Insider Insights: Recent Episodes
Sally Parrish
Welcome to Insider Insights where you get to meet Non Executive Directors and go inside their boardroom. Listen in as they share their tips and insights for landing a paid board role.
Ellen Hooper is a Non Executive Board Director, executive coach, entrepreneur and people and culture who holds a Masters of Management from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) from Bond University. She is the Director and Co-Founder of the Growth Collective, a leadership training business which supports new and emerging leaders, an executive coach and a former People and Culture executive.
At the time of this recording Ellen was on the boards of ECMS Pty Ltd, Growth Collective Pty Ltd, Merit Protection Board and the Cricket Victoria Integrity Commission
For further information:
www.growthcollective.com.au
www.ellenhooper.com.au
Lee Tonitto is a Mentor at the Board Coaching Institute and is the first Board Star to swap sides of the boardroom and become an Insider Insights podcast guest. Lee enrolled onto the Board Success System™ around April 2021 and has had incredible success.
As a seasoned Social Impact CEO, NED, and Chair, Lee is passionate about helping Boards shape sustainable success through governing inspiring businesses. Lee relishes working with Boards with an appetite for business growth whilst committed to managing social and environmental impact thereby reducing financial and reputational risks. Currently serving as a NED for the Australian Society for Progress and Wellbeing, Lee has provided Director leadership to the Australian Marketing Institute, Australian Association of National Advertisers and Association for Data Driven Marketing and Advertising.
Lee is also a Certified B Consultant. Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
Kerry is an experienced Non-Executive Director and sub-committee chair in the listed, government, private and NFP sectors and across diverse industries - retail, FMCG, professional services, education and training, AFL, health and fitness, and social services.
Kerry currently serves on the boards of ASX listed Retail Food, Aligned Leisure (subsidiary of the Richmond Football Club), Kids First Australia and Mental Health First Aid International. She is also an External Member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Parliament of Victoria. Kerry has previously served on the boards of the Richmond Football Club and CPA Australia.
She has also been a member of the advisory board of a start-up law firm, LEXVOCO (now LOD (Lawyers on Demand)) and the Commonwealth Attorney-General's advisory body, International Legal Services Advisory council. Kerry's background is in law. She had a broad-ranging legal career spanning over 20 years, including as a corporate and commercial partner at Norton Rose Fulbright and in-house counsel with the Packer Group (in India). She practised predominately in the consumer markets area, acting for many well-known Australian and international brands in relation to their business dealings in Australia and Asia.
Kerry is the recipient of an Austrade Business Fellowship to Indonesia, where she lived and worked for five years. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and recently completed the Harvard University cyber security course Managing Risk in the Information Age.
At the time of this interview, Lisa was a non-executive director of Australian Unity Limited, AV Jennings Limited, Warren and Mahoney, the Committee for Sydney, the Sydney Community Foundation and Artspace/Visual Arts Centre Limited, Chair of The Front Project and a Trustee of the Foundation of the Art Gallery of NSW.
She was also previously the Chair of Urbis Pty Limited and The Benevolent Society, a non-executive director of APN Outdoor Limited and the Deputy President of Trustees of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (Powerhouse Museum).
Before launching her board career, Lisa had a successful 30-year career in the legal profession, specialising in commercial property. She was a Partner at firms Maddocks and Blake Dawson (now Ashurst) where, during her 15 years as a partner, she served as an elected member of the firm’s board, as Sydney Managing Partner and as Executive Partner responsible for leading the national Property, Projects and Government Group and People and Culture strategies.
In 2004, Lisa completed the Advanced Management Program at INSEAD in France. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of Chief Executive Women.
In 2020, Lisa became a member of the General Division of the Order of Australia for significant service to the community through charitable and cultural organisations.
At the time of this interview, Rita was an Executive Coach and a highly experienced HR Practitioner working through her consultancy business Human Dimensions and had recently made her first break into the board world as Non Executive Director at Peninsula Health.
At the time of this interview, Robin combined her consultancy practice and Interim Executive roles with her committee of management role for a sporting group and board roles at Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians. She was also the Chair at Gippsland Ports.
At the time of this interview, Helen was running a consultancy business primarily in the health sector, sat on the board of Firefly Health and was the Chair for OzChild.
Her advisory board roles include the Australian Medical Council, Medicines Australia, the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists and the College of Intensive Care Medicine.
At the time of this interview, Anita ran her consultancy business Running Tall, and sat on the board at Matthews Steer Accountancy and Advisory.
