Our Team - Australia

Living down under in Melbourne and with 25 years’ executive experience in national and global community-focused service provision, Melinda has spent most of her career focused on children, young people and local communities. She is well known by the federal government and industry partners through her participation in both government and industry advisory groups in the Early Childhood Education and Care, Redress and Child Safety.

A proud mum to three empowered young women who are pursuing careers in the fields of law, journalism and teaching Melinda is not one to sit still. In her spare time Melinda enjoys rowing, jogging on the beach, teaching ballet and being involved in all types of sports.

With a fierce and passionate belief in the ability of all children and young people, Melinda is excited to be a part of the JAG team and building brighter futures together for all Aussie kids.

James has had a diverse in finance across multiple sectors over the last 20 years. Starting his career at PwC, James qualified as a Chartered Accountant in Australia before moving to London where he lived and worked for 15 years. He has worked across a range of international businesses from start-ups to global giants, and his real passion at work is helping to grow businesses across the world.

When he isn’t at work James lives in Melbourne with his wife and two daughters and spends his time travelling, seeing live music, enjoying good food and wine and spending time with his family.

Like most young children, James dreamed of growing up to be a Chartered Accountant one day and as luck would have it he did just that!

Originally a Canberran but now a Melbourne local since 2007, Allisha brings over 18 years’ experience in Retail, Luxury and Commercial Business Marketing. She specialises in strategy, planning, PR, media management, consumer insights and business planning.

When Allisha isn’t chasing after her two young boys, she likes to keep fit by exercising, weight training, running and riding her bike. If she’s not moving her body, she’s either practicing her green thumb or trying her hand at learning the guitar. She’s also happiest when she finds a park that sits opposite a cafe so she can appease her ‘coffee snob’ alter-ego while her boys play on the playground.

When Allisha was younger, she idolised Amanda Woodward from Melrose Place and wanted to follow in her footsteps. She quickly realised that, despite how glamorous Amanda’s life looked; after moving to London and starting a career in Advertising, she was better suited for the world of marketing. She did, however; have a short-lived career in acting. Her year 12 drama teacher was playing with the piano and she was asked to sing a scale! Before she knew it, she was the lead actress of her high school musical! 

Being a mother herself, Allisha understands the importance of social relationships in childhood, and the incredible support Outside School Hours Care provides communities, which is why she’s passionate about her role at JAG. She’s excited about the impact our services can have as we work towards delivering the best OSH and Holiday programs across the globe.

Originally from Melbourne, Adrian has had the fortune to move to live in Italy for 12 years where he collected a souvenir-accent in three languages, Spanish being the third.
Adrian has led a diverse career across various sectors with his professional journey including serving as a commissioned officer in the Australian Army, working as an IT & Business Telecommunication executive, and diversifying across several industries whilst employed as a Director at Deloitte. Throughout his career, Adrian also assisted various startups during their initial phases, leveraging his expertise to help them thrive. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Adrian is a published author of two fictional spy novels.

Now based back in Melbourne, he shares his life with his wife and three daughters. When he’s not working, Adrian indulges in his love for the outdoors. He enjoys trekking and camping through the alpine region, especially across snow-covered national parks.

Reflective of Adrian’s inquisitive pursuits, he is currently learning classical guitar, running a YouTube channel with his kids, and completing an MBL in Blockchain.

Retrospectively, several aspects of his career appear to align to his childhood dream of becoming Indiana Jones...with the "very minor" exception that his travel adventures are basically confined to driving to work instead of flying  cargo planes though the Himalayas, carrying a laptop instead of a whip, reading computer code instead of hieroglyphics, and masterfully avoiding phishing emails instead of rolling boulders.

Vanessa was born and raised in Southwest Sydney, New South Wales, with Argentinian heritage and a natural passion for football! With over 15 years’ experience in the education sector, from Long Day Care and Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) to teaching Vocational Education and Training in high schools and Registered Training Organisations (RTO) settings, she specialises in Compliance and Risk Management.

When Vanessa’s not at soccer games watching her kids play, you’ll find her hiking, near the vicinity of the beach, riding jet skies with the family or spending time with friends. She is someone who’s energetic, passionate and a problem-solver. As a child, she had an endless list of things she wanted to be growing up, including a swimmer, F1 race car driver and a jet pilot in the air force (she was a huge Top Gun fan). Lucky for us, none of these careers worked out and we’re fortunate that Vanessa is here to help us build brighter futures.

Born and raised in the Western Suburbs of Victoria and now located in sunny Perth, Brooke brings a collective of 28 years executive experience in the provision of Children Services and local government contract management. When Brooke isn’t spending time working, she is with her family, reading books and sipping on her coffee while experiencing many different foods.

Growing up, Brooke was always great with numbers and believed that her career would involve numbers in some way, so you can imagine her shock when she ended up going to university for Sciences in Human Movement and Sports. Her path in life strengthened her skills to be caring, level-headed and a great listener, which are all necessary attributes when working in the OSHC industry. She has a passion for people and wanting to make a difference by honing their talent and nourishing them during their journey with her.

Karen is committed to operational excellence and values-based leadership. Her professional experience is diverse and her passion for the well-being of children, families and communities is demonstrated through her roles as CEO of Mission Australia Early Learning, and transformation lead at YMCA NSW. Karen’s most recent role as a Director at the Northern Beaches Council enabled the delivery of high-quality children and community services.  In her spare time Karen has a passion for property development and furniture restoration.  She also enjoys getting lost in book shops, art galleries and foreign cities.

Natasha has proudly worked in the Education sector for over 25 years and is a passionate advocate for Outside Hours School Care and its benefits for children. Through her advocacy work, she has led collaborations with schools, local organisations, and policymakers to develop inclusive programs that meet the diverse needs of communities and families.

Natasha started her career in OSHC and, as a young mum at the time, was inspired by these experiences and saw first-hand the transformative impact of structured care. A respected leader and voice in the field, she is committed to ensuring that all children, particularly those who are vulnerable or at risk, have access to safe environments and quality and enriching services outside of regular school hours.

On weekends Natasha looks forward to spending time with her family, enjoying music with friends, camping adventures, and club sports.