Meet the Team

Graham has been closely associated with the operational and administrative needs of local government for over 40 years, having provided consulting engineering services for development and operation of critical infrastructure, particularly in the field of water management. In recent years he has focussed on the application of good governance and business principles as a member of state and local government boards. He is currently a board member of Urban Utilities and is Chairman of an ecological engineering professional services company, Verterra.

Eleanor Ogston provides leadership and oversight of Leading Roles' operations. She has 17 years’ experience in working with the Queensland local government sector and has strong relationships with many elected members, council CEOs and Executive Managers. Eleanor has significant experience in assisting local government clients with both their corporate service and infrastructure programs. Prior to joining Leading Roles, she held the role of Local Government Market Leader and Principal Consultant with AECOM. Eleanor was also the CEO of Local Buy, an LGAQ organisation with a turnover of $250M, delivering procurement services to councils. Eleanor has a strong understanding of operations and challenges faced by the local government sector and has worked closely with councils to address issu...

Mark founded Leading Roles in 2012 to provide specialist assistance in recruitment and human resource related projects for councils, and he is a passionate advocate for the development and performance of the local government sector. Mark has been working with councils for over 20 years, holding senior roles in companies that provide cost savings, business process improvement and service improvement to councils. These roles have included working for the local government technology services provider Civica, and the LGAQ’s local government procurement service Local Buy. He started his career in environmental services, and moved from there into leadership roles in waste and facilities management companies providing complex services to councils in the UK. Mark leads all our client engagement...

Belinda is a senior recruitment specialist with over 15 years’ experience working in the UK, ACT, and Brisbane. She has recruited executive, senior management and specialist roles across both the public and private sectors while working for leading international, national and boutique recruitment firms. Belinda also has experience as a communications professional within the Corporate Affairs teams of respected not-for-profit and professional services organisations in the UK and Australia; such as Burson-Marsteller, the Queensland Cancer Council, UnitingCare Queensland and a leading national law firm. Belinda prides herself on her stakeholder engagement skills, her client and candidate care, and her collaborative communication style to ensure a quality and professional level of service i...

Rob Maxwell is a senior recruitment specialist, whose experience spans over 20 years. Rob has held senior roles in the private and public sectors and he has most recently worked in the resources sector. Rob has extensive experience in recruiting for all levels of roles to executive level and has considerable expertise in developing and delivering project campaigns. In addition to Rob’s extensive recruitment leadership experience, he has a strong experience in Human Resources, and excellent understanding of the HR/ IR operating environment. Rob takes pride in delivering a quality service that is founded on honesty, reliability and a high customer focus.

Gemma has over 15 years’ experience in the recruitment industry in both the UK and Australia as a senior recruitment practitioner recruiting Executive, Senior Management and specialist sector positions. She also has extensive experience as a Major Account Manager for a range of clients, including Sky, National Australia Bank, EDS, Scottish Power and JP Morgan. She prides herself on the professional service she provides to both clients and candidates to ensure their needs and expectations are achieved.

Vanessa is an experienced recruitment professional and motivational coach. With more than 20 years of experience, Vanessa has worked with highly effective teams, supporting entry level to senior executives, in complex corporate environments. Vanessa brings positive energy and a high-level service approach for excellence, delivering positive and rewarding outcomes for clients and their organisations.

With a career that spans across government, private industry and the not-for-profit sector, Marie’s role is to manage our marketing, communications and social media community. In her spare time, Marie volunteers with The Big Issue and to unwind she loves to travel, especially gastronomic walking holidays, sampling local cuisine and hiking in the mountains.

Jeanette is a highly experienced human resources and recruitment practioner. Her work history includes eight years as an HR generalist within a large metro local government as well as senior HR and recruitment roles within the IT, Banking and Agency Recruitment sectors. Jeanette brings this wealth of experience to Leading Roles in her position as Talent Acquitions Specialist, providing research and support to our executive and specialist technical recruitment projects.

Marina is an experienced business support professional. She has strong skills in the management and reporting of business data, assisting organisations to efficiently manage their resources and maintain compliance. ​ Marina is new to the recruitment industry but is enjoying the challenge of finding great candidates for our local government clients. Marina works alongside the Leading Roles Talent Consultants to search and headhunt local government’s next shining stars. She prides herself on being respectful and professional in all her communications.

Danielle is an experienced Business Analyst and Test Manager with 12 years experience working in the Banking and Finance industry in Australia and the UK. Although Danielle is new to the recruitment industry she brings a wealth of experience specifically in process mapping and understanding the customer experience. Danielle has a very high work ethic and prides her self on her strong communication skills and her high attention to detail ensuring an exceptional level of service is provided to clients and candidates alike.

Lyndall has over 20-years experience in Administration and has worked in the recruitment industry for seven years. Lyndall is passionate about providing expert administrative support to our Recruitment Consultants. Lyndall has previously run her own business as well as working in the Health & Fitness, Hospitality and Travel industries. She is passionate about systemising, planning and organising and strives to provide a professional and efficient administrative service for Clients, Candidates and the Leading Roles Team.