Julian Carle – Chair
As co-Founder and Chief Executive of corporate education group, Synergen, Julian is passionate about leadership. He lives it, breathes it and has designed his company and career to further develop leaders into the best leaders they can be.
Involved in leadership education for more than 14 years, Julian has worked across a range of companies and industries from small not-for-profit organisations to top ASX firms. He has trained hundreds of leaders in accredited and non-accredited programs, created a Certified Master Trainer program and authored books on mentoring and leadership.
Given his background in education and determination to give back to the community, Julian considers Cire to be a perfect fit and he feels privileged to be leading the organisation as Board Chairperson.
“It is great to be part of an organisation that is moving forward strategically to be the best it can be in serving the community.”
Sadiq Mohammad – Treasurer
With over 20 years of experience working in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, Sadiq has a strong focus on team building, leadership and financial stewardship. Sadiq is a qualified Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) with MBA in Finance.
He has a keen interest in guiding organisations through financial challenges with a strong focus on reliable information to make informed decisions and formulate strategies. Sadiq has joined Cire’s board to serve the community and show gratitude to the country that offered him a home away from home. He believes in equality and opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, gender, age and colour.
“We all are born equal and should be treated as such.”
Melanie Heffernan – Secretary
Melanie brings to Cire a legal and business perspective, coupled with a lifelong appreciation for education.
Currently practising as a commercial lawyer at the helm of her own law firm, Melanie has a keen awareness of the need to balance the necessity of profitable enterprise with the individualised support that only a not-for-profit charity can deliver. Years of working with the local community has given Melanie a detailed understanding of our community’s demographics, diversity and support requirements.
Melanie is excited to be a member of the Cire Board, as Cire’s vision and purpose align with her passionate views that education is a lifeline to success, but that education means more than the historical Prep-Year 12-University route. Life skills, mental well being and alternate career paths are strong priorities to Melanie, who intends to continue to support these values within Cire.
“Every person should receive an education that meets their needs, and is suited to their learning style and current situation – we cannot progress as a community when education is not truly accessible to all.”
Dr John Doyle – Board Member
John is passionate about the impact of education on people’s lives. He’s held a range of research, strategy, teaching and student mentoring roles in the schools and university sectors since 2012.
Before this, John worked for 13 years on strategy and regulation in the telecommunications sector, and was a board director of the sector’s peak industry body. He earlier held strategic analyst roles within the federal government.
John’s qualifications include an MBA from the University of Melbourne and a PhD from La Trobe University, where is he is currently an adjunct research fellow.
“It’s a privilege to be part of Cire at such an exciting time in its development, as it works to bring more flexible learning and career pathways to more people in our community.”
Rachel Foster – Board Member
Rachel brings an extensive twenty years’ experience from the community services sector. During this time she has held numerous roles as a senior manager, qualified trainer and assessor in areas such as Child, Youth & Families, Housing and Homelessness and Specialist Family Violence services. On top of that, she’s an impressive postgraduate in family violence and strategic leadership and is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Social Work degree.
Rachel shares Cires’ passion for equity and access, education and learning. We’re delighted to have her aboard so that together we can work towards creating more opportunities for those affected by trauma to gain informative education.
“It’s important everyone is given the opportunity to discover their potential – knowledge and learning create pathways to better futures, for generations.”
Warren McLeod – Board Member
Warren has dedicated his entire career to the field of education, having amassed over two decades of experience in Catholic, Independent and Government schools.
His true passion lies in leadership, coaching and mentoring; continuously striving towards achieving the highest standards of best practice across educational organisations.
Warren’s unwavering commitment to providing meaningful learning experiences has led him to be become a valued member of the ACEL Victorian Branch Executive as well as a presenter for SALT (Sport and Life Training).
His proficiency in student wellbeing has been recognised by several post graduate qualifications in applied science and culminated with him being inducted into the esteemed Fellowship of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders.
“It is a privilege to serve the community and to be a part of Cire’s strategic journey into the future.”
Funda Ozenc – Board Member
Funda Ozenc is a transformational leader with close to 20 years’ experience across diverse industries including community health, aged care and IT in both non-profit and private sectors.
She is passionate about promoting a culture of consumer-focused service delivery through service improvement based on best practice guidelines, clinical data analysis, consumer consultation and innovation.
Funda has extensive qualifications in nursing and business management, and she holds an MBA major in HR and Marketing, a Bachelor of Arts and Post Graduate Diploma in Leadership and Management.
A decade of experience reporting on Boards throughout her senior leadership and executive roles has given Funda a comprehensive understanding of, and appreciation for, governance and stakeholder management.
“It is an honour and privilege to serve at Cire Services, an organisation committed to helping and empowering people through education and development.”
