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...

With 22 years’ extensive experience as a recruitment specialist, in the US and Australia, Edwina has worked across local, state and federal government sectors. Throughout her career Edwina managed delivery teams and held account management and business development roles, aligning strategic recruitment planning with the individual needs of an organisation. Edwina’s ability to listen and understand businesses and HR challenges has proven results and delivered creative recruitment solutions with positive impact. Edwina is well networked, enthusiastic and keen to continue building long-term quality relationships and establishing new connections within local government.

Belinda is our senior recruitment specialist with more than 15 years’ experience recruiting executive, senior management and specialist roles in public and private sectors in the UK, ACT and Brisbane. As a high-level communications specialist, Belinda worked in the not-for-profit sector and professional services organisations in the UK and Australia including Burson-Marsteller, 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 is always delivered.

Rob is a senior recruitment specialist, whose experience spans over 20 years. Rob has held senior roles in the private and public sectors and most recently he worked in the resources sector. With extensive experience in recruiting across all levels, Rob’s expertise is developing and delivering project campaigns. In addition to Rob’s recruitment leadership experience, he has an 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 is a recruitment professional who manages technical recruitment projects and our Leading Contractor portfolio. With more than 15 years’ experience in the recruitment industry, Gemma was a recruitment practitioner for executive, senior management and specialist sector positions in the UK and Australia. Gemma previously worked as a Major Account Manager for a range of clients including Sky, National Australia Bank, EDS, Scottish Power and JP Morgan.

Vanessa specialises in short-term recruitment projects and longer-term contract vacancies. Vanessa is managing our Leading Contractors portfolio, assisting local government teams recruit for temporary, contract and interim roles including technical staff for infrastructure planning and delivery, finance professionals, project managers, communication specialists and labour hire. With 24 years’ experience as a talent consultant and motivational coach within the recruitment industry, Vanessa has supported high-performing teams in complex corporate environments.

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 practitioner. Her work history includes eight years as a HR generalist within a large metro local government as well as senior HR and recruitment roles within the IT, Banking and Agency Recruitment sectors. As Talent Acquisitions Specialist, Jeanette brings a wealth of experience to Leading Roles, providing research and support to our executive and specialist technical recruitment projects.

Marina is an experienced business support professional with 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 and ftness, hospitality and travel industries. She is passionate about systemising, planning and organising and strives to provide a professional and efficient administrative service for our clients, candidates and the Leading Roles team.