APSCo Australia's Leadership Development Day

Sophie Robertson is a recruitment industry advisor, coach and trainer. She worked in recruitment for 18 years in various roles from consultant to Business Development Director to General Manager in a global firm as well as in a boutique firm. Since 2007, Sophie has through her business Younique Coaching coached many recruiters at all levels to bill more and be more successful. She also works at an advisory level to recruitment leaders and business owners to assist them to build high performing teams. Sophie’s areas of expertise include: leadership for high performing teams, growing temp and contract businesses and business development. Sophie’s book ‘Secrets to running a lucrative temp desk’ has helped many companies establish and grow their temp desks.

After a successful career as a Recruitment Sales Manager, Russell discovered his true passion was developing people. He went on to forge a career in L&D remaining as a specialist in the recruitment industry. By combining personalised coaching with practical training for sales consultants and leaders, Russell helped organisations improve retention, build high-performance cultures, and drive measurable productivity gains.  After relocating to Australia, he founded Claverdon Consulting to bring this expertise to the local recruitment market, where he specialises in delivering tailored training programs and coaching services to recruitment businesses across Australia. Russell partners closely with business leaders to uplift capability, achieve targeted outcomes, and create robust, scalable L&D playbooks.

Jacky has many years’ experience in the talent and recruitment sector, including almost 4 decades with global recruitment firm, Hays. Having held multiple global and APAC roles at executive level, Jacky's unique skillset spans operations, technology and marketing with a specific focus on customer centricity, profitable growth and innovation. Two years ago she partnered with another experienced recruitment industry professional, Steve Carter, and together with a team of data, technology and automation experts started The Satori Partnership, a specialist industry consultancy geared to supporting recruitment agencies in achieving their growth objectives. 

Victoria is the Client Success Manager at APositive, helping recruitment agencies grow and scale through contract and permanent funding solutions, as well as outsourced payroll services. With over five years’ experience in the B2B Buy Now Pay Later sector, she brings a deep understanding of the critical role cash flow plays in business operations - particularly within the recruitment industry.

Laura is a Sydney based Recruitment Trainer who has spent nearly 20 years in the industry. She is the co-founder of one of Australia’s most awarded business support agencies and has spent the last 8 years training Recruiters through workshops, programs and 121 coaching, as well as working closely with Agency Owners to provide advice across their business strategy, operations and employee lifecycle. Laura prides herself on her highly practical, no cookie-cutter approach- she only trains on what she has learnt herself and her programs are tailored to each agency’s market, values and ways of working, with a strong focus on real world application and measurable ROI. 

Christine has a proven track record of success in driving rapid growth and turnaround in established businesses and identifying, planning, and executing new business opportunities in various geographies and industry streams. With over 28 years of experience in the recruitment industry, she is a seasoned and enthusiastic executive leader with a global perspective, having worked across multiple countries and cultures on four continents. Christine is a firm believer in the idea that an organisation's success is primarily driven by its culture and employee engagement. She encourages a culture of continuous learning, celebrates creativity and innovation, and is a proud role model for women in leadership. Her achievements in the industry are recognised by being named twice to SIA's "Global Power 100 - Women in Staffing & International 50" and "Global Power 150 – Women in Staffing & Americas 100".

Chris has previously been recognised as Australian Finance Broker of the Year, has held directorships with ASX listed entities and, earlier in his career, worked in payroll businesses supporting recruitment. 

As a Professional EOS Implementer®, Colin helps business owners and leadership teams of privately owned companies create clarity, discipline, and accountability, so they can scale without losing their soul. He loves helping teams break through ceilings, get unstuck, and build businesses that serve their people as much as their customers. 

After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte in London, Phil moved to one of his main clients,  Hays plc, in 1995.  After a couple of years in Head Office roles he moved to the Recruitment business, subsequently moving to Australia as FD of Hays Specialist Recruitment in 1999.  He remained in this role until September 2024, during which time the turnover grew from $148m to nearly $3bn,  with the business expanding into 7 countries across the APAC region.  During his tenure Phil was responsible for the Finance, IT, Legal, OHS and Commercial support functions.