Our Team
Our Executives
Chief Executive Officer
Peter Cantwell
With over 30 years of commercial, strategy and general management experience gained in Australia and internationally, Peter has held executive leadership roles in large multinational, private equity owned and ASX listed companies. Peter’s corporate roles have included Managing Director Sales for the Fosters Group, Managing Director of Lion Confectionery UK, General Manager Australia for Independent Distillers and both Commercial Strategy Director Africa and Middle East and Sales Strategy Director EMEA for Cadbury. Peter also holds a Bachelor of Business from Monash University.
Managing Director
Katea Gidley
With over 25 years of human resource, career and talent management experience gained in a variety of industries, including FMCG, retail, financial services and property, Katea has worked as a Chief Human Resources Officer in two top 25 ASX listed companies, CUB and Colonial First State Global Asset Management (now Vicinity) leading the people agenda. She has also held senior HR and Organisational Development roles with the Country Road, L’Oréal and Federal Hotels Groups. In addition, has Board experience with the Melbourne Renegades. A recipient of a Dean’s List honour for her MBA at Monash University, Katea also has a Diploma in Training ...
Executive Director
Andrew Phillips
Currently a non Executive Director of a large family company and Deputy Chair of a Not for Profit organisation, Andrew has extensive executive leadership experience in multinational, publicly listed and family companies. He has worked across four continents in Senior Marketing and CEO / General Management roles over a career spanning 33 years.
Our Operations Team
Head of Products and Services
Dr Jason Brown
An experienced career development leader and researcher, Jason has over 20 years' experience designing and delivering scalable and innovative career development programs and services in the higher education and employment services industries. At La Trobe University, Jason contributed to the development of student employability as head of the careers service, where he led the delivery of an innovative and successful employability award program and an institution-wide program to embed employability into the curriculum.
Head of Career Development and Employability
Dr Michael Healy
Michael has more than a decade of experience as a careers and employability educator at several universities. He has led the development of a range of services and programs in and alongside the curriculum. Michael’s specialist expertise includes career education design and delivery, career counselling, and employer liaison. In particular, he is recognised for his expertise in the provision of online careers services.
Manager, Career Solutions
Sarah Valdez
With over 15 years of career and talent management experience, Sarah has experience across a broad range of sectors including health, telecommunications, banking and finance, retail, hospitality and education, having worked with a number of blue-chip organisations including Austin Health, GE, HSBC and Telstra. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Commerce with majors in...
Program Manager, Career Services
Michelle Hill
With over 20 years of project leadership, stakeholder engagement and management consulting experience, Michelle has been deeply involved in a wide variety of sectors including chemicals, banking, insurance, airlines, motoring, postal services, public sector and higher education...
Senior Learning Designer, Career Services
Leona Norris
Passionate about improving learner experience and learning outcomes, I have over 17 years of global experiences from across different educational sectors in Australia and the UK, spanning Government, Not-For-Profit, Private, College and Higher Education. With a MSc in Innovation, Creativity and Leadership (MICL) from City, University of London, I am also a Kaospilot Master Archer and certified ScrumMaster.
Senior Learning Designer, Career Services
Priscilla Trahar
With over 25 years of experience in roles in business, government and education, Priscilla brings her passion for a consistent and meaningful student experience along with extensive expertise in Learning Design and Educational Technologies to the Career Ahead team.
Graphic Designer
Nikki Colliver
Nikki is an experienced and passionate Graphic Designer, with a particular interest in finished art and web design. Having worked across a variety of creative industries such as print production, advertising, digital design, and corporate identity development, she combines her multi-channel knowledge and keen eye with her passion for solving problems to develop engaging and effective content.
Program and Insights Manager
Lindie Frier
With a Master of Industrial and Organisational Psychology from The University of Pretoria (South Africa), Honours of Industrial and Organisational Psychology from The University of South Africa, and Bachelor degree, specialising in Psychology and Education from The University of Pretoria; Lindie has gained experience in end-to-end recruitment and selection, performance management and reviews, organisational development, psychometry, training and development, and industrial relations management.
Finance Manager
Fionna Oliver-Taylor
With over 20 years in accounting and finance, Fionna has held a number of senior management roles across entertainment, professional services and FMCG including Coca-Cola Amatil, KordaMentha and Ernst & Young. Fionna holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Arts from The University of Melbourne, a Graduate Certificate in Applied Finance and a Graduate Diploma.
Finance and Program Coordinator
Leanne Sugden
Leanne has over 25 years of experience in Retail Customer Service, Sales and Administration roles. Her expertise has predominantly been gained within the Travel and Tourism sector, with experience in roles ranging from consultancy, management through to business ownership. In her role with Career Ahead, she supports students with their educational enquires and coordinates the subject administration requirements.