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Our Team

Our Synergistic Expert Collective

our team

Our global expert collective comes together synergistically to deliver unmatched client outcomes

Many of our consultants are senior executives who have worked in diverse corporate, government, NFP and professional services’ contexts and have developed cross-functional teams, building succession for organisational sustainability and growth. As a collective, we consciously choose to bring our strategic and operational expertise and experience into play for the benefit of organisations, to set up mentoring environments, increase leadership and mentoring capability through enabling deep personal and professional insights and galvanisation of leadership motivation to deliver the right results in the right way.

Our focus is on bringing global and local evidence and experiences into play, to achieve sustainable improvement and change that will continue to benefit leaders and in turn, their organisations.

We currently have over 80 expert consultants, mentors, and advisors globally across various industry sectors who deliver incredible value to Playmakers clients. Our expert base continues to grow rapidly as our networks grow. Working with Playmakers provides strong, mutually beneficial outcomes for all, especially our wonderful clients.

Some of our Playmakers

Shobana Mitra

MANAGING DIRECTOR & FOUNDER

Grant Fisher

DIRECTOR, COACHING & CAPABILITY

Mark Jose

DIRECTOR, GROWTH & INNOVATION

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Ari Aich

DIGITAL STRATEGIST, BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION EXPERT

Henriette Mancini

DIRECTOR, PEOPLE & CULTURE

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Vincent Caruso

LEGAL COUNSEL, DIRECTOR & PRINCIPAL LAWYER HICKS OAKLEY CHESSELL WILLIAMS

Sam Mead

CONSULTING PARTNER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR- MIND STREET

Sandy Roberts

HEAD OF EDUCATION LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION

Sarah McInnes

EXECUTIVE ADVISOR, MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Managing Director & Founder

Shobana Mitra

Focus Areas:
• Business Strategy and Execution
• Start-Ups
• Business Re-engineering
• Organisational Capability Development
• Change& Transformation
• Growth
• Future of Work
• Partnerships and Engagement
• Executive Brand Development
• Strategic Project management

Industries:
• Professional Services
• Retail
• NFP
• Technology

Current and Previous Experience in the Roles of:
• Managing Director
• Director of Professional Operations
• National Operations Manager
• Executive Director- New Business

Core skills: Strategy development..Start-ups.. Business development..Stakeholder management..Industry partnerships..International business..Change management..Cost reduction..High performing teams..Leadership..Talent acquisition and retention..Organisational Development..Project Management..Process improvement..Risk Management 

Shobana is an action-oriented Senior executive with a strong track record in identifying opportunities for revenue growth, driving market share, building brand profile in existing and new markets through concerted business/ sector development strategy and building high performance teams to support business objectives. She is a Change champion with expertise in stakeholder engagement, possessing a strong sense of purpose, ability and determination to drive for collaborative outcomes with courage and integrity.

Shobana possesses extensive experience in all aspects of retail and professional operations in corporate and franchise networks. Her broad-based leadership and management skills with strong planning, communication, organisational and decision-making ability to successfully direct and drive concurrent projects come to bear for the benefit of clients. She has core expertise in leading transformation and delivering diverse change projects across multiple levels in organisations.

Shobana’s key success factors thus far include:

  • Key skills in mentoring teams and developing high levels of employee engagement and confidence in client organisations.
  • Strong experience in growing employer brand profile with focus on talent acquisition, development and retention.
  • Passion for continuous improvement and building resilient, structured process frameworks for sustained productivity and profitability.

She is an avid learner, innovator and collaborator with the ability to build joint vision and transmit confidence and inspiration to achieve joint objectives, be it with consultants, partners or clients. She is passionate about making a positive difference in people’s lives and has a strong social conscience. Her social leadership is evident in all that she does, including the Phoenix program. Watch this space.

Skills specific to Education Sector: Education Strategy, Industry Partnerships, Support with Grant applications, setting up effective project frameworks/ governance/reporting structures and ongoing project management services with focus on efficacy and stakeholder management, ensuring necessary and stretch outcomes are realised, raising future capability of all concerned, Quality and Compliance, Teacher Capability and Competency frameworks, Education Leadership capability frameworks and development, Innovation, Student experience and engagement and customised partnership solutions.

