Women With Influence Community Members

  • Rita Cincotta

    Intentional Leadership Expert, Executive Coach, Mentor, Speaker, and Author

    Rita is a seasoned leadership development professional with over two decades of experience in various HR executive roles across multiple industries such as technology, healthcare, and financial services. In 2018, she founded her own leadership development practice, focusing on helping individuals and organisations achieve peak performance and fulfilment. Rita holds extensive qualifications, including a Bachelor of Business and Arts, a Masters in Industrial and Employee Relations, and is pursuing a PhD. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds multiple professional accreditations. As a facilitator and keynote speaker, Rita has crafted and delivered numerous leadership programmes and authored two books on business partnering and leadership. Additionally, she serves in various non-executive board positions, contributing to committees at Peninsula Health.

    Find out more about Rita here.

  • Alessandra Edwards

    High Performance and Well-Being Coach, Personalised Genetic Strategy Mentor, Trainer, Author

    Alessandra Edwards is a leading expert in the DNA of performance and well-being, specialising in helping high-performing leaders leverage their genetics for optimal health and vitality. With over 16 years of experience, she has guided top-level leaders globally, offering a unique approach that combines clinical nutrition, epigenetics, and her corporate background. Her clients, including CEOs and executives, typically see a 50% increase in energy and productivity through genetic and biochemical optimisation. Alessandra provides personalised genetic strategies, demystifying complex science to help professionals achieve their goals. She also mentors leaders through burnout, trains executive teams, and conducts workshops and keynote speeches on maximising performance through genetics. Outside of work, Alessandra is dedicated to personal health, training for triathlons, and enjoys a rich home life with her family and pets. She holds a first-class degree in health science and multiple professional qualifications, making her a sought-after expert in her field.

    Find out more about Alessandra here.

  • Dr. Michelle Pizer

    Leadership Expert, Executive Coach, and Organisational Psychologist

    Dr Michelle Pizer, an accomplished organisational and counselling psychologist with over three decades of experience, is dedicated to empowering ambitious individuals in today's dynamic business landscape. Having worked with renowned organisations like Google, KPMG, BHP, and Goldman Sachs, Michelle brings extensive wisdom and insight to her executive coaching, leadership programs, and speaking engagements. Her expertise is frequently featured in prominent media outlets. Michelle's approach combines academic rigour with practical experience, focusing on the importance of human-centred skills such as empathy, self-awareness, and authentic leadership. Her mission is to equip leaders with the tools to inspire, collaborate, and drive meaningful change in modern workplaces. Through her work, Michelle offers practical strategies and real-world insights to help leaders master communication, foster genuine connections, and manage conflict effectively.

    Find out more about Michelle here.

  • Kylee Leota

    Transformational Leadership Expert, Leadership Speaker, Executive Coach, Facilitator, and Advisor

    Kylee Leota, the founder of Elements 4 Success, leads a global organisation dedicated to delivering transformational experiences to individuals, teams, and businesses. With over 20 years of experience in the education sector, including leadership roles at both school and regional levels, Kylee aims to empower people of all ages with the confidence, skills, and tools needed to live a purposeful life. She believes in unlocking the innate knowledge within individuals to achieve success and provides the necessary tools to make goals a reality. Her work extends beyond education to sectors such as complex behaviour, trauma, early intervention, and transition to work, demonstrating her adaptability across industries. As a change management facilitator specialising in sustainable behaviour changes, Kylee has built a reputation for delivering results through out-of-the-box thinking and solution-focused approaches, earning Elements 4 Success a long list of satisfied clients.

    Find out more about Kylee here.

  • Alison Crabb

    Retail Leadership Expert

    Alison Crabb spent 25 years working for one of Australia’s most successful retailers, leading the largest division within the Flight Centre Travel Group, which delivered the company's highest global profit for eight consecutive years. An expert in retail operations and leadership, Alison excels in fostering environments of trust, purpose, and inspired culture, guiding teams towards shared goals. Under her leadership, profits grew from $18 million to $49 million in 8 years. She has been honoured with the Flight Centre Director’s Award for Global Outstanding Achievement and was a finalist in Telstra’s Business Woman of the Year.

