About Sarah
A good leader will inspire and motivate their people and adapt their communication style to ensure effective and meaningful interactions with team members and colleagues. However, most of us aren't born great leaders; it's a skill we must invest time in mastering - and that's where I can help.
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I help leaders and teams gain powerful insights about the people they work with to help them adjust their responses, behaviours and body language to best fit how others receive information.
This technique ensures that people’s needs for connection, contribution and acknowledgement are met; leading to happier more productive people.
After more than 20 years as an Executive HR Generalist, I made the life-changing decision to start my own humancentred business, aptly called PPL Centrik. I earned my skills, knowledge and strengths by working across several industries and notable companies, including Chobani Australia, where I spent almost a decade in a leadership position heading up the People and Culture function.
In this multifaceted role, I was instrumental in achieving massive growth, taking the company from 92 employees to 270, guiding the business through challenging growth pains and helping teams deal with change in a fast-paced, competitive landscape. Prior to Chobani, I built my career in notable organisations including Random House Australia, Novartis Consumer Health and some of Melbourne’s finest 5-star hotels such as the Sofitel, the Regent and the Radisson.
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Of course, I have made mistakes in my leadership journey and learned valuable lessons and skills that changed how I led, my team's performance and reputation and our overall department's results. Embracing my journey and investing in bettering myself gave me the confidence and skills to scale the HR function successfully, lead multiple cultural change projects, and achieve 300% growth during my tenure. In addition, I led Chobani's 'Women in Leadership' program with a 90% success rate and was accredited by 'Great Places to Work' in 2016 and 2017 with an average of 82% employee engagement.
My journey is also one of personal growth through incredible adversity. During this time, I learned how to ask for help, be vulnerable and compassionate to myself and others, be present and look to the positive future even while sitting under a black cloud.
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Therefore, my experience is not just theoretical and advisory but based on real-life applications in high-growth entrepreneurial environments and personal hardships, both of which required creative solution, grit and resilience. Through my experiences, I bring value in breaking down silos through effective communication and I support and develop leadership capabilities to build high-performing teams that align and deliver organisation goals.
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I bring my energetic and engaging personality style to PPL CENTRIK and my workshops. I am passionate about supporting individuals do what lights them up and reach their full potential. I have developed a 'best in class' leadership program to coach leaders and teams in the art of effective communication, giving and receiving feedback and managing poor performance to get the most from your employee's engagement and productivity. I'm on a mission to help organisations and leaders put people at the centre of success to create a more connected world where people develop meaningful and memorable relationships through effective communication and a sense of belonging.
Sarah’s Qualifications
• Bachelor of Commerce: Deakin University
• Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management: Monash University
• Graduate Certificate in Organisational Coaching: Swinburne University
• Certificate IV in Training & Assessment
• DISC Advanced
• GENOS Emotional Intelligence