Melissa graduated from St Clare’s College in 1998, when she graduated she did not have a firm career path that she wanted to follow. Melissa tried a variety of careers including waitressing, sales, marketing and law before settling on company management. She has held a number of executive and board positions over the last five years.
Melissa is currently the CEO of a junior mining company exploring for Phosphate as well as a Committee Member of the Institute of Mangers and Leaders and is based in Queensland. Through these roles she was asked to be part of a mentoring program for junior employees and concentrates on developing young female entrepreneurs to assist in their next step in company management.
Melissa also recently started her own company that supports women who are struggling to find their own identity after having children or moving quickly through their careers. She provides styling advice to help women leave the past behind and start with a fresh confident approach to fashion. This confidence is then reflected throughout other areas of their lives.
Her advice to the ladies at St Clare’s is that when you are looking for a mentor to guide you through your career, look outside your industry and find someone you connect with at a networking event or even a weekend BBQ. She recommends taking them out for a coffee and to encourage them to share about their careers, as most people enjoy talking about themselves! This will help break the ice and form a bound that can continue for many years.