    Find out more about Alison here.

  • Sue Anderson

    Coach, Trainer, Mediator, Speaker and Author Specialising in Resilience and Empowerment

    Sue Anderson is a coach, trainer, mediator, speaker, and author who specialises in resilience and empowerment. She is the author of "Unshakeable at Work," a book that guides readers on how to stop taking things personally and build resilience. As a Thought Leader in resilience building and individual empowerment at work, Sue helps individuals transform anger and frustration into strength, control, authority, and confidence. Her programs empower employees, focusing on developing mental toughness to excel under workplace pressures. Sue believes that fostering an Unshakeable workplace culture is essential for enhancing everyone's well-being and quality of life.

    Find out more about Sue here.

  • Susanne Le Boutillier

    Leadership, Change and Strategy Advisor, Facilitator, Executive Coach

    Susanne Le Boutillier is a seasoned executive who masterfully blends ambiguity, complexity, and effective leadership to achieve success. With over thirty years of experience in challenging environments, she excels in leadership, stakeholder engagement, and change management. Susanne's warm and insightful approach simplifies complex situations, helping leaders and organisations navigate difficulties and emerge stronger. Her consulting expertise includes strategy and policy development, leading transformational change, governance, and stakeholder engagement. Susanne has delivered results in diverse contexts, such as implementing health reforms, expanding clinical training capacity, co-designing services for vulnerable populations, and developing new governance models, always maintaining a focus on clarity and adaptability.

    Find out more about Susanne here.

  • Maureen Kyne

    Workplace Crisis Strategist & Intervention, Speaker, Director

    Maureen is a leading authority on workplace bullying, sexual harassment, and discrimination, with a diverse career spanning nursing, manufacturing, construction, transport, HR, IR, and WHS. Her extensive experience in both regional towns and capital cities gives her a unique understanding of the economic and workplace pressures across various environments. Known for her warm demeanour and easy conversational style, Maureen is fearless in addressing issues that others avoid. Whether focused on prevention, detection, or correction of bullying, she adeptly uncovers the root causes of complex situations. Driven by respect, Maureen is dedicated to saving lives and building better futures as a confidante and training facilitator.

    Find out more about Maureen here.

  • Samantha Rush

    Decision Making Expert, Speaker, Facilitator, and Consultant

    Samantha is a seasoned speaker, facilitator, consultant, and coach dedicated to empowering individuals, teams, and organisations to navigate decision-making with confidence and clarity. Drawing from her extensive background in intelligence, corporate executive roles, and strategic consulting across various sectors, she offers a unique perspective on today's complex decisions. Samantha excels at guiding through the maze of considerations and expectations, fostering innovation by merging diverse ideas and challenging conventional thinking while prioritising psychological safety. Her expertise ensures well-made decisions, providing reassurance in a complex world. Join Samantha Rush in "Deciphering Complexity," where she shares her wisdom and strategies for making better decisions, inspiring growth and progress.

    Find out more about Samantha here.

  • Sarah Makris

    Career Success Coach, Communication Mentor, Speaker, and Host of the Career Success Coach Podcast

    For 20 years, Sarah helped her employers, some of the largest corporations in Australia, to amplify their reputations as leaders in their industries. She developed campaigns that showed their CEOs to be among the sharpest in the game. Now, she uses the same corporate communication techniques in her proven coaching framework. Coaching high-level executives through the framework, Sarah helps them to reach their full career potential. With her coaching and tools at their disposal, they're able to make waves in the right professional circles, articulating who they are and the professional value they bring.

    Find out more about Sarah here.

