The Role of the Body in Leadership

A passionate and experienced governance professional, Mele-Ane’s work explores the intersection of cultural wisdom, purpose-led business, and the “next economy,” and believes in the immense power of storytelling for change. Mele-Ane holds an MBA from Oxford, where she was a fellow of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship. She also has an LLB/BA from Monash University.

Mele has over 20 years of experience reporting to Boards and Board sub-committees with over 13 years of experience as a non-executive Director of Boards. Her experience spans ASX-listed companies, not-for-profits and for-purpose organisations across a wide range of sectors.

Mele-Ane’s professional background spans the areas of corporate law, human rights  and community law, leadership development, strategy, operations, investment management and media. She has worked in Australia (predominantly based in Melbourne and the Kimberley) and overseas (the Netherlands, the UK and the UAE).  

Prior to taking time to care for her young children, Mele-Ane was the founding CEO of Small Giants Academy for 2 years during its establishment. Prior to that, Mele-Ane held various positions across the Small Giants impact investment family office including co-CEO, strategy and portfolio manager, and general manager of Dumbo Feather. Mele-Ane began her career in law, working at Clayton Utz in Australia in corporate law, including governance advisory work and then for international French firm Gide Loyrette Nouel, supporting their expansion into the United Arab Emirates.

Mele-Ane is currently the co-Chair of B Lab Aotearoa Australia & New Zealand and founding Board member of Regen Melbourne.

Prior to that Mele-Ane was a Director of the Impact Investment Group (impact fund manager),  Tolu - Te Pae ki te Rangi, an investment fund using Maori values and principles to invest in communities, where she served as interim Chair. She also sat on the Investment Committee for Small Giants Family Office and The School of Life, a board she also chaired, finally she was also Company Secretary of the UN Principles for Social Investment.

Mele-Ane has a Bachelor of Arts (Indigenous Studies) and a Bachelor of Laws, in addition to a Masters of Business Administration from Said Business School, Oxford University where she was a Skoll Associate Fellow.

Tamsin is the Head of Programs and the Mastery of Business and Empathy at Small Giants Academy. She brings several decades of leadership experience and systems change in Europe, Australia and Africa. Tamsin believes the best way to predict the future is to create it, change moves at the speed of trust and the superpower of leadership today is our ability to listen. After working as a policy advisor to the Premier of South Australia over two successful campaigns, Tamsin went on to ignite and co-create a string of initiatives including co-founding: Workshop17 inclusive innovation hub in Cape Town; TheBoardroom Africa to bring board gender balance; and The Rallying Cry to shift investment at the intersection of gender and nature for climate outcomes. She is a strategic advisor to CEOs on feminine leadership, gender lens investing and embodiment and holds an MBA from the University of Oxford as a scholar of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship.