Leadership
team

A transformational leader with almost 20 years’ experience as a CEO in the not-for-profit sector, coupled with extensive senior management experience in the private sector and over 20 years’ experience working within collaborative models.

Marion joined the Engagement Institute (then IAP2 Australasia) in August 2017. Under her leadership, the organisation focused on delivering a suite of valued initiatives to members which has resulted in tremendous growth, membership has more than tripled to almost 16,000 and revenues have likewise increased.

Marion has an MBA from Henley Management College, UK. She has been married to Kevin for over 30 years and is enormously proud of her two adult sons.

A resourceful optimist, she grew up in the Northern Territory, and much of her life has been shaped by her dad’s words “well it can’t be that hard”.

Michele has joined the Engagement Institute as the Head of Corporate Services. Her focus is to elevate and embed Engagement Institute’s financial and information and communication technology systems to support a values driven and exceptional team culture.

She brings to this role financial and strategic leadership experience gained across not‑for‑profit, government‑owned, and commercial organisations. She is recognised for her expertise in financial governance, business transformation, risk management, and sustainable growth, and for her ability to partner effectively with Boards and executive teams to deliver long‑term value.

Prior to joining the Engagement Institute, Michele was the Chief Financial Officer at Healthy Land and Water Ltd. Here she led the Business Services portfolio supporting an organisation managing more than $20 million in annual revenue. Her role encompassed finance, compliance, IT, risk, audit, and quality systems, and she played a key role in strengthening performance reporting, implementing activity‑based costing, and enhancing ESG frameworks.

A lifelong resident of the Redlands area in Brisbane, she enjoys spending time with her husband enjoying the natural beauty spots and great fishing locations South East Queensland has to offer.

Sharon is the trusted right hand to our busy CEO, providing high-level executive support to ensure excellence in service delivery across the organisation and to our members. In addition to her role as Executive Manager, she plays a pivotal part in delivering effective, compliant, and responsive generalist human resources advisory and administrative services to both internal and external stakeholders.

With a career spanning over 25 years, Sharon brings a wealth of experience supporting senior leadership across a variety of sectors. She began her professional journey in the Finance industry, moved into Entertainment, and then spent 13 successful years in the Travel industry. After relocating from Sydney to Brisbane in 2015 with her family, she transitioned into the Aged Care sector and prior to joining the Engagement Institute Sharon was working for a training organisation specialising in Dementia Care.

Sharon is passionate about helping teams thrive and achieve their goals. She takes pride in finding ways to improve how things are done—always looking for opportunities to boost efficiency, streamline processes, and make the workplace more enjoyable for everyone. With her friendly, proactive approach and natural ability to keep things running smoothly, Sharon plays a vital role in supporting both the people and the purpose of the organisation.

Sharon lives in Brisbane with her husband, Leigh, and their two teenage sons Hayden and Callum.

Magdalena’s responsibilities extend to developing and leading the membership strategies to grow Engagement Institute’s membership base and ensure you get the most out of being a member.

She has over 15 years’ experience across membership, professional services, and research organisations. Prior to joining Engagement Institute, she spent 13 years at The Law Society of New South Wales, one of the largest and most resilient voluntary direct membership legal associations internationally, where she held a number of roles, including as Executive Director (Corporate and Member Services), and as the General Manager of The Law Association for Asia and the Pacific, a regional membership association that advocates for the interests and concerns of the Asia-Pacific legal profession.

Originally from Sydney, she moved to Brisbane, following the move up north in the wake of COVID. She lives with her husband, daughter, their cat, Tea Party, and dog Chilli.

Erin Bray is Head of Marketing and Sales at Engagement Institute, leading the organisation’s marketing, sales and brand strategy across Australasia. She is responsible for growing the Engagement Institute’s brand, driving membership, training and commercial growth, leading advocacy and strategic marketing initiatives, and overseeing the marketing and sales team. Erin has more than 30 years’ experience across the private, government and association sectors. Before joining Engagement Institute, she was Global Head of Marketing at Law In Order and previously held executive marketing and communications leadership roles at the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and the Queensland Law Society.

Drawing on a diverse career spanning Australia, the UK and Europe, Caitlin brings expertise in education, capability, organisational development, stakeholder engagement and systems change.

Before joining the Engagement Institute, Caitlin led national workforce and sector development at No to Violence, Australia’s national peak body working to end men’s use of family violence. Her career has spanned government, health, community, not-for-profit and corporate sectors, with a focus on strengthening leadership, capability and organisational impact. A confident facilitator and presenter, she has chaired national summits, contributed to government advisory and reform initiatives, and represented organisations at conferences, professional forums and through national partnerships.

Originally from Melbourne, Caitlin moved to the Sunshine Coast eight years ago after spending several years living and working in the UK and Europe and volunteering in Brazil. She is endlessly curious, values lifelong learning, and believes lasting change happens when people come together with courage, trust and a shared commitment to better outcomes.