’s Leadership Program. She is currently on the board of two not-for-profit organisations, but her most important role is mum to Matilda.

Renee joined the Wollongong City Council in 2021 as the Manager Organisational Development.
Renee joined her local Council in pursuit of supporting her local community, through the
development of the human resources function to further enable internal support in building an
extraordinary Wollongong. Renee is an advocate for the Wollongong region and female progression in the workplace. Renee is passionate about supporting her local community and is the leader for Mentor Walks in the Wollongong region and is inspired by advancing career support for females through mentoring and networking in our local community.