Our Lady Of Sion College

Business Development Manager at Rural Aid  -  0408 593 348  -  nicole.whelan@ruralaid.org.au

Skills: Contract Recruitment · Strategy · People Development · Key Client Relationships · Strategic Thinking · Staff Development · Teamwork · Interpersonal Skills · Team Management · Customer-Focused Service · Strategic Communications · Team Leadership · Written Communication · Cross-functional Team Leadership · Team Performance

Suncorp Group

Team Leader

Uphold relationships and communication with insurance departments  and clients. Analyse and investigate complicated insurance claims , negotiate settlements . Resolving claims in a timely manner. Cultivating vendor and  client relationships. Ensuring compliancy in financial  and risk management.

Claims Manager 

Rural Aid is one of Australia’s largest rural charities. Well-known for its agility and ability to effect aid quickly to rural Australia in support of drought, bush-fire and flood. Rural Aid also has a sustainability program called ‘Stronger Futures’ that drives resilience and recovery from disaster. This program includes rural mental wellbeing counselling and school programs, ‘Our Towns’ country town economic planning and growth and a variety of knowledge and leadership building webinars.

As an independent charity this is a senior fundraising role within Rural Aid’s biggest untouched market . As part of this role, I performed the following functions:  

•	Income generation  derived from corporate, foundation/trust & UHNW donations 
•	Development of long-term donations through FMCG co-operative donations based on sales per product
•	Development of brand alignment strategies that provide  in-kind support  
•	Arranging impact events in the field including media opportunities
•	Organising and overseeing elite UHNW events 
•	Strategic planning for the National team 
•	Presentations to RA directors via the Board fundraising committee 
•	Writing Board and executive committee reports and proposals 
•	Organising corporate volunteering programs and engagement activities
•	Assisting with content creation for newsletters and the annual report
•	Presenting at corporate and community events across Victoria
•	Networking in corporate sectors and seeking out new business opportunities
•	Being an advocate of the cause and ensuring that the Rural Aid purpose is clearly communicated projecting the passion and importance of what Rural Aid do.

Rural Aid

Philanthropy & Development Manager 

In this period, the business was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and worked on the execution of a de-franchising strategy, whilst building one operation in each state of Australia. This new business direction and strategy required adaptability, strong communication, high problem-solving skills whilst building a high functioning team achieving high performance. 

This was a crucial time in organisational change and the transformation into a new currency and brand that involved high-level stakeholder management. This role included:

•	Leading and developing a high-performance trading team with 12 direct reports 
•	Brand, Marketing, and digital management
•	Strategically growing the client base through a solid understanding of their business and competition environment 
•	Developing and managing high value and business relationships through a relationship plan
•	Contributing to major client events i.e.: Young Achievers awards and local community events 
•	Account managing 110 clients 
•	Regular presentations to the directors and the Board 
•	Management and reporting of the trade economy 
•	Preparing business strategy to prepare, support and help individuals through incredible change
•	Managing high value and business critical partnerships
•	Managing multiple stakeholders internally and externally
•	Creating and embedding effective processes and procedures
•	Delivering wider organisational goals
•	Delivering growth and sustainability across income channels and achieving revenue targets.

Bartercard Australia

Trading Manager (Victoria, South Australia & Tasmania)

Bartercard is the largest centralized private B2B merchant ecosystem in the world. A digital currency that enabled Business to attain extra business and market share and help offset cash expenses. I started with Bartercard as a small, localised, franchised business and worked on the strategic growth both nationally and globally.

In that time Bartercard experienced many changes:
•	One of the first digital currencies in the world
•	Small Franchises in local areas, grew to large franchises 
•	Started with 2 franchises to over 52 franchises throughout Australia 
•	Expanded to 12 International countries 
•	Over 55,000 members in Australia (Business)
•	Bartercard took back the franchises and became company owned 
•	Was listed in the ASX
•	Bartercard was privately sold  

•	Transformation into a crypto currency and rebranding as Qoin


My greatest achievement during my time working with Bartercard was trading $94 million plus (which is a record of success yet to be beaten)

Brokerage & Trading Manager 

I started my career as a Key Account Manager with 130 clients. This role included weekly calls with all clients and face to face appointments, ensuring their satisfaction with Bartercard. By strategically lifting the performance of the base by over a 100% in the first year, I was swiftly promoted. Firstly, to Trading Manager in 2001 and then to Brokerage Manager in 2007.

These roles included the following functions:
•	Established and managed events including annual Top Trader functions, Platinum events and Trade shows and ongoing industry lunches and dinners.
•	Responsible for budget planning and delivery, creating income pipelines and setting goals for the team and with the team
•	Established regular service programs
•	Managing multiple stakeholders internally and externally
•	Managing high value and business critical partnerships
•	Delivering strategy and planning for effective relationship management
•	Brand, Marketing and Digital management
•	Creating and embedding effective processes and procedures
•	Delivering growth and sustainability across income channels (establishing regular spending)
•	Responsible for the recruitment and performance of staff.

Nicole Whelan