At the time of this interview, Michelle sat on 13 boards and committees (several of which she chaired) including the Country Fire Authority, East Gippsland Water, First Samuel Ltd, a local school board and the Very Special Kids Foundation. Shortly after this video was made, Michelle was appointed Chief Commissioner to the Victorian Building Authority.
At the time of this interview, Jocelyn split her time between her own consulting business and her duties as a professional NED. She was Chair at Strathcona Baptist Grammar School as well as holding a handful of roles across financial services boards and bodies which align to her passion for empowering the Australian community in their financial affairs.
At the time of this interview, Delyth was on the board of the Mulgrave Country Club. Her first board role was a state-appointed role as a result of her textiles industry expertise with the International Fibre Centre. She had also recently completed 5 years as secretary of the local tennis club.
At the time of this interview, Jenny had recently made the move to Full time NED after a long and successful career as a CEO.
She was on the Board of Research Australia, The Queensland Mind and Neuroscience Thompson Institute, Evidentli Pty Ltd, and was also a Council member of University Sunshine Coast.
At the time of this interview Donna was serving on three boards; Gale Pacific Ltd, YMCA Services Pty Ltd and Dandenong Market Pty Ltd, and had a chair role in some of the various board committees of these organisations. She is an Executive Advisor to the consumer and retail sector and is also the proud winner of the Telstra Business Women of the Year award.
At the time of this interview, Leonie was running her own consultancy and sat on two government boards; statutory authority Film Victoria and Holmesglen Institute. She is a co-opted member of Emily’s List Australia National Committee and was made a Member of the Order of Australia for her years of effort and success mentoring females seeking roles in parliament.
At the time of this interview Garry served on multiple boards and advisory projects including Dotz and the Centre for Social Impact Advisory Council and was Chair of both Stuart Alexander & Co and the University of New South Wales International House.
He is an Ambassador for Legacy Australia, the Past District Governor for Rotary International and Adjunct Associate Professor for the University of Technology (where he was also Chair of a ground-breaking proposal to build Australia’s first truly comprehensive Indigenous Residential College).
Not surprisingly, in 2014 Garry was presented with a member of the order of Australia for his decades of service to a wide range of causes.
At the time of this interview Gillian was running a consultancy business for boards and executives and was sitting on 3 boards including Scouts Australia, Hills United (a semi professional football club) and was Chair for the WOBSX which is a peer support program for ASX aspiring females.
Shortly after recording this interview, Gillian accepted a role as an ASX C-Suite HR Manager.
At the time of this interview Leah was Leah an independent Non Executive Director for Columbus Capital which manages a portfolio of in excess of $9b and ASX listed Forager Funds Management (ASX: FOR).
She also sat on multiple committees including board sub-committees for risk and remuneration, and the external committees of management for Western NSW Local Health District and Sydney Local Health District.
At the time of this interview Craig was the MD for Prosci, ("the world leader in change management best practice research") and board director at Oceania, Harness Racing NSW and Meals on Wheels NSW.
He was also on the advisory board for CUB a professional development network for business leaders and entrepreneurs, the Stadium Club at Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust and was a member of the judging panel for Australian Golf Digest.
At the time of this interview, Sandra had recently made the jump from CEO in her executive career to professional full time Non Executive Director. She was serving on the boards of Snowy Hydro a Government Business Enterprise and think tank Infrastructure Partners and was appointed to MACA Ltd shortly after this recording.
At the time of this recording, Jennifer was a professional Non Executive Director with 6 boards in her portfolio. With an impressive spread across sectors including GUD Holdings an ASX top 200 business, the energy and technology sector, Peter McCallum Cancer Foundation and St Kilda Football Club.
Andrew MacLeod is a former UN Specialist, Terrorist Negotiator, Natural Disasters Emergency Response Manager and Global Affairs expert. In this interview he explained how mismanaged social risks and under-utilised social opportunities impact on the valuations and profits in business.
At the time of recording Andrew was the non executive chair at Griffin Law, NED for Burnham Global, the Outdoor Education Group, Arabian Leopard Fund and held advisory board roles at LendSend and Keele University.
At the time of this interview Wendy was a NED of the Commonwealth Bank, Coles Group Ltd and Fitted for Work, and a Council Member of The University of Melbourne.
She held multiple committee and panel positions, was the chair of the Industry Advisory Board for the Centre for Business Analytics at the Melbourne Business School and a member of the Digital Experts Advisory Committee for the Digital Taskforce in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.