Director, Coaching & Capability

Grant Fisher

Focus Areas:
• Brand growth
• Executive Capability
• High Performance
• Sales and Business Development
• Professionalism
• Small Business Success

Industries:
• Professional Services
• Retail
• NFP

Current and Previous Experience in the Roles of:
• BUSINESS NETWORK INTERNATIONAL: Director
• Executive Director- Eyecare
• General Manager, Optical
• National Operations Manager
• Executive Coach

“Imagine no limitations; decide what’s right and desirable before you decide what’s possible.”

Quote by Brian Tracy

When you first look up Grant Fisher, the above quote stands out, and one conjures immediately in the mind that this person must be inspired and inspiring – and you would be correct – for this is exactly who Grant is.

Grant grew up with the belief that: ‘There is always a way! There is always an even better way!’ With over 25 years of extensive business leadership experience running small, medium and global businesses, Grant has worked hard to train and develop high performance teams. This passion has led Grant to clock tens of thousands of hours of ongoing professional development, training and coaching with world famous motivational coaches and leaders such as, Brian Tracy, Anthony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Franklin Covey, to name just a few, all of which has not only contributed to his personal development but honed his skills and capabilities to deliver even more to his clients.

Grant is a multi-award-winning speaker, professional coach and trainer who regularly works with business owners, executives, sales teams, business development managers and individuals to improve personal effectiveness, workplace productivity, increase revenue and implement effective growth strategies. He earned the 2019 Global Practice of The Year Award Winner ’The Pebble on the Pond’ and acquired the 2018 Global Award Winner of the Campbell Fraser Award for Coaching Excellence, an award which is based on client satisfaction and ROI.

Through combining his mentoring skills and extensive knowledge of human behaviour with training and coaching programs, Grant is able to outline and support the execution of an immediate action plan for clients. Grant specialises in personal and team leadership performance and transformation; communicating with confidence, trust, and impact; and all aspects of personal and business growth.

Whether you are looking to increase your income, unlock your full potential, supercharge your career or business, boost your sales and profit, empower your staff, or take control of your future, Grant is able to assist. He has been in the business arena just as you have. He has opened new and grown existing businesses. He has worked hard to train and develop high performance teams. He has struggled with time and burnt the candle at both ends for years. He has actively fought the competition to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. He has taken risks and made mistakes, learning, regrouping and going again.

Quoting a client, At the heart of a business and in life, I believe there are three core values that make a person, Trust, Respect and Integrity, Grant Fisher is a man who has all of them! Talk to Grant he is a great listener and he cares.

Director, Growth & Innovation

Mark Jose

Focus Areas:
• Business Strategy and Performance
• Growth and Innovation
• Product Development
• Marketing
• Partnerships and Acquisitions
• Customer Experience
• Business Intelligence
• Operational Excellence and Business Process Improvement
• All-of-Business Integration

Industries:
• Banking and Finance
• Fitness

Current and Previous Experience in the Roles of:
• Co-Founder Transform 180 Fitness
• Head of Mortgages - Jan 2021 – Dec 2021
• Head of Operations, Retail Bank - Sep 2015 – Jan 2021
• Head of Distribution Effectiveness, Customer Delivery

Director, Innovation & Growth at Playmakers Consulting Services and Co-Founder of Transform 180 Fitness Centres, Mark integrates his front line senior leadership experience in the corporate world together with his mission to promote greater health and wellbeing in work and in life, so that together, we can all achieve our true potential. 

Mark works closely with individuals, teams and organizations to build “corporate athletes”.  His mission is to help business leaders, who have to constantly cope with unprecedented demands in the workplace, build the physical strength and mental resilience to do so effectively.  He is focused on driving business performance through optimizing human performance.

 For over 20 years, Mark worked in the banking and finance sector, successfully taking on senior leadership roles within some of Australia’s leading financial institutions, working across multiple areas including business strategy development and business transformation.  Mark is an organizational change agent with a proven track record of leading and delivering strategic projects and turning around declining business performance through driving growth and innovation.  He possesses specific expertise in leading product, distribution and operations functions within retail and corporate banking.  He is passionate about creating impact by building strong teams, coaching individuals and driving high performance through purpose, engagement and empathetic leadership. 

Mark is an accomplished integrator of all-of-business strategies.

Key Skills / Competencies:

  • People leadership and coaching
  • Building “corporate athletes” to enhance productivity
  • Strategies to improve mental health and wellbeing
  • Product strategy and execution
  • Business development, performance and P&L management
  • Operational excellence and process improvements

Qualifications:

  • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
  • Certified Fitness Leader and Strength & Conditioning Coach
  • Mental Health First Aid
  • Bachelor of Commerce (Management & Marketing)

Outside of the work arena, Mark enjoys spending time with his wife and 5 children, playing pick-up basketball with his mates, is actively involved in men’s mental health charity Mongrels Men and professes to bulletproof coffee (goggle it!) each morning as his secret weapon.

