2024 – That’s a Wrap!
48 Workshops
47 LSI (360-degree diagnostic) debriefs
4 keynotes
6 professional development days
47 flights
1 book!
It’s been another huge year and I am super grateful to my amazing team, my clients, and of course my family who have supported me every step of the way.
2025 will be the 10-year anniversary of my practice and it seems fitting to also be releasing my second book Curious, Connected & Calm – How Leaders are Better Together, in March. I’m excited to share it with all of you! Pre-orders are available from Booktopia, The Nile, or Fishpond.
January is an important time for me to be with my family. I’ll be back from 10 Feb, 2025, refreshed and ready to go. Until then, I wish you a safe and festive season, and a wonderful start to 2025.
To wrap up this year, I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite captured moments.
If you’ve booked me for a gig, bought my book, referred me, liked me on LinkedIn or shared one of my posts – I am genuinely grateful for your support. Thank-you and Merry Christmas!
Book writing was a priority this year, so I took myself off on not just one, but two book writing retreats in the Byron hinterland. Pacific Serenity Byron has an outdoor bath and views of the ocean. The Barn Door (below) was also divine for a peaceful escape. I loved the record player and loft bedroom in this abode.
Jessie was my welcome support animal throughout those weeks alone in the hills with nothing else but my laptop, screen and books to keep me company.
Pentana Solutions have been a client almost as long as I’ve been practicing solo. We kicked off the year with a new Global Leadership Team (GLT) event in Melbourne, welcoming the new members of the group and setting them up for success. This group are all the 2ICs to the executives of Pentana. Supporting their success has been a big priority for CEO Steve Kloss (bottom left), Executive of People & Culture, Tammy Kokkinos (bottom middle) and Executive of Sales, Rick Pinto (bottom right).
I’ve been working with the Viridian Glass leadership team for over 18 months now, and in March this year we launched their new 5-year vision with business leaders from across Australia. Rebecca Hines is their CFO (on the right), capturing ideas on the flipchart and keeping the mood light! I love these moments.
The whole Viridian Leadership team in a moment of celebration having just launched their new plan.
These two are working hard to innovate new ways to engage the ANZ Regional YPO chapters to enhance the forum experience. I’m with Daniel Sekers the and Kuljeeta Singh at the Calile in Brisbane where we delivered a new Forum Power Up session.
Working with David Trewern (DT) (blue top on the left) and his incredible team at Fliteboard has been like watching a rocket launch in real time! Innovators, creators, trailblazers. They worked hard and launched a company that taken FLITE (pun intended) through a recent acquisition by Brunswick based in the US. DT has stepped aside as CEO to focus on governance and brand ambassadorship. This was one of his last leadership conferences as CEO – held at the beautiful Daybreak Clunes. I highly recommend this spot for corporate groups.
At this same conference, the team took time outside to take in the serenity and talk about culture. What a spot!
The Candlefox team are always energetic, fun and fabulous. We reset their business plan at our annual strategy event – time at the QT Melbourne.
For the past three years I’ve enjoyed delivering part of the Future Leaders Program (FLP) for Luxury Escapes. This group above graduated May 2025, and the group below kicked off in October as our fourth cohort! The program is a key retention and succession planning strategy for the business – over 50% are promoted within their first 12 months of graduating.
It was a pleasure to be invited to deliver a talk on teamwork and collaboration for Stormwater Industry leaders at the Franc Sydney conference at the Parramatta Stadium in April. Andrew Thomas and Nerida Taylor pictured here are key leaders of this event. I learned so much about stormwater!
Similarly it was a pleasure to speak alongside Gavin McCormack at the VCSSDPA conference to deliver a talks on Shaping Culture and Leading Culture for Victorian Deputy Principals in Catholic Education.
It was very cool to deliver a talk on coaching alongside Michael “Madge” Maguire, Rugby Legend, at the Solotel Group Leaders Conference in August. Elliot Solomon (pictured below) runs a very cool hospitality group in Sydney and I genuinely love their energy, vibes and enthusiasm for creating great guest experiences in their many venues across Sydney. They bring heart and soul to the Sydney hospo scene.
Sometimes I meet cool people who run very unique workshops as part of my conferences. Tim Thomas is an army veteran who healed his own PTSD with breathwork. He runs breathwork and ice-bath sessions for corporates. If you’re looking for something new, look him up. Tim is based in Brisbane.
