An experienced Chair, Board Director and business advisor with extensive governance experience within the Retail, Financial Services, and Logistics & Supply Chain sectors. An established reputation for interpreting outwardly complex problems and distilling them into material points of focus.

Following an extensive executive career with respected ASX listed companies in Retail and Consumer goods sector, I founded a private business advisory and consulting firm specialising in the review and assessment of Company operating health, operational efficiency and value creation. I am known for embedding within organisations providing CEOs and C-Suite executives advice in strategy development, company financial health, contract negotiation, M&A assessment, supply chain and logistics, merchandise and marketing, corporate restructuring, process and procedures, finance and reporting.
I have worked within the private sector, with pure play ecommerce retailers, start-ups and ASX listed organisations and PE.

Outcome focused, I believe success comes from a positive culture, people and the power of collective minds working together always seeking to stimulate an openness for new ideas and initiatives.

I am a graduate of the AICD Company Directors course.

Projects have included:
• Oversight of Company legal and contractual obligations, negotiations, and procurement.
• Leading projects in M&A R&D, negotiation, commercial and contractual terms.
• Assessment and Implementation of a Company ERP systems including supporting technologies.
• Negotiating complex supply chain partnerships across local freight, 3PL and international supply chain.
• Freight optimisation both local and international, including eCommerce.
• Facilitation of organisational change, transformation projects, organisational structure, people &
culture, engagement, and mentoring.
• Corporate Governance, Compliance, Audit & Risk management.

An accomplished CEO, entrepreneur and regional business leader with high level board and chair experience serving on a range of NFP, education, health, arts, sports, business, private and public sector boards. A strategic leader with strong commercial acumen combined with expertise in marketing, strategic human resources, organisational culture and change, relationship building, risk management and governance. Confident public speaker and facilitator with skills in government relations, stakeholder engagement, media and communications.

Professional career expertise in recruitment/human resources/training and development, and practitioner skills in change management/organisational development consulting. Former academic in Commerce/Tourism degrees and MBA residential program at Deakin University, Ballarat University and The Gordon.

In 2024 I was honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia General Division – AM, for significant service to the community of the Barwon South West Region.

Christine Couzens has a lifetime of active commitment to social justice issues in Geelong

She has worked with homeless young people, assisted in the public housing sector and represented people on consumer law issues.

She has a proud record of fighting for workers’ rights through the union movement.

She served multiple terms as President of Geelong Trades Hall and established a working womens network which has been running for over ten years.

Prior to being elected to Parliament herself, Christine worked for former member for Geelong Ian Trezise since he won the seat in 1999. These experiences gave her an unrivalled knowledge of the needs of the community where she was born and bred.

Christine currently serves as the Victoria’s Ambassador for Closing The Gap where she advocates for equality for indigenous Victorians through delivering better health, education and employment outcomes.

Deb Fribbins is an entrepreneur, strategic planning coach,  mentor, speaker, author, social enterprise advocate and champion for equality. Her passion is to support small businesses from start up to scaleable sale to thrive and achieve their goals.

Deb enjoyed a long successful career in the corporate retail world with Myer, David Jones, Target, and Harris Scarfe over more than 30 years.  Since leaving retail she has worked extensively with small business retailers, service providers, manufacturers and wholesalers, both locally and Internationally. Servicing clients in the UK, Bali, USA and all over Australia. 

The Developing Excellencein Business  (DEB) philosophy is to empower business owners with the knowledge, skills and expertise to achieve and exceed their goals. Extensive experience in coaching and mentoring has seen great success for businesses in a wide variety of fields. The unique 5 D process is customised for each individual business needs, leading to increased sales, profits and a greater brand awareness in the market place. 

Jo is an experienced facilitator of futures, strategy and service design in partnership with leaders and their teams seeking to generate and embed new strategy and organizational capabilities. Jo is the founder of The Adaptability Factor who works with others to create adaptive strategy and organisations that are future proof for a new age of constant change.

Jo has a wealth of experience in strategy, customer experience and innovation roles for large organisations alongside stepping up as a convenor, facilitator, panel member and speaker at multiple events across the private and public sectors.

Jo is a passionate learner with unique experiences – developing strategic foresight and futures thinking with Melbourne Business School and the US Futures School, studying Human Centred Design at IDEO U and spending time in Silicon Valley with global innovators like Google, Airbnb & Tesla.