  • Leonie McCarthy

    Project Manager, Digital System Strategist, Founder of 6R Retail

    Leonie has 20 years experience supporting customer-centric organisations in the retail sector with systems and technology, including ERP, PLM, PIM, Ecom, Mar tech, middleware, and warehouse systems. She has led complex technology change and transformation projects and is known for her ability to navigate IT providers to align with clients’ needs. Leonie leads a team focused on building positive and collaborative relationships between stakeholders and taking a practical and direct approach to challenge the status quo. Her leadership is based on developing potential and creating possibilities and opportunities for others.

    Find out more about Leonie here.

  • Sally King

    Culture and Capability Advisor | Business Development Strategist

    Sally demystifies business development by working with leaders and individuals, employing a systems-informed approach to identify and overcome obstacles to success. With over a decade of experience in leading strategic communications, marketing, and business development in professional services, she now serves as a strategic advisor, facilitator, mentor, and speaker. Sally helps create thriving business development cultures within practices, ensuring both individuals and organisations achieve their goals.

    Find out more about Sally here.

  • Samantha Pearce

    People Leadership & Development

    Samantha, a proactive Chief Culture Officer and Certified NLP Practitioner, brings extensive HR expertise and strategic insight. With deep knowledge in People and Culture, Strategy, Leadership, and Diversity, she excels in driving transformational programs and delivering complex solutions and strategic advice. Samantha fosters dynamic and productive environments through collaborative leadership, promoting engagement and goal alignment. Skilled in networking and mediation, she builds strong relationships and resolves conflicts effectively. Valuing creativity and teamwork, she leads and mentors teams to drive process improvement and enhance client value. Her career achievements demonstrate her commitment to excellence and continuous improvement.mmitment to excellence and continuous improvement.

  • Sarah Hochholzer

    Communication Specialist | Helping leaders develop effective communication skills to create a lasting impact | Speaker

    After more than 20 years as an Executive HR Generalist, Sarah transitioned to entrepreneurship, founding her human-centered business, PPL Centrik. Her extensive career includes leadership roles at notable companies like Chobani Australia, where she significantly expanded the People and Culture function from 92 to 270 employees, navigating growth challenges and fostering resilience amid rapid change in a competitive environment. Prior to Chobani, Sarah accumulated valuable experience at esteemed organisations such as Random House Australia, Novartis Consumer Health, and prestigious Melbourne hotels like Sofitel, the Regent, and the Radisson. Despite learning from leadership mistakes, Sarah's journey of self-improvement equipped her to successfully scale HR operations, lead cultural change initiatives, and achieve remarkable growth. She spearheaded Chobani's acclaimed 'Women in Leadership' programme and earned 'Great Places to Work' accreditation for high employee engagement in 2016 and 2017.

    Find out more about Sarah here.

  • Dr. Julie Rowse

    Mental Health Expert | Leader | Speaker | Author

    Dr. Julie Rowse is a seasoned mental health occupational therapist, speaker, coach, and author with over 20 years of experience. She founded Healthy Mind and Soul Pty Ltd in 2016, dedicated to creating sustainable mental health programs for various organisations. Julie earned her PhD in 2011 and has since presented at mental health conferences worldwide. Residing in regional Victoria, Australia, she maintains her own mental wellbeing through activities like bushwalking and spa visits. A strong advocate for positive mental health, Julie believes that effective leadership is key to improving global mental health and wellbeing.

    Find out more about Julie here.

  • Mandy Napier

    High-Performance Mindset Coach, Executive Coach, Breakthrough Results Coach, Speaker Educator, Author

    Mandy Napier, a High-Performance Mindset and Executive Coach for over 15 years. Mandy has helped thousands of people break through, clear their limiting programs, and transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. She has worked with entrepreneurs, leaders, high-achieving business professionals, and athletes to help them gain clarity, and confidence, and build consistency in all they do. Mandy is known for getting to the core of their problems, having a ‘no-fluff’ approach, and being obsessed with results.

