Stories of Leadership Transformed
Every leader’s journey is different. These are the stories of what becomes possible when the right coaching meets the right moment.
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Hannah Fox
From self-doubt to executive presence: how coaching helped Hannah Fox thrive at board level
Hannah Fox — From self-doubt to executive presence: how coaching helped Hannah Fox thrive at board level
Navigating leadership across one of Australia’s largest private business groups
The Fox Group is one of Australia’s largest privately owned conglomerates, with interests spanning logistics, aviation, industrial property and entertainment. Its best-known business is Linfox, one of the Asia-Pacific region’s most recognised logistics brands.
As Executive Officer for Fox Special Projects, Hannah Fox works across the Group’s diverse portfolio, operating at both leadership and board level. It is a role that requires confidence, influence, commercial acumen and the ability to communicate effectively in a wide range of business environments.
Hannah attributes much of her growth and success in the role to the executive coaching she has undertaken with Ricky Novak.
Building confidence in high-pressure leadership environments
Like many high-potential leaders, Hannah’s challenge was not capability. It was having the confidence to fully step into opportunities as they arose.
Early in her career, particularly as a young woman working in predominantly male environments, Hannah often found herself questioning whether she had the experience, confidence or authority to contribute in the way she wanted.
“I didn’t have the confidence or the language to speak up and share my ideas,” she says.
As her role expanded, Hannah recognised she needed to develop new skills to operate effectively at more senior levels. ‘I had to become confident with public speaking, MCing, and presenting at board meetings; I needed stronger financial knowledge, and I had to navigate the pressures that come with leadership visibility.’
A personalised approach to leadership growth
Ricky had already been working with leaders across Linfox for many years and had developed a strong understanding of the business and its culture.
“Ricky is a fantastic leadership coach and has a great depth of understanding about our business,” says Hannah.
The coaching relationship was built around regular one-to-one sessions, typically meeting twice a month. The focus was highly personalised, evolving as Hannah’s leadership responsibilities developed.
“We started by talking about who I admired professionally and how I wanted to show up at work,” Hannah explains.
Initially, Ricky guided much of the coaching agenda. Over time, Hannah began bringing her own challenges and opportunities to each session.
“Everything we do is tailored to me,” she says. “Ricky knows my environment, gives me tools I can use and sometimes gives me homework. I really like that structure.”
The coaching was not simply about building confidence. It was also about identifying and addressing capability gaps that could limit future growth.
“Ricky encourages me to look at areas of the business where I’m not strong,” says Hannah. “Finance, for example. At Ricky’s suggestion, I now spend time every fortnight with the finance team to build my knowledge in that area.”
Developing executive presence and influence
The impact of the coaching became visible surprisingly quickly. After only a few sessions, one colleague remarked to Hannah: “You have this inner strength.”
For Hannah, it was one of the first signs that others could already see the changes she was beginning to feel herself. “I’ve been amazed by the transformation,” she says.
Stepping onto the stage with confidence
One of the first major leadership challenges Ricky helped Hannah navigate was being asked to MC a conference. It was a daunting prospect. “I had never even attended a proper work conference,” Hannah recalls. “Yet I was suddenly on stage as the MC.”
Together, Hannah and Ricky worked through every aspect of the event. They mapped the flow, prepared key messages and rehearsed extensively. “Nothing was left to trial and error,” says Hannah, “and the event was a success. No one could believe it was my debut MC experience. It was all thanks to Ricky. She really supported me through a big challenge.”
Finding her voice in the boardroom
The next major milestone came when Hannah was asked to present at a board meeting. “The board members were all older men, and I was presenting about finances, so it was doubly daunting,” she says.
Once again, Ricky helped Hannah prepare both practically and mentally. The work started with mindset. “Ricky helped me move away from thinking, ‘I don’t have the experience’ to ‘I can do this’.”
From there, they worked through potential questions, challenges and different directions the discussion might take, ensuring Hannah felt prepared for any scenario.
The result was not simply a successful presentation, but a growing confidence in her ability to operate at senior executive and board level.
A career transformed
Hannah says, “Working with Ricky has truly changed the trajectory of my career and opened up opportunities that I never would have had.”
“As a young female, nerves and doubts sometimes get the better of you, but having a mature, experienced person in my corner has been amazing,” she says.
