Celebrating Our Women at ICMI This International Women's Day

As we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th, we’re shining a light on some of the incredible women here at ICMI who enrich us all with their brilliant perspectives and unique contributions.

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Anna-Liese

Anna-Liese grew up as the fourth of five kids, calling Melbourne’s suburbs of Donvale, Templestowe, and Ivanhoe home before settling in Prahran as a young adult. She hit the ground running straight out of school, starting her career at a stockbroking firm and later working as a Personal Assistant and Executive Assistant for big-name companies like Levi’s, Just Jeans, Spirit of Tasmania, and Adidas Australia Asia Pacific.

Together with her husband Justin, Anna-Liese has explored all kinds of business ventures— hairdressing salons, food vans, and even a large marine import company. After years of hard work, Justin decided to take a break, while Anna-Liese found her stride at ICMI.

Outside of work, Anna-Liese is all about real estate. Her love for buying, selling, and renovating kicked off with her first home renovation and has grown into multiple residential and commercial developments across Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula.

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Jade?

Travel is Jade’s great love. When she isn’t off exploring the world, she’s reading, writing, or watching travel content. She has recently rekindled her passion for writing through a travel magazine.

Jade grew up in Katoomba, NSW, and still fiercely debates the "potato scallop vs. potato cake" divide with her Victorian husband. A qualified travel agent and makeup artist, she has also worked in health insurance auditing, catching fraudsters in the act.

Jade is also a food enthusiast, returning to the kitchen after a break. Although she recently lost her beloved Ragdoll cats after 16 years, she doesn’t miss cleaning up furballs! She has met both Nigella Lawson and Gordon Ramsay, impressing Ramsay with a smooth response about cooking from his book, thankfully avoiding the ‘idiot sandwich’ treatment!

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Mel?

Born and raised in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, Mel has worked in various finance and accounts roles. She enjoys cooking, socialising, and binge-watching reality TV—though nothing frustrates her more than an open cupboard door!

Life outside of work is non-stop with two teenage sons, Zane and Izaac, and two mischievous cats, Sultan and Cookie!

Mel’s favourite film is Life is Beautiful, and she has a love for Married at First Sight (MAFS). A fun fact? She studied art although these days, her creativity is mostly channelled into keeping up with her busy household!

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Loran

Loran shares her life with her husband, their teenage son William, and their beloved Rottweiler, Chloe. A former entrepreneur, she once co-founded Makeovers, Manicures & Martinis, a beauty and cocktail event business for hen parties and functions. An extremely exciting venture that, while short-lived, was a huge success!

Loran grew up in Tullamarine and Keilor East before launching her career in the beauty industry, running a salon in Richmond as a teenager. She later moved into corporate roles in logistics and shipping for major apparel brands, as well as a stint in residential building while living in Trinity Beach, Cairns.

The pandemic brought Loran and her family back to Melbourne, where she has since found her stride at ICMI. She loves cooking, reading, exercising, and unwinding with true crime documentaries.?

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Sarah Knevett

Born and bred in Tasmania, Sarah comes from convict stock on her mother’s side and an English father. She spent most of her adult life in Byron Shire before recently moving to Melbourne.

Sarah has worked extensively in events, including Bluesfest and Dark Mofo, managing artist services and logistics for global music icons such as Iggy Pop and Bob Dylan.

Passionate about travel, yoga, live music, and the ocean, she believes a sense of humour is essential to a happy life. Though she no longer has pets, she remains obsessed with dogs, having once owned a beloved dingo for 15 years.

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Emily?

Emily grew up in Melbourne’s northern suburbs and remains close to her tight-knit Italian family. She started as a makeup artist before venturing into travel consultancy, working with Flight Centre and exploring the world. Later, she transitioned into construction administration before finding her ideal role at ICMI.

A passionate event planner, musical theatre fan, and Formula One enthusiast, Emily stays busy balancing weddings, baby showers, and Italian family gatherings. She is also devoted to her mini Cavoodle, Theo, who rules the household, and is a trained USA lifeguard and once worked as a lifeguard instructor at a summer camp in the States.

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Lena?

Originally from Dunedin, New Zealand, Lena spent much of her life in Christchurch and Central Otago before moving to Australia in 2002. With a background in pharmacy and cosmetics, she once won a top sales award with Revlon, earning a trip to Fiji to perform makeovers.

Now based in Arthurs Seat with her husband Johnny, Lena is an avid gardener, animal lover, and environmental science student. She is also the unlikely caretaker of a giant Boer goat named Goatie, who took up residence on her deck after escaping into the wild years ago.

She loves live music, travel, and Italian food—thanks to her husband’s heritage. She’s is working towards a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and hopes to finish before she turns 90!

Remember this International Women’s Day, to take a moment to celebrate the achievements, strength, and contributions of women everywhere. Let’s keep moving forward and continue striving for gender equality together.

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