Jo made it through a double degree Masters in Health Management and Business Administration (MBA) and is an accredited practitioner in Human Centred Design, Agile, Executive Coaching, PRINCE II program and portfolio management, and PROSCI change management.

Liberty Adviser, Finance & Mortgage Broker, Non-Executive Director Geelong Chamber of Commerce & Business Consultant.

I am a successful Business Professional with extensive knowledge and experience in finance management and demonstrated commercial acumen. Intelligent, enthusiastic and highly motivated, with a strong task orientation and a dedication to continuous improvement through innovation. Well known for my outstanding interpersonal and presentation skills demonstrated over 20 years in management roles. I have a strong background in finance and accounts management and an excellent understanding of administrative and risk management operations.

A proven ability to lead, coach and develop others to achieve desired goals and objectives is my main priority. I believe I have the ability to effectively analyse and evaluate information and situations through anticipating, identifying and defining problems as well as taking necessary action when required.

My core competencies include:
– Leadership and Strategic Orientation
– Commitment and Results Driven
– Project Management
– Risk Management
– Excellent communication and Stakeholder Management
– Time and Priority Management
– Finance and Procurement Contract AssessmentI am a successful Business Professional with extensive knowledge and experience in finance management and demonstrated commercial acumen. Intelligent, enthusiastic and highly motivated, with a strong task orientation and a dedication to continuous improvement through innovation. Well known for my outstanding interpersonal and presentation skills demonstrated over 20 years in management roles. I have a strong background in finance and accounts management and an excellent understanding of administrative and risk management operations. A proven ability to lead, coach and develop others to achieve desired goals and objectives is my main priority. I believe I have the ability to effectively analyse and evaluate information and situations through anticipating, identifying and defining problems as well as taking necessary action when required. My core competencies include: – Leadership and Strategic Orientation – Commitment and Results Driven – Project Management – Risk Management – Excellent communication and Stakeholder Management – Time and Priority Management – Finance and Procurement Contract Assessment
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Justine Martin is the Founder/CEO of the Justine Martin Corporation (JMC),

incorporating four businesses: Juzt art, Resilience Mindset, Van-Go Decals and

Morpheus Publishing. Justine is an accomplished & award-winning artist; keynote

speaker; resilience coach; author; and podcast host. She started Juzt art 10 years

ago, and has grown to four businesses during that time.

Her personal medical battles inspired the launch of her second business; Resilience

Mindset, where she coaches, runs a resilience podcast series, is a published author

and a keynote speaker on resilience. Early 2022 saw the launch ‘Team Finger Print’

a new corporate program combining a morning of resilience team building and

afternoon of bringing the team’s vision to life through painting.

Her love of art and design inspired her third business; Van-Go Decals, colourful and

funky decals to brighten up wheelchairs, caravans, campervans, trailers, Kombi

vans to stand out on the footpaths, roads and caravan parks! Justine is redesigning

the way art is utilised, displayed and shared.

During 2022 Justine is launching her fourth business; Morpheus Publishing. Justine’s

passion for writing resilience/self-help books and the addition of writing her first

kids book; Same Same But Different, will see the launch of a publishing arm.

Throughout 2021 Justine was awarded seven national awards! Her dedication and

passion for helping & coaching others was recognised when she won Gold at the

2021 prestigious national AusMumpreneur Awards for ‘Coach of the Year’ and her

outstanding creative ability continues to shine, winning GOLD in the 2021 Roar

Awards for Creative ‘Artist of the Year’.

Liz Price –GM Great Ocean Road Tourism- .

Liz is a strong leader and strategic thinker and has driven the growth and profitability

of both start up and established businesses.

Liz is a strong collaborator proficient in building mutually beneficial partnerships ,

driving change and embedding a culture of innovation and capacity building that

engages both internal and external stakeholders.

Liz is the Inaugural General Manager of Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism, an

organisation established in 2013 by the Six Local Governments across the region to

deliver a collaborative, regional approach to building a sustainable visitor economy

for the Great Ocean Road region.

Liz has worked in tourism, hospitality & publishing for over thirty years including

as General Manager-Australia for Club Tourism Publishing, Inaugural Chief Executive

of Destination Melbourne and Executive Director of Tourism for the Melbourne

Convention and Visitors Bureau. A destination management specialist with a

passion for strategy and a love of marketing, Liz has worked extensively with

not for profits and membership based organisations.

Liz is passionate about thinking differently and challenging the status quo and enjoys

continuously learning.

