Peter Hart
Client Manager

Peter has been involved in a variety of roles - mainly in generalist human resources, change management and mentoring related positions - during his working life.

Prior senior positions in the FMCG, Manufacturing and Education sectors and his work as an Executive member at the business/strategic level have made Peter acutely aware of the need to foster and enhance effective, collaborative working relationships.

 

 

Sharon Coates
Client Manager

is a former CEO of a not-for-profit company charged with developing advice to and from industry to government on skills development and planning. Prior senior executive positions include a national statutory policy and funding authority as well as state, regional and local level management in vocational education and training and adult community education.

 

 

 

Charles Williams
Client Manager

Charles skills include Business Advice, Marketing, Human Resources, Training and Recruitment.

He has management experience with Mayne Nickless, Standard Newspapers and Holmes Colleges. He also ran his own consultancy business for 14 years in Melbourne, and spent 6½ years as Manager of the Albury-Wodonga Business Enterprise Centre.

Charles spent 7 years in consulting in Albury and Melbourne in training and seminars in Supervision, Leadership and Small Business Planning.

Russell Howard
Client Manager

Russell Howard has 35 years extensive experience in human resources, line management, executive and non-executive director roles across a wide range of organisations locally and internationally.

His experience covers the steel, aluminium, construction, transport, heavy engineering, general manufacturing, aerospace and aircraft maintenance, glass, consulting, superannuation and not-for-profit industry sectors.

During the course of his career Russell was responsible for developing and implementing wide ranging business and human resources strategies. He has also held a number of directorships for Australian and New Zealand firms, including superannuation funds.

Russell's formal qualifications are Bachelor of Economics, Post Graduate Diploma of Business Administration, Post-Graduate Certificate of Industrial Law. He is also an alumnus of the Advanced Management Programme – INSEAD (Europe).

At present he is President of the not-for-profit Australian Polish Community Services.

Peter Simmenauer
Client Manager

Peter has 30 years experience in multi-sector university libraries, the majority in senior management positions including CEO. His role in service provision to staff and students included cataloguing, reference assistance, line management, strategic and operational planning, quality assurance and archives administration, much of which has been utilised as a volunteer in various NFP organisations over the past 10 years.

His formal qualifications include Bachelor of Arts, Graduate Diploma in Librarianship and Master of Library and Information Services.

Lyn Boag
Client Manager

Lyn has worked for most of her professional life within the Community or Health sectors and this has provided rich exposure to the valuable work undertaken by not for profit organisations.

Initially working as a Welfare Officer within the Child Welfare Department (later Community Welfare Department) in the 1970s in W.A. Lyn gained experience with a diverse population of clients and client problems. Her client group included indigenous and european adults, adolescents and children.
After completing qualifications in Psychology Lyn managed the Psychology Unit at the Dandenong office of the Commonwealth Department of Employment and Industrial Relations and was responsible for providing a psychological service to assist the unemployed and those with special needs.
Qualifying as a Clinical Psychologist in the 1980s Lyn worked as a Senior Clinical Psychologist for sixteen years with Bethesda Rehabilitation Centre, Epworth Hospital managing the Pain Management Program as well as working with patients coping with orthopaedic injuries and brain trauma. Beyond that she worked for a further three years with Melbourne Extended Care (Royal Melbourne Hospital) managing their Pain Management program. During the latter period she was also attached to LaTrobe University Psychology Department in a teaching role with post graduate Psychology students.

In the six years prior to retirement Lyn worked with Austin Health as a Senior Clinical Psychologist and was responsible for the training of Master?s and Doctoral Clinical and Health Psychology students as well as providing psychological support for the Spinal Unit at Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre.
Lyn has always enjoyed working as part of a team and looks forward to assisting agencies supported by Great Connections.

Sophie Skarbek
Client Manager

Sophie has over 25 years experience as a psychologist working mainly in the fields of education and employment. Sophie’s work included individual and group counselling, psychometric assessment and report preparation.
Sophie developed and conducted training modules for clients and staff and offered training and supervision to inexperienced psychologists. Her work included extensive liaison with government departments and non-government organisations.
She is actively involved with the Polish community in Victoria and has held various roles within Polish-Australian organisations.

Sophie is interested in the Arts and has experience in organising exhibitions. She is a practising artist and has exhibited her work in numerous group and individual shows.

Jasper Coghlan
Client Manager

For most of his career, Jasper has held a variety of human resources roles in Ford Motor Company including an extended period as Head of Remuneration for Asia Pacific & Africa. More recently he has worked in a consulting company providing advice on executive and director remuneration to a wide range of organisations in the public, private, government and not-for-profit sectors.

Jasper is the independent director of a rental housing co-operative, a role obtained through Greatconnections. In addition, he is active in the broader community housing sector. He is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has focused on the governance of not-for-profits.

John Norman

John has international, senior management experience in a number of strategic planning, financial and corporate governance roles. He has worked in the financial, engineering and resources industries. Since retiring from salaried employment, he has enjoyed being a volunteer assisting a number of not-for-profit indigenous and arts organizations based in Victoria.

Maureen Breen

Maureen's career has developed from working at a grass roots level to delivering and managing a wide range of community services; and six years heading up a community health organisation from its inception.

Maureen has teaching qualifications (primary teaching and Associate Diploma in Children's Services and a Certificate of Management (Sydney University).

 

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