It was very special to host the Pentana leadership team in Byron Bay for a 3-day retreat to rest, connect, and align on a new vision and strategy for the company. We were blessed with some magic weather in June, so we walked the lighthouse and watched sunrise as whales passed by.
Stuart Charman (left) and Brooke Ebbett (right) were soaking up Byron morning sun. I love this photo because it really captures the essence of the whole Pentana retreat.
The team enjoyed the beautiful surrounds of the Crystalbrook Byron and truly decompressed.
Entourage Finance are a team of brokers and property specialists with a growing reach across the eastern seaboard. Led by Damien Roylance (back left), we kicked off a strategic planning process in Byron to establish new strategic planning habits. We’re enjoying a team dinner at Light Years in Byron to celebrate our first session together.
The YPO Certified Forum Facilitators Conference in Hong Kong was a true highlight this year. I volunteered to help design and facilitate this event, alongside Helen Fowler (a fellow CFF) and Karen Morais (a YPO team member). It was a joy to connect with fellow facilitators from around the world and spend three days learning and connecting in a fabulous international city.
Toyo Izumi and I were accredited as YPO facilitators together in 2018. He is an highly respected President, YPO member and facilitator in Japan. It was lovely to reconnect in Hong Kong.
Clinton (my husband on the right) joined me in Hong Kong and we caught up with a local YPO member there – Howard Cheng – who kindly took us to a dinner spot with truly spectacular views of the harbour.
Sarah-Jane McQueen, new CEO of Candlefox and I getting a little excited at the Culture Conference in November! We are very happy to have the whole Melbourne based team together for a day of reflecting on survey results and making plans to better support the business achieve its ambitions.
I first met Nathan Barry when we were doing work together for MADE Establishment (which has sadly had to close its doors – long story). But here we both are again – eight years later – and working together again at IDP Educaiton. Nathan invited me to deliver leadership training as part of his in-house future stars program. Nathan runs this program with his colleague Ken Dimitriou (pictured below, far left), and the support of executive mentors who also attended the two day event.
We were very lucky to have an extremely talented, dedicated, positive and fun cohort participate. We’re celebrating their graduation at their offices in the Melbourne Docklands in October.
One of the most humbling experiences of my year was to be welcomed by this mob in Dubbo. Joh Leader from LeaderLife (pictured below in the pink striped top) leads this NFP committed to helping the most disadvantaged kids in Dubbo stay alive, out of jail, and chasing their dreams. These young people are working against all odds to be leaders and role models in their community. The LeaderLife team of mentors and counsellors (pictured below) do an incredible job.
Liz Ritchie is the CEO of Regional Australia Institute (RAI) based in Canberra. She has a big vision to improve the lives of Regional Australians – and is one of the best humans I know at networking, connecting, linking and enabling communities. We know each other from our Masters program, and it has been a delight reconnecting this year. I have featured her story as a case study in my book.
Viridian Glass business leaders are re-connecting at the half-way mark to check in on progress for their strategic plan. This time we met at Adelaide Oval.
Wade Porter is the CEO of 7chefs – manufacturers of fresh pasta based in Northern parts of Melbourne. Wade and I worked together at Swisse Wellness, and he invited me to run a workshop on culture and teamwork. It was awesome to have a tour of the facility and meet his fabulous team (pictured below).
Dean Haritos, CEO of Viridian Glass is taking me on a tour of their Sydney facility. It’s mind boggling the sheer scale and complexity of this operation.
I was very proud to receive the Human Synergistics award on behalf of OneHealth – a sub-unit of Novozymes (now known as Novonesis). This award recognised the OneHealth maintained a highly constructive culture for 3 consecutive years.
My final gig for the year was all the way in Lille France where I gathered with the Gnosis by Lesaffre leadership team to kick start a multi-year culture program. We are having dinner on our first night together as team.
I always love seeing people enjoy themselves in workshops! It’s a good sign that learning is happening 😉
Super grateful to Ulrich Irgens and Marie-Josee Dorlencourt who are leading this new culture initiative for Gnosis – we will have many more moments together!
It’s been a year of reconnecting with old friends and making new many new ones.
I wish you a fabulous festive season and best wishes from us! Steph, Fiona, Sarah, Clinton & Thanh.