Mark is as real as you can get. He is truly human-centred, honourable and emotionally intelligent, ensuring that all his interactions with others deliver value. He has an unbeatable work ethic and is passionate about making a positive difference in people’s lives.  Mark is an exceptional human being and leader who brings unrivalled value to clients at all times. 

Director, People & Culture

Henriette Mancini

Focus Areas:
• All facets of People and Culture Strategy
• Industrial Relations
• HR Frameworks, Systems, Structures and Processes
• Organisational Development

Industries:
• Retail
• Wholesale
• Franchise

Current and Previous Experience in the Roles of:
• Managing Director
• Executive Director- HR

When it comes to hiring employees, keeping them engaged, and supporting their growth and development, Henriette Mancini is the go-to professional. With over 25 years’ experience in Human Resources (HR), Henriette is now at her prime. Passionate about HR, the most satisfying component for Henriette is the people equation – dealing with the people who make the organisation tick and thrive, adding value to individuals and organisations.

Henriette has set up HR practices in Asia and the USA; experience which has stood her in good stead for both local and global assignments. Henriette’s industry portfolio spans across retail and wholesale businesses, manufacturing, education, health and professional services.

Henriette has a proven track record in creating positive work environments through driving cultural and attitudinal change, fair remuneration practices, and positive stakeholder relationships. She provides proactive advice, support and solutions in strategic, operational and tactical HR ensuring the alignment of people agenda to overall business objectives and plans, along with adherence to necessary statutory requirements.

Henriette’s focus on supporting organisations to pro-actively build strong legal, ethical and fair people frameworks helps organisational governance, and her expert knowledge in HR and employee relations (ER) helps client organisations to manage ongoing risk through accurate, timely advice.

Not one to rest on her laurels, Henriette continually seeks to expand her expertise and experience.  Continually collaborating on many projects, furthering the “future of work” and organisational workforce innovation agenda, Henriette is a true change maker.

Henriette is a Fellow Certified Practitioner Human Resources (FCPHR) Member of the Australian Human Resources Institute and a highly-respected advisor in her wide global and local professional network.

Legal Counsel, Director & Principal Lawyer Hicks Oakley Chessell Williams

Vincent Caruso

Qualifications
• Bachelor of Arts - Montclair State University, NJ, USA
• Bachelor of Laws - University of Melbourne

Admissions
• Supreme Court of Victoria
• High Court of Australia

Memberships and Committees
• Law Institute of Victoria
• Law Institute of Victoria - Competition & Consumer Law Committee
• Australian Corporate Lawyers Association
• Commercial Law Association of Australia
• Legal and Policy Committee of the Australian Association of Franchisees (AAF)
• Fresh Networking

Vincent is a Director & Principal Lawyer at Hicks Oakley Chessell Williams and provides ongoing legal counsel to Playmakers Consulting Services and Clients as required. With his strong commercial acumen and entrepreneurial attitude, Vincent brings real-world pragmatism to support clients in managing risk while enabling business objectives and growth.
Vincent Caruso, Commercial Lawyer, can provide assistance with a host of commercial matters including, franchising, corporate law, company secretarial matters, consumer and competition law, employment, unfair/unlawful dismissals, selling and purchase of business, trusts and business structures. Vincent has worked as General Counsel and Company Secretary for a multi-national optical retailer with over 700 franchisees and Deputy General Counsel for a multi-national electrical retailer with over 100 franchisees.

Consulting Partner and Managing Director- Mind Street

Sam Mead

Focus Areas:
• Personal & Professional Growth- Individuals, Teams, Organisations
• Executive Capability
• High Performance
• Behavioural Change
• People and Culture Strategies
• Customer Experience

Sam is passionate and focused on helping individuals, teams and organisations unlock growth to achieve breakthrough performance. His experience has contributed to his growth as a collaborative, self-reflective, speaker, leader, coach & facilitator with a proven strength in People and Culture along with more than 20 years’ experience with customers, consumer’s and strategy. Sam is known for shaping, influencing and aligning the activities of a broad range of stakeholders through his ability to build relationships, engage and influence across all levels.