    Her experiences in life include: She represents Australia in ultra-distance triathlons and competes at the gruelling Hawaiian Ironman World Championships. She has six years of travelling the globe, with many solo adventures. Her former career was managing and leading the sales team to exceed and excel. Mandy's clients often refer to her as the ‘Mindset Alchemist,’ and she is known for her persistence and determined nature!

    Find out more about Mandy here.

  • Dr. Desley Lodwick

    Women's Leadership Expert, Executive and Leadership Development

    Desley, founder of Aberrant Learning and creator of Contextualist Cohort Coaching, has dedicated over 20 years to presenting her innovative ideas on leadership and organisational culture at conferences worldwide. Her interactive keynotes aim to inspire and facilitate action, addressing complex issues with integrity and respect. With a background as a managing director of a global IT company, extensive executive coaching experience, and doctoral research in contextualist coaching, Desley understands the demands on leaders and the intricacies of modern workplaces. Her work focuses on developing sense-making capacities to navigate contemporary challenges. Outside of her professional achievements, Desley is a musician and lives with her husband and two rescue cats.

    Find out more about Desley here.

  • Ros Weadman

    Brand Communication and Reputation Expert Speaker, Advisor, Mentor, and Author of ‘Enhance Your Reputation’

    Ros Weadman is an award-winning brand communication and reputation expert with over 35 years of experience in public relations, branding, and marketing communications. Combining expertise in strategic communications, psychology, and education, Ros empowers consultants, businesses, and organisations to communicate their value and enhance their reputation. As a trusted advisor to numerous business executives and political leaders, she champions purpose-driven brands that inspire and engage. Her Strategic Brand Alignment Method™ ensures consistency across corporate culture, communications, customer experience, and citizenship. A Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Australia, Ros has won several national and state awards for her campaigns. Her work fosters credibility, trust, and enhanced reputations by aligning organisational beliefs, values, and purpose.

    Find out more about Ros here.

  • Jeanette Cremor

    Strategic Project Advisor, Facilitator and Coach

    Jeanette Cremor is an independent project consultant, coach, and advisor, often regarded as a 'project problem solver' or 'project doctor'. With over 20 years of experience, primarily in government and universities, she excels in diagnosing and addressing issues such as conflicting priorities, lack of control, failed delivery, and poor leadership. Jeanette has held roles including Project Coordinator, Business Analyst, Project Manager, PMO Manager, and Program Director, managing programs with significant capital and operational budgets. Known for her hands-on approach and ability to deliver results, she has gained valuable insights from both her successes and challenges in the field.

    Find out more about Jeanette here.

  • Suzie Thoraval

    Leader & Strategist

    Suzie is a versatile, authentic, and energetic senior leader with a strong focus on outcomes and strategic thinking. As the Director of Corporate Strategy and Governance at the Victorian Department of Transport and Chair of the Finance, Audit, and Risk Committee at the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing, she excels in resolving complex issues and fostering collaborative relationships. Previously, Suzie led the Corporate Governance, Legal, Communication, and Education Division at the Portable Long Service Authority and held several senior roles at the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet, including Chief Risk Officer. With a background as a Director at the Victorian Electoral Commission, she has implemented major legislative reforms and strategic projects. Suzie is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, holding a Masters and Bachelor of Law (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts. Her extensive experience across private, public, and academic sectors, combined with her legal and strategic expertise, enables her to provide impactful solutions and strategic guidance.

  • Gillian Smith

    Founder of Connect Lead Coach

    Gillian Smith, founder of Connect Lead Coach, is an energetic and positive HR professional dedicated to inspiring compassionate leadership and connection in workplaces through introspection and self-awareness. Based in Brisbane, she has over 20 years of global experience with FTSE 100 and ASX listed companies such as HAYS, Shepherd Group, Ventyx, and ABB, spanning the UK, Ireland, Europe, US, Australia, and New Zealand. Gillian has led and managed teams in recruitment, learning and development, and HR business partnering, always approaching her roles with focus, determination, and heart. Following two episodes of corporate burnout, she transitioned in 2021 to a leadership coach, facilitator, and speaker role, aiming to support and inspire current and future leaders through Connect Lead Coach.

