Meet the QLD Mentors
Caroline Starecky

I’m inspired by the pursuit of my dreams, which has led me to jump into entrepreneurship once more. As I embark on this new chapter of my career, I’m driven by the desire for increased ownership, flexibility and financial independence.

You might say I have a penchant for entrepreneurship, having embarked on various ventures over the years (once as a partner and then as sole founder). In the last decade, after immersing myself in both agency life at Khemistry and management consulting at Glass and then Deloitte, I’ve decided it was time to jump back into my passion for entrepreneurship. I’m currently on the cusp of launching my newest venture, a blend of my core passions: strategy, coaching, training, leadership, and motivational speaking. My aim is to empower founders and business owners to strategically elevate their ventures to new heights and surpass their goals. Stay tuned for more details on the name and website 🙂

I’ve always thrived on strategic creativity and the art of bringing ideas to fruition. This new endeavour allows me to merge all my passions into my daily work: developing strategies to solve complex business problems by delivering innovative solutions, orchestrating cross-functional teams, coaching executives and leaders as well as facilitating workshops to co-design and craft forward-thinking solutions. Rooted in human-centered design and guided by design thinking principles, I relish the collaborative process of co-creating with
clients and colleagues, pushing boundaries, and nurturing innovative ideas to fruition and now I get to do all of this in my new venture every week!

As described above, I’m currently embarking on an exciting journey as an entrepreneur and founder, after a dynamic tenure as Director of Strategy & Innovation at Deloitte. In this role, I focused on transforming sectors such as Higher Education, energy, and aged care. Prior to my time at Deloitte, I spearheaded innovation and experience at GLASS Management Consulting, ultimately driving success, leading it to be acquired by Deloitte. Reflecting on my diverse career path spanning two decades, I’ve ventured through various industries, each enriching my expertise.

Beginning in advertising, I traversed roles in media and client services before immersing myself in strategic planning and brand strategy. Later, as a partner in an executive recruitment and corporate training firm in Canada, I specialised in the creative industries while also lecturing on Creativity and Innovation for 14 years at two different universities. Driven by my passion for fostering innovation, I founded an Innovation Coaching business collective, overseeing a team of 12 coaches delivering leadership and innovation programs to entrepreneurs and industry leaders.

Seven years ago, upon returning to Australia, I seized the opportunity to reconnect with my roots in advertising, joining Khemistry in Brisbane. Amidst the pandemic’s challenges, my journey has circled back to innovation consulting, where I’ve embraced roles as Practice Lead of Innovation and subsequently Chief Experience Officer at Glass. I love that my career has evolved so much and now, my new business launch will incorporate many different skills, experiences and leaderships lessons that I have learned throughout my journey.