About Tamara Simon

Tamara Simon is Australia's Only Dedicated RTO Business Coach, driven to providing simple solutions to help timepoor RTO CEOs/Managers grow their business (whilst managing everything and everyone else) because she's all about the HOW!

With over 24 years VET and business management experience including FITAB's CEO, Tamara's mantra to RTOs is 'if you don't like compliance and don't like change, then don't work for an RTO or be one'.

Tamara has provided numerous firsts for the VET sector, to support those running the business aspects of an RTO including:

• Her acclaimed book, The Five Little RTO Pigs, is the first and only business book to truly tackle the issue of growing a streamlined and profitable RTO.
• RTO GROW - Australia's only PD program specifically designed to provide RTO Owners/CEOs/Managers with the information and tools to manage and grow the business
• The Only Business Coaching Membership Program for those running (or aspiring to) run an RTO business

Tamara's leadership and management expertise was recognised as a Queensland Finalist in the Telstra Young Business Women's Awards and IML's Excellence Awards; and receiving QITC's 'Leadership in VET' Award. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders (IML).

About Maciek Fibrich

For twenty years, Maciek Fibrich has been challenging the status quo in the VET sector, often pushing the limits to achieve unexpected outcomes for RTOs. Maciek is truly passionate about ensuring quality within the VET sector and working out ways to use technology, as well as a global workforce to push quality, yet ensuring it never impacts on the human nature of training and assessment.

Maciek is the Director and Principal Consultant of RTO Consultancy. He works with a range of clients and focuses on quality, not compliance. Maciek believes compliance must be an organisation wide responsibility and that a culture of quality, along with further and ongoing education, shared responsibility and accountability, RTOs can focus on delivering quality outcomes and not constantly worrying about the next audit.

Maciek is a passionate believer in lifelong learning as well as living life to the fullest. He holds many vocational qualifications and is a member of a number of national and international professional bodies. Maciek believes in developing strong leadership skills through living every day to the fullest potential and always giving back to the community.

In 2014, a personal highlight was being awarded the Gold Cross of Merit from the Polish President at the Presidential Palace in Poland for service to the Polish Community in Australia.

About David Jepsen

With over 25 years experience as a practising Chartered Accountant (CA), David is the Founder and Principal of RTO Accountants.

David started his career at KPMG, moving on to mid tier

accounting firms and commercial roles with Citigroup, Zurich, CBA and others in

Sydney and London before setting up his own accounting practice in 2001.

Offering commercial and realistic advice, David believes the

foundation for business success is built upon strong, trusted and lasting

client partnerships.

David is commercially minded and works collaboratively with

clients to develop strategies and solutions for complex business challenges.

Having worked in accounting firms as well as public and private

businesses, David has a breadth of experience in accounting, taxation, business

advisory, financial control and Chief Finance Officer (CFO) roles; ensuring his

clients receive top-level, expert advice.

With extensive experience working with RTOs and training

businesses, David has been heavily involved in advising and negotiating the sale

of training businesses including two in the last year and one into a listed

vehicle.

About Melanie MacDonald

Melanie is the Senior Strategist at Mana Social which specialises in helping RTOs by using 'big data' to find those people who have decided they need what you have or the training services you're providing.

Mana Social uses the data on where they have been, what they have bought and what they're talking about online to create a picture of your ideal client/student. Then they help RTOs market direct to them.

With a scientific and engineering background, Melanie has successfully run, bought and sold RTOs and it's this experience, coupled with digital and sales insights, where she and her colleagues help RTOs by being their outsourced marketing team - doing as much or as little as each RTO requires.