    Find out more about Gillian here.

  • Lynne Ryan

    Mindset, Change & Leadership Expert, Helping Leaders and Teams To “Give It A Go”

    Lynne Ryan is an experienced Senior Manager with expertise in Change Management, Leadership Coaching, Staff Development, Process Improvement, and Training & Facilitation. She takes pride in her work and excels both autonomously and as part of a team, where she enjoys mentoring and developing others to help them reach their potential. Throughout her career, Lynne has worked across various roles, departments, and businesses, which has made her a versatile, flexible, and robust professional.

  • Melanie Marshall

    Leadership and Organisational Culture Expert

    Melanie is a leadership and organisational culture expert dedicated to creating adaptive workplaces and developing leaders at all levels. With a background as a Royal Australian Air Force veteran and public servant, she has extensive experience in hospitals, councils, IT, and various state and federal government departments, understanding the complexities of service organisations. Over her 20-year career, Melanie has excelled in management, leadership, employee experience, service delivery, organisational performance, and people development. A published author and Stevie Award winner for Thought Leadership, she has been featured on multiple podcasts, including The Oxford Review UK, as a specialist in trust, organisational culture, service improvement, and digital transformation. Melanie provides independent advisory and coaching services for senior executives managing large-scale, multi-year government programs and services valued from $15M to billions, helping clients connect everyday efforts with long-term strategy, make evidence-based decisions, and implement practical improvements for adaptable and sustainable outcomes.

    Find out more about Melanie here.

  • Elaine Green

    Leadership Expert

    Elaine is dedicated to developing people and optimising businesses through coaching, mentoring, and adaptive leadership, believing that people are the most vital asset in today’s dynamic environment. She fosters trust and connection, encouraging clients to step beyond their comfort zones and pursue their goals with courage, aiming to energise individuals and help them find purpose and life balance. With over 30 years of experience, Elaine is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and Team Coach certified by the International Coach Federation (ICF), and holds a Masters in Social and Organisational Leadership from Charles Sturt University, where she earned High Distinction and the University Medal. Her expertise spans sectors including Retail, Energy, Mining, Telecommunications, and Education. Elaine employs a collaborative approach to deliver value and return on investment, fostering resilience, authenticity, and self-awareness to drive effective communication, courageous conversations, and sustainable organisational effectiveness.

  • Jackie Stapleton

    Career Growth Strategist for ISO Management Systems Professionals | ISO 9001 | Speaker | Coach | Trainer | Obsessed with elevating the career growth of ISO Quality Professionals to achieve their full potential.

    Jackie's entrepreneurial journey began as a teenager, teaching children how to swim. Throughout the years, Jackie owned various businesses, including service stations, floor covering, and management system consulting. Currently, she holds triple-certification as a contract auditor and serves as the owner/ director of Auditor Training Online, an online training company.

    Find out more about Jackie here.

  • Inbal Rodnay

    Innovation Expert | AI Strategist | Keynote Speaker

    Inbal understands the challenges firms face with the ever-evolving tech landscape in accounting and more widely with AI. Inbal helps firms not only catch up, but become industry leaders in technology. With years of expertise in accounting technology and change management, she is not just a consultant; Inbal is the dynamo that brings real change and a buzz of excitement to your firm.

    Find out more about Inbal here.

  • Angela Richardson

    Leadership and Change Expert | Board Chair

    Angela is a masters qualified, business consultant who works with boards, executive and senior leaders to design and implement services and solutions to increase employee engagement and enable people to be their best at work. Angela is an expert in organisational design, strategy, culture, governance, capability development, processes and systems change. Angela has 22+ years’ experience working in private, not-for-profit and government organisations. Angela is Managing Director of her consulting firm, Eucalypt Consulting and is currently Board Chair of Kimberley College.

    Find out more about Angela here.