AAGE Committee
Karrie Bishop - Connect on LinkedIn
Graduate Talent Acquisition Advisor, Origin Energy
As the Graduate Talent Acquisition Advisor at Origin, Karrie is responsible for providing both hiring managers and emerging talent with an unsurpassed recruitment experience ensuring Origin employs the top graduates across the Energy industry. In addition to her current role, Karrie has over 8 years’ experience in managing graduate and summer vacation student programs within Oil & Gas and Energy industry, working collaboratively with hiring managers delivering the full life cycle of attraction, recruitment, development and retention activities. She is passionate about sourcing the right emerging talent and ensuring they maximise their potential as future leaders for Origin.
Robert Blaze - Connect on LinkedIn
Training and Development Lead, Monadelphous Group
Based in Perth WA, Robert is the Training and Development Lead for the Maintenance and Industrial Services Division for Monadelphous Group and the Development Advisor to the Graduate Recruitment and Development Team. Robert is currently responsible for a large portfolio of professional development strategies and activities for all areas of the Maintenance and Industrial Services team from Safety led training to leadership development. As part of the Graduate support team, Robert is responsible for ensuring all Monadelphous graduates are provided with real development and career guidance to set them up for success.
Originally from a hospitality background as a restaurateur, Robert's passion for development has taken his career into various learning and development roles including hospitality, telecommunications, business management and now Engineering, Maintenance and Construction. Robert has over 15 years’ experience in the learning and development space, with 7 of those years directly engaged in Graduate Development.
Michelle Degenhardt - Connect on LinkedIn
Graduate Program Director, Flight Centre Travel Group
As the Graduate Program Director of Flight Centre Travel Group, Michelle is responsible for the attraction, recruitment and development of the Retail Leadership Graduates at Flight Centre Travel Group across Australia. Michelle works closely with the National Recruitment and Training Teams to ensure that the FCTG Graduates are being developed into the future leaders of the company. Michelle has been part of the Flight Centre family since 2004 when she joined as an Event Manager and moved around the organisation in various roles including cievents Queensland Business Leader, National Support Recruitment Leader and HR Business Partner. Since taking on the role of Graduate Program Director in 2015, with her team Michelle has grown the program from an intake of 12 to a 2017 intake of 100 Graduates nationally.
Kevin Duong - Connect on LinkedIn
Campus Talent Acquisition Partner, Commonwealth Bank of Australia
As a Campus Talent Acquisition Partner at Commonwealth Bank, Kevin partners with his business units to attract and recruit the best talent to join CBA’s graduate and internship programs. His role involves strategic engagement with senior leaders across his diverse business units to ensure that students with the right skills are being recruited where they’re needed most. Before joining CommBank, Kevin spent four years in the public sector, managing the recruitment and development of graduates at the Department of the Treasury in Canberra. Kevin is a registered psychologist and prior to finding his passion in the early talent industry, worked in psychological consulting assisting top-tier organisations with their culture change initiatives.
Lauren Evans - Connect on LinkedIn
Recruitment Manager, Asia-Pacific, White & Case
Lauren has recently started a new role as Recruitment Manager, Asia-Pacific for global law firm – White & Case. As a firm new to the Australian legal market, Lauren’s focus is building the clerkship and graduate program across the Melbourne and Sydney offices, whilst overseeing existing graduate programs and all associate level hiring across Asia. Lauren enjoys the complexity working in graduate talent management brings and is passionate about delivering programs that positively impact individual and organisational success. A true early talent specialist, Lauren has worked in the industry for over 10 years predominately within investment and corporate banks in both London and Hong Kong. Upon her return to Australia in 2015, Lauren moved into commercial law where she looked after the Melbourne based graduate programs at Ashurst for a few years prior to starting at White & Case.
Simon Gibson - Connect on LinkedIn
Recruitment Partner – Graduates APAC, Rio Tinto
In his new role with Rio Tinto, Simon is responsible for helping attract and recruit the best Graduates and Vacationers into Rio Tinto’s Programs. With a focus on the Australian East Coast, Simon is part of a small global team that concentrates on university engagement, early identification programs and proactive sourcing strategies. Simon comes from a strong background in Graduate Recruitment within the professional services industry and has a bachelor’s degree in HRM. In 2014 Simon was honoured to win the AAGE Graduate Recruitment Industry Award (AGRIA) for 'Australia's Most Popular Graduate Recruiter' and has been part of the AAGE Committee since early 2015.
Dara McCallion - Connect on LinkedIn
Graduate Programs Manager, Westpac Group
As Graduate Programs Manager at Westpac Group, Dara is responsible for the strategy, attraction, recruitment and development of the graduate and internship intake nationally, across all business divisions. Through strategic marketing, student attraction and engagement, Dara strives to recruit and develop the best graduate talent that supports the Westpac Group values. With a background in HR, supported by an honours degree in HRM, Dara supported graduate program management within law firm Allen & Overy prior to joining Westpac Group in 2014. She is passionate about launching graduates' careers and nurturing thought leaders and contributors to experience challenging and rewarding careers at Westpac Group.
Garry Stock - Connect on LinkedIn
Team Leader, Programs & Projects, People and Culture Division, Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning
Garry is the Team Leader of Programs & Projects in the HR Services area of the Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning in Victoria. In this role he leads the Graduate Programs and is responsible for the marketing, recruitment, on-boarding and graduate development. He has worked in the graduate space for over 10 years and within HR since the 1990s. Garry has a keen interest in learning & development and in the past led the departments L&D for a number of years. He also has shown his commitment to his local community through his involvement in Local Government, having had a term as Mayor and 11 years as an elected Councillor in the City of Melton. It is now that the graduate space provides enthusiasm for his working commitment.