DESERT OAK - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Founding Partner
- Managing Director
Gary is the Managing Director and founding partner of Desert Oak Associates. He has worked extensively with boards, CEOs and senior executives of major corporations based in Australia, South East Asia, India, UK, USA and the Middle East. His work focusses on transforming the performance of leaders, teams and organizations.
Gary has a BA (Sociology) from Curtin University, a BSc (Psychology) with Honours from the ANU and is an alumnus of the Wharton Advanced Management Programme. He is a former Director of the Australian Yachting Federation.
Linda has over 25 years work experience in financial services, the government, NFP and private sectors. She led the education and professional development businesses for two professional member organizations and a private education provider, and worked extensively with corporate clients in the finance sector on the design and delivery of innovative learning and development programs.
Working with the CEO and senior executive team of a leading member association, she spearheaded a strategic initiative to retain and grow the membership. As Deputy Director, Aurora Project, an intiative funded by government and leading corporates, she led the national capacity building program for Indigenous land councils across Australia working on Native Title and land use agreements. Prior to joining Desert Oak, she worked for the Museum of Arts and Science (MAAS) developing the corporate membership program and at Philanthropy Australia as the National Manager, Membership and Programs.
Her qualifications include a BA (Social Sciences), Curtin University and a Graduate Certificate of Marketing, UTS. She is a Board Director of SDN Children's Services, a large provider of early childhood education, child care services, children's therapies and family support programs, and is a member of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (Finsia) and Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Pepe has over 20 years Australian and international experience in business management and vocational education. She works closely with executive teams developing and implementing targeted leader development solutions.
Pepe has developed a keen sense of how people learn and what development solutions work most effectively. As a specialist in instructional design she creates informative and hands-on programs, both online and face-to-face, that actively engage learners. Her work is valued for both the clarity of the materials and her facilitation skills.