From an early age Deb had a heightened sense of people’s interactions which she loved to observe in what she likes to call ‘Life’s Stage’. It’s easy to do when you are the youngest of eight siblings. She watched her siblings’ interactions, both good and bad, and navigated each personality type and learnt to survive by learning the art of negotiation, humour, and when to keep quiet! This eventually became what sparked a lifelong craft of lifting people across businesses in People & Culture.
Deb’s career tells a story of thrill and adventure as she lists the places she’s worked, from tech startups, FMCG to the Sydney Olympics and Australia’s prominent Tourist attraction, Sydney Harbour BridgeClimb. The next leap in her career journey has brought her to Soprano Design, “Curiosity was the first thing that drew me to Soprano,” Deb says.
“After speaking with our founder, Richard, I learned of the passion and vision for this organization, and I was humbled by Richards honest and raw insights and knew I wanted to be a part of Sopranos future”.
Soprano is proud to welcome Deb to the team as our new Director of People and Culture. She is based out of the Sydney office and will lead the company’s People initiatives. Deb will support Soprano’s 200 employees that are distributed across more than 15 geographies on 4 continents.
For Deb, People & Culture is multi-faceted, but fundamentally it’s about helping employees and teams define clear expectations and pull the various levers to cultivate a dynamic and high performing team. “Giving people clear parameters around what needs to be achieved and purpose, coupled with aligning to a company’s vision, mission & values will drive a business’s strategic outcomes,” Deb says. Deb is passionate about giving people opportunities to grow and become leaders or masters of their craft. “Leadership isn’t just about leading people, it’s more about an attitude and how you naturally influence others to do the right thing, people work for people who inspire and build a culture of trust & opportunities”.
When asked how she would describe her own leadership style she says courageous and bold. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions and be curious, if we understand the why we then understand how we each can make a positive contribution, most people want to do the right thing and recognition, transparency and vulnerability are paramount in today’s leaders.”
Deb is already jumping into her role here at Soprano and gearing up for an exciting year ahead for her immediate and broader Soprano team.
“Being part of this team is super exciting, I can’t wait to UNLEASH the untapped potential in our people’s capabilities, I see so much passion and willingness to grow in of our team here at Soprano, looking forward to the wild ride.”