James Allen
Managing Director
Regional Vice-President - Asia-Pacific
j.allen@stantonchase.com

James joined the firm in 1987 and has been the Managing Director of the Sydney office since 1993. He is a chemical engineer by training, having graduated with University Medal from the University of Sydney. James has a particular focus on the natural resources industry having worked in that sector for many years with companies such as BHP and CRA in a range of technical, commercial, marketing and management roles. Immediately prior to entering the executive search business, he was the Marketing & Commercial Manager for Energy Resources of Australia. He has also conducted numerous senior executive searches for clients in other sectors, particularly professional services, electronics, engineering & high technology, food and financial services. As Treasurer, James is a member of the international Board of Stanton Chase.

Industry Practice Expertise

• Industrial
• Government, Education & Non Profit
• Natural Resources & Energy

Fiona Lavan
Director
f.lavan@stantonchase.com

Fiona joined Stanton Chase International's Sydney office in 1988 as an Associate, providing support in research and assignment management. She was appointed Head of Research in 1993, full-time search consultant and Director in 1997, and became an equity partner in 1998. She has handled searches for a range of clients in agribusiness, banking & financial services, government, healthcare, international aid, primary industries, professional services and retailing. She has also developed a strong practice in the appointment of boards to statutory authorities and other public and private sector organizations.

Fiona's professional background is in investment banking, having spent several years in both corporate banking and international treasury with Australian, Japanese and British banks. She has a diploma in Human Resource Management from Monash University and has completed studies in finance through the Securities Institute of Australia.

Industry Practice Expertise

• Life Sciences and Healthcare
• Financial Services
• Government, Education & Non Profit
• Logistics and Transportation

Robyn Brown
Director
r.brown@stantonchase.com

Robyn Brown joined Stanton Chase as a Director in the Sydney office in August 2001 after a career in management and systems consulting spanning over 25 years. Her most recent position before joining Stanton Chase was with Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) where she was an equity partner for six years and an associate partner for three. In this role, Robyn worked with clients in the building, construction, manufacturing and distribution industries as well as the public sector.

Her primary area of specialisation in recent years was change management, with a specific focus on planning and executing large-scale change management programs often accompanying enterprise-wide systems projects. She had regional responsibility for the SAP/ERP practice on the Accenture global team.

Robyn has a professional interest in executive leadership development and coaching programs and improving effectiveness of executive teams. At Stanton Chase, her focus is in the professional services sector, building, construction and manufacturing, and information technology. Robyn holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queensland University and is a fellow of CPA Australia.

Industry Practice Expertise

• Industrial
• Technology
• Professional Services
• Logistics and Transportation

Walter Dinale
Director
w.dinale@stantonchase.com

Walter is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and Fellow of Australian Institute of Company Directors. Immediately prior to joining Stanton Chase, Walter was a Senior Partner at Deloitte where he held Managing Partner roles within the firm. He has enjoyed a highly successful career in professional services specializing in assisting clients across various industries with their growth strategies.

Walter is passionate about leadership and people development and has assisted clients and internal staff with people initiatives for many years. His focus in executive search is in professional services, financial services, transportation and natural resources.

Industry Practice Expertise

• Professional Services
• Financial Services
• Natural Resources and Energy
• Logistics and Transportation

Charlie Kingdon
Director
c.kingdon@stantonchase.com

Charlie joined Stanton Chase Sydney in 2008, bringing with him an extensive 20-year career in Executive Search. Subsequent to joining Stanton Chase, he was Director of KPMG Sydney’s Executive Search and Selection Practice, responsible for providing Executive Search services to client organizations and for the recruitment of senior KPMG personnel.

His international executive search career developed within the Ray & Berndtson Group – with six years as a Partner with Odgers Ray & Berndtson in London, responsible for the UK Retail and Consumer Industries Practice, and then with Profile Ray & Berndtson in Sydney.

Charlie provides an international focus to the Consumer Products and Services sector, particularly retail, as well as the Australian Professional Services industry, where he has conducted many searches for clients across all functional areas. He has an MA in Geography from Cambridge University.

Industry Practice Expertise

• Consumer Products and Services
• Professional Services
• Logistics and Transportation

Michelle Holmgren
Director
m.holmgren@stantonchase.com

Michelle joined Stanton Chase International's Sydney office in April 2005 after a career of more than 15 years in business and management consulting.

The majority of Michelle's consulting career has been at a Senior Manager Level with Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting) and prior to that Price Waterhouse. Her main area of specialization was change management. Michelle was responsible for planning and executing large scale change programs, mainly focused around systems implementation projects. She has expertise in the professional services; government; telecommunications; information technology and manufacturing sectors.

Michelle joined Stanton Chase initially as a research associate, and advanced to Senior Consultant in August 2007. She brings to Stanton Chase strong people and project management skills. She regularly managed projects that required close liaison and management of senior executives down to the 'shop floor' staff. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Business from University of Western Sydney and is a CPA.

Industry Practice Expertise

• Professional Services
• Industrial
• Technology