Greater Melbourne Area
Three factors have shaped Linda into who she is today – her parents, community and learning opportunities. Born in Canada of Chinese immigrants, her parents influenced her strong work ethic and tenacity to get things done, but also ignited her entrepreneurial thinking. Linda’s sense of community is linked to her mother, growing up listening to stories that has filled her with a healthy respect for her heritage, other cultures, and the diversity of people. As a result, Linda demonstrates empathy in her interactions with communities. Graduating from the University of Waterloo cooperative program, Linda was immediately employed by a high-profile consultancy firm which cemented her professional career. Linda worked internationally, in different sectors and on a breadth of large complex projects. Linda’s flair for creative and critical thinking stems from her earlier years of studying piano and completing her Royal Conservatory of Music examinations. Linda is currently the Managing Director at Runway HQ, Founder/Director/Chair of a charity called Hands of Change, Company Secretary of CLAW Enterprises, a committee member of Regional Development Australia (Grampians) and a Trust member at Geelong Arts Centre. In her final year of completing her PhD studies at Deakin University, she continues to facilitate learning for youth through to adults using experiential learning techniques.
The Geelong Performing Arts Centre Trust (the Trust) was established by the Geelong Performing Arts Centre Trust Act 1980 (the Act). Overseen by Creative Victoria, Geelong Arts Centre is the only State Government owned cultural institution located outside of Melbourne.
Runway is a social enterprise that supports early-stage Startups by connecting them to hands-on programs, physical spaces in Meredith and Ballarat and to people (each other and mentors). Having secured close to $10M in funding since 2016 to establish and operate a sustainable regional Startup ecosystem, it continues to deliver Startup programs and offers physical spaces to connect in Meredith and Ballarat. Key achievements include: - Successfully acquitted $8.25M of funding received from State and Federal government. Key milestones included the establishment of co-working facilities, Startup programs, and strategic partnerships. - Designed and delivered the Startup Bootcamp and Incubator program which has been delivered to 90 Startups since 2017, of which 66% are still operational today. - Co-designed and co-delivered a new experiential learning MBA program with Federation University. This program was delivered to three cohorts and received excellent feedback from the students. - Mentored on average 30 to 50 entrepreneurs and business owners each year. - Contributed towards the creation of 200 indirect jobs in the Grampians region through the creation of the regional innovation ecosystem. - Injected $1.80 into the Geelong economy for every $1 that was funded to support a Runway Startup. [City of Greater Geelong Remplan, 2020]
Hands of Change is a small, registered charity with a purpose to help young people prepare for adulthood. To achieve its purpose, Hands of Change partners with the local community to create and deliver innovative programs that develop life skills, business skills and emotional intelligence skills for young people. Key achievements include: - Designed and successfully launched the Equihands program, that uses horse interactions in a natural outdoor environment to create lasting learning experiences for learners. This program has been delivered to ~60 youth in the Golden Plains region since 2019. View launch video here: https://youtu.be/wvOKLe06gUA - Engaged key stakeholders and community members to curate a new program called Nurturing Young Minds for their Future (NYM) program. This program has been successfully delivered to four cohorts of year four, five and sixes at Meredith Primary School. View launch video here: https://youtu.be/hMJ9jQ2gGcw?si=LJzm9ZHRqCbYZWSG - Curated a new program called the Youth Executive Learning Program (YELP) in partnership with Meredith Primary School, which launched in April 2024.
CLAW Enterprises was established in 2001 to provide independent consulting services to a broad range of clients. Services provided are customised for each client to meet their specific needs, which ensures that each engagement has clear outcomes delivered. A sample of key achievements delivered by Linda to her clients include the following: * Assisted with the development of a five-year strategic plan * Conducted a CRM system review and provided recommendations on next steps * Managed the end-to-end implementation of a document management and workflow system for a complex transformation program that consisted of three tiers of inter-dependent projects * Successfully delivered a Configuration Management System, including managing the acceptance from the client and stakeholders * Managed the joint Program Management Office of a large transformation program, acting as the conduit between the client and service provider * Introduced processes to ensure effective and efficient management of issues and risks * Effectively engaged stakeholders in order to achieve buy-in of new solutions * Led the development of an enterprise architecture strategy that aligned to business objectives * Developed the framework and processes for system development life cycle that was adopted across the technology unit * Led the RFT process for a Data Warehouse solution and provided vendor management to reach an agreed contract * Managed the requirements from a diverse range of stakeholders to reach an agreed decision for a Data Warehouse solution * Conducted a review of an IT Strategy and facilitated workshops with business units to validate requirements
Hesse Rural Health Service was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of Beeac and District Hospital, Leigh Community Care Centre and the Winchelsea and District Hospital. Since that time Hesse has developed into a key integrated rural health-care service within the three local government areas of Surf Coast, Colac Otway and Golden Plains. A broad range of services include: Aged Residential, Acute Hospital, Emergency, Community Health, Home Nursing, Medical, Rehabilitation and Palliative Care. In addition to sitting on the main Board, Linda is also a member of the Clinical Governance and Ethics sub-committee and the Building sub-committee.