Sam has a natural and engaging style, yet direct and intuitive with an ability and willingness to engage in a robust debate. He is a divergent thinker who is quick to recognise opportunities to optimise performance. He leverages a depth of retail and FMCG industry experience supported by data driven insights and draws on models and frameworks to shape his thinking.

Sam spent 13 years of his career at Diageo, across multiple functions in various leadership roles, managing large and diverse teams. This is where Sam’s passion for coaching and helping people grow was sparked. He developed and delivered the Diageo senior leadership programs and then made a move full time into People and Culture joining Woolworths in 2015.

As Head of Learning and Development for the Woolworths owned Endeavour Drinks, Sam was responsible for developing and delivering the leadership, culture and capability strategy to achieve the business ambition. This included the creation of a leadership framework and culture and capability roadmap. He was the ‘Change’ lead for major people initiatives as well as coaching senior leaders and facilitating teams, large and small to identify the levers to breakthrough performance. He developed and delivered capability across Digital transformation, Diversity and Inclusivity and Wellbeing to the leaders across the organisation.

For the last 18 months, Sam has been a senior consultant at Human Synergistics working with a range of clients including Woolworths, Virgin, Graincorp and IMB along with several start-ups and scale ups.

Sam has a Bachelor of Communications from CSU and is also an LSI accredited practitioner, Neuro TREAD accredited facilitator and Extreme Thinking accredited facilitator. Sam has also completed IECL Level 1 and 2 organizational coaching.

Born and Bred in the Hawkesbury district and having lived and worked overseas, Sam now lives in Forestville in the Northern Beaches of Sydney with his wife and four Boys where they are active members in the Long Reef Surf club.

Head of Education Leadership and Innovation

Sandy Roberts

Focus Areas:
• All Areas of Education - Leadership, Management, Compliance and Governance
• Workforce Skills Development
• Adult Learning
• Learner Experience
• Leadership Capability

Industries:
• Professional Services
• Management Accounting
• Education
• Telecommunications

Current and Previous Experience in the Roles of:
• Principal Consultant
• Executive Director - Education

Sandy is a highly motivated, lateral thinking and solutions-oriented professional with a strong background in educational leadership, management, educational administration and teaching with a demonstrated commitment to delivering courses with a strong vocational orientation whilst at the same time creating a learning environment based on adult leaning principles to enhance the educational experience and foster a love of lifelong learning.

Sandy’s Core Skills include:

  • Expertise in educational leadership and management
  • Extensive knowledge of the vocational education sector
  • Extensive experience in working with diverse populations
  • Extensive experience in course development, implementation, and review
  • Customising course structure and delivery for specific groups
  • Expertise in the development of TASs and affiliated course documentation
  • Effective in implementing policies and procedures
  • Experienced in the preparation of documentation required for CRICOS registration
  • Extensive experience in course analysis and development and implementation of Continuous Improvement Plans Ability to apply the current Standards for RTOs to ensure compliance

Extensive experience in industry engagement

Well-developed project management skills developed through a broad range of experiences.

Sandy has previously made her mark in various positions including as Head of Department, Project lead and Program Manager at TAFEs, has run her own business and advises various organisations on strategic initiatives.

Executive Advisor, Marketing & Public Relations

Sarah McInnes

Specialisation:
• Strategic Business Planning
• Marketing Strategy
• Consumer and Shopper Insights
• CRM & loyalty
• Customer Segmentation
• Media Planning & Buying
• Brand Architecture
• Communication Strategy & Execution
• Team Development
• Data Analysis - Customer & Business
• Partnerships: Health Funds, Sporting Organisations, Car Clubs (AA, RACV etc), Designers
• Customer Experience
• Franchisee Support

Marketing leader with 20+ years’ experience across the retail and healthcare sectors gained working in Australian and international markets. A valued member of senior leadership teams, Sarah has worked with the executive team to develop organisational plans and create an aligned marketing strategy to deliver against organisational objectives.

Over the course of her career, Sarah has enjoyed a variety of roles, progressing through the company during a period of huge growth and expansion. Sarah has worked across 5 markets constructing marketing strategy to retain, acquire and drive short trade –achieving the balance of focusing on long term brand health and short term sales performance.

A strategic thinker with a proven ability to think differently and translate insights into meaningful marketing plans, bringing analytical and financial skills to ensure all decision making is measured and reviewed.

Having worked in companies and industries undergoing significant change, Sarah is highly experienced in evolving the marketing function to be efficient and effective providing the optimal framework for business growth, leading change in an empathetic manner.