Careers Evening 2022
We are delighted to welcome Old Fintonians and Fintona parents representing a diverse range of career paths to share with students from Years 9 to 12.
Families in Years 9 to 12 are invited to attend Fintona’s annual Careers Evening.
The evening will feature three keynote speakers Penelope Laletas (2011), Kathy Song (2010), and Emily Stothers (2001). Students and parents will then have the opportunity to speak to alumnae and parents from a diverse range of careers. Old Fintonians and parents will be on hand to share their experiences, what they do in their job, how they got to where they are, and information about what is happening in the job market today.
Guest Speakers
Penelope Laletas (2011)
Commercial Advisory and Transactions, KPMG
After Year 12, Penelope completed a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) and Bachelor of Laws at Deakin University. She also holds a Graduate Diploma of Chartered Accounting. Penelope is currently a Manager in the Commercial Advisory and Transactions team in the infrastructure division at KPMG.
Penelope provides strategic, financial and commercial advice to government in relation to transport and social infrastructure projects and helps government plan for what infrastructure our city needs to invest in.
Penelope first started at KPMG as an intern in their Deal Advisory Vacationer Program and was then offered a role in their graduate program. After five years at KPMG, Penelope has recently accepted a new role at Lighthouse Infrastructure where she will be advising private investors on which government projects to invest in, specifically in relation to social housing.
Dr Kathy Song (2010)
Dentist, The Dental Room
Passionate about science at school, Kathy went on to study at the University of Melbourne first completing a Bachelor in Biomedicine majoring in Anatomy/Human Structure and Function then a Doctor of Dental Surgery.
During her studies, Kathy worked part time at a dental practice as a dental assistant to get a feel for general dentistry and during her final year participated in rotations that served rural communities across Victoria and metropolitan public clinics in Melbourne.
For the past five years, Kathy has worked as an associate dentist at The Dental Room and performs all aspects of general and cosmetic dentistry, implants and orthodontic treatment. Kathy says that dentistry is a combination of being a people person and communicating well with others, using a skill set to problem solve during extensive treatment plans and artistry when it comes to cosmetic treatment and even day to day fillings.
Emily Stothers (2001)
Head of Business and Legal Affairs at Madman Entertainment
Emily obtained a double degree of Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts (International Relations) from Deakin University. She is an experienced Senior In-house Legal Counsel with demonstrated experience in working in and managing the in-house legal function for licensing and distribution businesses (Australian and global).
Currently, Emily is the Head of Business and Legal Affairs at Madman Entertainment, a film distribution company and is responsible for overseeing all the contractual arrangements which initially trigger the acquisition of distribution rights to a film and then the subsequent contracts and legal matters that sit behind a film’s standard release path. Additionally, her role focuses on the management of all legal considerations involved in operating and managing two video on demand streaming platforms, DocPlay and Garage.
Lawra Bello (2016)
People & Culture Advisor, FPA Patent Attorneys
After leaving Fintona, Lawra studied a Bachelor of Business at Monash University. Graduating with a double major, she began an internship at Mercy Health in their Diversity, Equity & Inclusion team, working on policy improvement.
Upon finishing her internship, Lawra then commenced at FPA Patent Attorneys as a People & Culture Coordinator. Whilst working at FPA, she started her Masters at RMIT and continued expanding her knowledge as a Human Resources practitioner. Lawra was then invited to transfer to Davies Collison Cave and completed her postgraduate study full time whilst also working full time.
Recently, Lawra was offered a more senior role at FPA and returned there as a People & Culture Advisor, whilst commencing her second Masters. Lawra is passionate about improving the employee experience and building sustainable long-term growth for organisations through increased productivity and cohesive culture.
A/Prof Maryza Graham
Infectious Diseases Physician at Monash Health
Associate Professor Maryza Graham has been an Infectious Diseases Physician at Monash Health for the past 10 years which is Victoria’s largest public hospital.
Maryza is also a Medical Microbiologist at Monash Health and at The Doherty Institute Reference laboratories. Maryza feels fortunate that her work allows her to look after patients as well as work in the laboratory and to also conduct research. Maryza studied a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Melbourne and a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Trials at Monash University.
Dr Annie Lewis (1985)
PhD researcher at La Trobe University and Eastern Health
Annie studied a Bachelor of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy and worked clinically in many different settings with both children and adults in acute hospital, community and educational settings before moving into leadership positions within health and finally into research. In her twenties she worked professionally in the UK, USA and Canada.
Annie was recently awarded her PhD in the field of health services research. Her doctoral work focused on improving access to outpatient, ambulatory and community care through interventions to reduce waiting lists and manage demand.
Phoebe Parker (2013)
Senior Consultant, Altis Consulting
At La Trobe University, Phoebe studied Bachelor of Science majoring in Mathematics and Computer Science and minoring in Statistics and History. Her first role out of university was as a Cyber Defence Analyst and from there she moved into data, becoming a Data Analyst, and a Data Engineering Consultant.
Currently Phoebe is a senior consultant at a boutique data consultancy, Altis Consulting where she works across the data pipeline (data engineering and analytics) in various industries such as banking, education, healthcare, insurance and utilities.
In her spare time, Phoebe volunteers with Data4Good on a data science project which aims to build a model to recognise a Tasmanian Devil.
Georgie Stayches (1993)
Chief Engagement Officer, Fetching Events & Communications
Georgie completed a Bachelor of Media Arts at Deakin University. Inspired by the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games and kicking off her life in events at the 1997 Australian Open Tennis, events has always been in Georgie’s DNA. From major international events including the 2000 Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games to community events including the Teddy Bear’s Picnic, Georgie’s experience has covered the spectrum.
Georgie founded Fetching Events & Communications over 12 years ago to provide specialist advice and support in the areas of events, communications and volunteer management and works with organisations including associations, peak bodies, community service, and education, tourism and sporting sectors.
Her work in the not-for-profit sector has also extended to her role as Chair and board member of Better Hearing Australia and volunteer work with the Homies Homework Help Club in South Melbourne.
Dr Richard Retallick
Consulting Zoologist GHD Pty Ltd
Richard completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours) majoring in Zoology at the University of Melbourne) and then completed a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Zoology at James Cook University in Queensland.
Richard spent 15 years as a research scientist investigating the ecology of rainforest frogs working with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service before moving to Arizona, USA, to study frogs in the desert and in pine forests.
Currently, Richard is a consulting zoologist working with a dedicated and fun team of ecologists in a reasonably large, now international, firm. The firm began life nearly 100 years ago as an engineering firm, but it has broadened in recent times to include a prominent environmental science section.
The scope of Richard’s work involves assessing and writing reports on animal habitats across a range of natural and modified landscapes, mainly in Victoria, but also across other parts of Australia, with the ultimate aim of providing advice to protect the habitats and their animals from disturbance or destruction, as the laws demand. This work has a strong focus on threatened populations including particular species of mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs and invertebrate.