Gardian Leadership Team

Our Founders

MIKE HAMMOND

CO-FOUNDER &

CHIEF PARAMEDIC OFFICER

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Pmd MIKE HAMMOND RN, ICP, RMP, EMP, EMEMS, MGMCCS, PHCEMT, C-EM, MAREMT, MACPP, FPHC Practitioner

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Mike is an experienced and highly proficient Paramedic with over 30 years experience. Mike is the founder of EMS Event Medical Services, offering specialist event medical teams and mobile medical centres to over 360 clients across NSW.

Mike is an expert in his field and is often invited to present as a keynote speaker at national and international conferences. Mike has also established ambulance services, including the development of protocols, and trained ambulance staff nationally and internationally. Mike also teaches prehospital care courses, and advanced courses, and is actively involved in course writing and development for a number of educational facilities and Universities. Mike is the founder of EMS Education & Training, which is the exclusive provider of Pre-Hospital care training for several RTO's throughout Australia.

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Our Advisory Panel

DR. KATE SELLORS

MBBS, FACEM

HEAD OF EMERGENCY

PRINCE OF WALES HOSPITAL

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Dr. Kate Sellors is the Head of Emergency at the Prince of Wales Hospital, NSW.  Dr. Sellors is a leading expert in the field of emergency medicine.

Prince of Wales Emergency Department is accredited for Emergency Medicine Training by the Australian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM). The department manages illness presentations across the whole spectrum of diseases from the teenage to the Geriatric populace. As a referral centre, POWH receives patients from all over the state (e.g. the only public hyperbaric unit, one of two Acute Spinal units, Justice Health ward for NSW), country (including Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands) and internationally, as well as serving the local area.

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MIK AUCKLAND ​

DIRECTOR PROGRAMMING & PRESENTER SERVICES, HOME OF THE ARTS

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Mik is the Director of Programming & Presenter Services at HOTA, the Gold Coast’s home of live performances, cinema-watching, art, conversation and new-ideas.  There’s a unique outdoor stage in the parklands for live events, and indoors the two theatres feature performances from the very best national and international artists and theatre companies.

Mik brings broad experience in strategy and delivery of major international events, entertainment, arts and cultural events, and most recently, worked as Head of Ceremonies and Arts & Culture for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
 

DR. LYNN VAN DER WAGEN

HEAD OF TOURISM & EVENTS, NORTHERN SYDNEY INSTITUTE OF TAFE, AUTHOR

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Dr Lynn Van Der Wagen is a leading educator and author, and Head of Tourism & Events for Northern Syd Institute of Tafe.  Dr Van Der Wagen played a key role in the team that trained the 100,000 strong workforce for the 2000 Olympic Games. Her enthusiasm for the mega event has evolved into roles with the Beijing Olympic Games, Shanghai Expo and London Olympic Games.

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MELITA SHIRLEY

SOCIAL AFFAIRS MANAGER

BHP

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Community relations, stakeholder engagement and communications specialist with a background in media and vast experience in corporate, project and regional roles, mostly in the resources sector.

Strong experience in indigenous relations, partnership development and social investment.

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ANGELA SAMUT

CEO, QMUSIC

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Angela is the CEO of QMusic.

QMusic is Queensland’s music industry development association.

The work of QMusic is critical to the success of Queensland’s contemporary music economy. It is the only significant and established not-for-profit organisation in Queensland dedicated to delivering sector development and major music events including the Queensland Music Awards and BIGSOUND to stimulate and grow the state’s music sector.

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With a diverse background spanning close to two decades in senior marketing + publicity management roles, Angela Samut has worked for some of the biggest players in the entertainment arena including Paramount Pictures, Network Ten, Festival Mushroom Records + Planet Hollywood.

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PAUL MURPHY

PRINCIPAL ADVISOR, RETIREMENT LIVING & SENIORS HOUSING

LEADING AGE SERVICES AUSTRALIA

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With over 15 years’ experience managing residential aged care and retirement living, Paul advises retirement village and seniors housing operators on compliance, legislative interpretation, policy and advocacy, financial models and contracts.

He  has qualifications in Aged & Disability Services; a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management & Industrial Relations; is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD); an Advanced Graduate of the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (GAIST.Adv) and an experienced Company Director with over 15 years’ service on public company boards in the education, aged care and financial services sectors including 7 years as a superannuation Trustee Director.

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Leadership Team

CK PATIL

HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT, SCIENCE, DATA & PRODUCTS

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CK has over 15 years experience working in the development domain. Experience includes senior software engineering, lead software development, project directon and CTO experience.  There are always couple of guys in your team who you rely mostly on when the going gets tough, and CK is one of these people. Curious, questioning without hesitation, innovative, and hard working, that’s how we define him. 

LINDA GORDON

HEAD OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

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Linda Gordon is a strategic thinker, able to translate high level vision statements into tactical, operational and commercial outcomes. Linda has held a number of advisory and senior executive roles and her career has spanned across a variety of industries, most notably in the music & entertainment, not-for profit, consulting, hospitality, food & beverage and IT&T  sectors. 

Prior to joining Gardian, Linda was the Marketing & Communications Director for Queensland Music Festival and founded the Southern Hemispheres largest outdoor snow music festival (Snowtunes.com.au). 

Linda is a strong influencer with exceptional stakeholder management, strategy, leadership, commercial and marketing skills and earned her Bachelor of Business (Economics and Marketing) from the Deakin University of Melbourne, Australia. 

JACQUI GRINZI

HEAD OF SALES & PARTNERSHIPS

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Jacqui has more than 20 years’ experience in Business Strategy, Stakeholder Engagement and Leadership, I have gained extensive experience and knowledge from training and leading teams to growing and building strategies across a range of different business operations. An employee, customer, and employer advocate, I believe in creating meaningful partnerships both internally and externally.

JASON GHISONI

HEAD OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

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Experienced General Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the content development, customer expererience and communications arenas. Skilled in Negotiation, Sales, Market Research, Management, and Account Management. Strong sales professional.