Keynote Speaker
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: MONICA MELDRUM
Meet Monica Meldrum co-founder of Whole Kids.
Whole Kids was founded over 13 years ago with one simple idea – to make it easier for parents to provide a healthy, happy life for their children. Fed up with foods full of artificial additives and very little nutrition, and unethically marketed to kids, Monica & husband James, decided enough was enough. It was time for a change.
Whole Kids is the first Australian food business to be certified as a B Corp and one of the founding members of B Corporation Australia. They make profits with a purpose, and their aim is to bring about long-term sustainable change in the way food is sourced, manufactured, distributed and ethically marketed to children (and families).
They also run Whole Kids Small Seeds Community Grants programme to support grassroots organisations and groups that are working hard in their local communities to improve children’s health and wellbeing through innovative and impactful projects.
Whole Kids is busy expanding into Asia and Monica will share with us some of her lessons learnt around capital raising having run two successful rounds of crowd funding.
MEET OUR PANELLISTS
ANITA LANE
Anita Lane is the co-founder and director of Solution Underwriting Agency, a thriving and profitable business, with a strong reputation in the insurance market for its service-based approach.
Anita is a first-generation migrant from South America who arrived in Australia with her family with the hope of a better life; a chance for an education and a world filled of greater opportunities that did not exist in her home country.
Anita started her insurance career as a specialist Insurance Broker in Collins Street, Melbourne. It was 1996 – a time before the ease of online university, but Anita completed her Bachelor of Business degree at night school all while working full time. With certificate in hand, she promptly pursued her goal of working at the home of insurance, Lloyd’s of London. Having told her family, she was just going ‘on a vacation’ after her degree, Anita had secretly arranged a work visa for the UK and landed in London in May 1997 with a strong desire to succeed in the insurance market in London. After six years in London, Anita returned to Australia. Her experience and exposure to the international marketplace provided her with solid opportunities to continue her insurance career in Australia.
In 2010 Anita co-founded an underwriting agency business with not a single policy or client. She has shaped and grown the business to what it is today – almost 50 employees, over four offices, three underwriting divisions with multiple products in each. Anita continues to work within the business and to hold strong stakeholder relationships both locally and in London.
Anita is passionate about diversity and inclusion, mentoring and coaching young people in the industry, and higher education (she is currently undertaking her MBA). With almost 30 years’ experience in the industry, she still believes it is the best industry out there and loves the challenges it brings each day. She is also excited about the future of the industry as it continues to evolve and broaden its landscape to encompass not just traditional broking and underwriting skill sets but also embracing the unique perspectives and skills of the emerging workforce.
In her spare time Anita enjoys spin classes with really loud music, Spanish Telenovela’s and True Murder Podcasts
CHARLIE PUCHALA
Charlie Puchala is a successful business woman and the creative behind Charlies Interiors Pty Ltd, Attunga Group Pty Ltd, ZA Collective and Puch Construction & Building Pty Ltd.
Based in Sydney, NSW, Charlie’s passion for interior design and ethical production have driven her business ventures in the construction and creative industries and with incredible results.
Under the Charlies Interiors brand, Charlie designs, develops and fully furnishes homes in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and takes them to market as a complete and luxury living solution. Where possible, each home incorporates sustainable materials and design, along with ethically sourced furniture and homewares.
Taking a new approach to luxury property development, Charlie has already completed two homes in Kingsford and Maroubra and plans to build and sell an additional 15, fully furnished residential properties by 2025 and take the business model interstate.
Charlie also designs and works with global artisan and ethically aligned studios on the ZA Collective Fashion and Interiors collections, available at Shop Charlies Interiors online, and the flagship boutique in Maroubra Beach.
CAROLINE PATTON
Caroline is the founder and CEO, Managing Director of Accuteque and The AVR Lab. As a mother of 3 and with the support of her husband, Caroline has built the Accuteque business over 20 years with a focus on helping reshape other businesses, enabling them to be more sustainable. Often referred to as the next Banksy, Caroline is creative when it comes to business operating designs by bringing agile and holocracy thinking to life.
Caroline started her career in 1989 as a Customer Service Officer at National Mutual Life and quickly transitioned into the business improvement team of a large insurance company where she joined the business analysis team, specialising in implementing lean processes and systems.
LYLY GRECA
Lyly Greca is the co-founder of a profit for charity social enterprise exist to support children’s education. Lyly is a full-time working mother of 2 young children, a lucky wife and very blessed human being. Lyly believe in working mothers, giving back to communities, entrepreneurship, strong and compassionate leaderships, and that women can have it all if they want to.
Lyly has a huge passion for flowers and plants, after learning that this industry is worth over $780mil in Australia, She was determined to drive a % of that back into the Country by setting up a business that donates 100% profit from each sale to fund children’s projects across the Nation. After weeks & weeks of brainstorming, “Miei Fiori” was born – English translation for “My Flowers” is a floral destination specialising in servicing Businesses with existing floral requirements.
Since Miei Fiori’s inception, their strategies have evolved but some things remain constant which are all the principals that formed the foundation they used to create it. – Every challenge they faced meant they needed to work a little harder, but the harder they worked, the luckier they became. Those challenges helped them grow and set them up for the success they’ve endured today.
ALICIA BEACHLEY
Alicia Beachley is founder and CEO of leading independent brand activation agency, April5. With more than 25 years marketing experience, Alicia and the April5 Team create, execute and manage brand activation campaigns, product launches, retail and experiential events and brand promotions for global brands including Microsoft, Fujifilm, H&R Block, COTY and Bupa, to name a few.
Alicia forged her career in the then-emerging discipline more than 20 years ago when she established the integrated promotional marketing division at one of Australia’s largest PR agencies, Hausmann Communications
A finalist for the Women in Media, Alicia’s expertise has been sought after and has since become an advisory member of the WeConnect Women Business Enterprise Council in Australia. She is also a judge of local and international marketing and advertising awards.
As acknowledgement for the work created for Microsoft around Australia, Alicia and her team were recognised by Microsoft as a finalist in the 2022 Global Supplier Prestige Awards for Supplier Diversity and Inclusion.
Reflecting her dedication to the industry, Alicia served on the executive committee of the Australasian Promotional Marketing Association (APMA), for more than 10 years. She is also an active mentor, both in the advertising and marketing industry and an active supporter and mentor to women from all industries.
TANIA MACPHEE
Tania grew up in the wine industry; her parents were distributors for one of the First Family wine brands and her grandparents owned wine bars in inner city Melbourne in the 1950’s.
She completed a Diploma of Financial Planning and a Bachelor of Business before establishing MacPhee’s with her husband Craig in 2001.
Today, Tania is the Managing Director of MacPhee’s, a privately owned Australian company that specialises in fine wine and creating thousands of beautiful wine cellars utilising the highest quality wine cabinets, wine cooling equipment and wine racking products in the world.
A pioneer in the wine storage and service industry with unrivalled experience and expertise, the MacPhee’s team of wine cellaring specialists works closely with leading Architects, Designers, Property Developers, and hospitality clients, assisting with the selection and supply of the world-class equipment, whilst providing essential technical and engineering specifications and professional advice for residential, multi-residential and commercial wine cellar projects from concept through to completion.
Tania enjoys working with MacPhee’s VIP clients and partners, has established close professional relationships with key suppliers and leads a team of about 22 people.
MacPhee’s has experienced double digit growth over the past few years, with further growth projected based a strong strategic plan for the future.