Most people come to Mentoring with a sense that what is happening in their businesses or
careers is not allowing them to achieve the goals they have set for themselves, that they are
not achieving their full potential. I have been in business more than 30 years, and I have the
expertise and experience across a wide range of industries to help you change that.
I am not just about giving you tips and strategies for improvement. I am also about helping
you discover new possibilities for your business that you may not have even imagined or
thought possible. A high priority for me is helping you to discover your strengths and how
you can enhance them to achieve your goals.
I specialise in helping my mentees proactively manage the interpersonal challenges they
face in their businesses. These are the challenges they personally face as owner , for
example, managing change and disruption and stress and conflict. But also managing all the
stakeholders in your business – employees, customers, suppliers, for example, in a way that
grows you and your business.
There are six areas of business development that I consistently see as issues for women and
which they need to attend to if they want to be successful..
1. Having a business development plan.
2. Developing your network.
3. Building a social media presence.
4. Creating your professional identity – the brand called YOU.
5. Learning to self-promote.
6. Integrating work and family.

Maree is Director of Harvest Talent Recruitment and People Solutions; a full employee lifecycle HR services firm. She founded the company in 2009 when she returned to Geelong after 20 years abroad as she was keen to showcase best practice in recruitment locally and provide a complete HR offering to the region’s employers.

People come to Maree for her: 

• Intimate understanding of executive, technical and specialist disciplines and the skills, qualifications and attributes of potential incumbents.
• Superior knowledge of the Barwon and the South West’s industry sectors, key players and the region’s employment landscape.
• Her innate ability to undertake exhaustive and thorough searches; regionally, state and nationwide.
• Her industry leading results in conversion of jobs to placements and the lasting employ of incumbents.
• Insights into growing a successful business from a standing start.
• HR insights including employment tips, attraction and company culture.
• Careers guidance and inspiration.

Engaging Speaker & Industry Thought Leader

Maree is a highly regarded presenter and facilitator with a natural ability to educate and engage audiences on HR and employment topics. She leads discussions at the Geelong HR Roundtable, an initiative hosted by Harvest, bringing industry professionals together to share insights and best practices.

Beyond the roundtable, Maree and her team actively participate in Jobs, Skills, and Careers Expos, both as exhibitors and speakers, offering valuable expertise to job seekers and employers alike. As a key contributor to Harvest’s weekly blog, Maree provides thought leadership on workforce trends, talent attraction, and HR best practices.

Originally from Estonia, Olga has lived, studied, and worked in Finland, England, Kazakhstan and now in Australia.

After completing a PhD in Chemistry at Oxford, Olga decided to focus on a combination of finance and innovation.

One of her mentors suggested that joining a graduate program at a Big4 accountancy firm and working as an auditor was the “world’s best MBA”. From there Olga has held a range of roles, from startup founder in the energy trading sector to 2ic of investor relations at a FSTE 100 mining company as well as an investment manager at a private equity firm. 

Recently, Olga has been working with university researchers to facilitate research investment opportunities, advising investors on mergers and acquisitions as well as mentoring and coaching start-up founders at SPARK Deakin and State Library Victoria’s StartSpace.

Developing your own business, changing careers, industries and countries is not always straightforward, so Olga knows the first-hand how even one mentoring conversation can really help.

Philippa is an experienced Business Manager with over 30 years’ experience in all facets of business administration, including project management, customer service, accounts payable and receivable, reconciliations, marketing and display, inventory control, transportation scheduling and dispatch, hygiene management, payroll, human resources, and training. For 25 years she has owned and managed her own business working for many varied companies in all facets of business management and training.

Philippa is an experienced Bookkeeper & BAS Agent with over 25 years industry experience including coaching & mentoring other bookkeepers. Philippa specialises in Small Business Management, Business Troubleshooting, Coaching & Mentoring, Bookkeeping & BAS for small business particularly solopreneurs and mum and dad businesses. Her passion is to assist small business owners to get their finances, policies, procedures, and paperwork in order to give them back their time to enjoy life.

Senior Change Manager Worksafe Victoria

Strategic and considered Project and Change Management professional with 20+ years experience working across federal and state government, management consulting, private enterprise, education and small to medium business. Skilled Project Management ‘all-rounder’ with extensive experience in leadership, mobilising high performing teams, strategic delivery, stakeholder management, coaching and supporting organisational transformation.
Passionate about delivering outstanding results to support business objectives.
Holds a Masters degree in Communications from Griffith University.