“My confidence has grown. I am more willing to challenge myself, and to seize opportunities to continue building my leadership capability.” Most importantly, Hannah now recognises strengths and potential in herself that she previously struggled to see.
Investing in leadership potential
Organisations often know who their future leaders are. The challenge is helping them develop the confidence, capability and executive presence to fulfil that potential.
For organisations investing in future leaders, Hannah’s story demonstrates the impact personalised coaching can have on accelerating confidence, capability and leadership readiness.
The result is not only increased confidence for the individual, but a stronger pipeline of capable leaders ready for the future.
More than a coach
For Hannah, the value of the coaching extends beyond professional development.
“I love that Ricky is not just a great coach, but someone who wants to get to know me individually and help me,” she says.
“She has enormous energy, her enthusiasm is contagious and every time I see her, she gets me excited about the working week ahead of me.”
“Ricky is very easy to work with. She’s not only a business mentor, but has become a friend.”
Rexine Jones
Standing tall at the executive table: how coaching helped a senior exec to strengthen her personal brand and leadership impact
Rexine Jones — Standing tall at the executive table: how coaching helped a senior exec to strengthen her personal brand and leadership impact
Leading across one of Australia’s largest construction businesses
As CFIO and Company Secretary at Hansen Yuncken, Rexine Jones’ role is an extensive one: overseeing finance, business technology, legal, commercial, project management and governance, ensuring the organisation’s critical support functions operate effectively.
It is a complex executive role that demands acute commercial judgement, strategic thinking and the ability to influence every part of the business. Rexine had seniority and extensive experience, but recognised there was still one area she wanted to develop further.
“I realised that connecting my personal brand to the business was a challenging task”, she says. “I work in quantifiable data, and feel very comfortable with facts and figures. But the less tangible area of understanding, developing and connecting my personal leadership style was a definite gap in my skillset.”
Discovering the power of personal brand
The catalyst came through Rexine’s membership of the Brave Feminine network, where leadership coach Ricky Nowak delivered a session on personal branding.
“The way Ricky presented personal brand was incredibly inspiring, and reflected its importance”, Rexine recalls. “I wanted to learn more, and learn it from her.”
What followed was a series of monthly coaching sessions and conversations exploring how she wanted to lead, how she wanted others to experience interactions with her, and how she could remain authentic while operating in demanding executive environments.
“We worked on understanding my personal brand, and how I can remain true to it, whilst working and connecting with people who have styles that are different to mine,” she explains.
Whatever the topic, the conversations always returned to one central question.
“How do you stand tall? How do you maintain your presence while dealing with difficult situations?”
Making a sustainable contribution
“Over time”, explains Rexine, “as I stepped into my personal brand, I was able to start thinking about how it applied in different situations, how to explore ways to show the world who I was. The sessions became about what I was facing in my role and the tools that I had to address the new challenges that emerged.”
“I realised something really important”, says Rexine, “which is that my role will always get me a seat at the table. But my personal brand is what makes it comfortable there. It’s what makes my contribution sustainable and gives it longevity.”
Turning insight into executive presence
As Rexine became clearer about her personal brand, she found herself able to take on opportunities that would once have felt well outside her comfort zone.
She has appeared on keynote stages, participated in executive panel discussions, been interviewed for podcasts, spoken on live radio and delivered joint presentations alongside one of Hansen Yuncken’s shareholders.
Rather than simply rehearsing presentations, Ricky helped Rexine think more deeply about how she wanted to show up in each situation. “This was an experience I never thought I would be capable of”, says Rexine.
Leading with influence in a demanding environment
The coaching has also helped Rexine navigate the realities of working at executive level in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
“Ninety-five per cent of the time, I’m the only woman at the table,” she says. “I also faced the additional challenge that my predecessor had spent 57 years with the organisation and, rightfully, valued length of tenure, so how was I to feel comfortable in my seat at the table.”
Rather than trying to emulate someone else’s style, coaching helped Rexine develop the confidence to lead in a way that felt authentic to her. “It gives me confidence that I’m OK, I know I am still learning and that’s OK as well”, she says simply.
Looking beyond today’s challenges
Although personal brand was the starting point, the coaching soon broadened into wider leadership conversations.
“It’s about understanding how I integrate my skills to provide benefit to the company,” Rexine explains. “It may mean having to say things that people don’t want to hear, but communicating them in a way that helps move people forward. I believe that there is no point in being at the table if you don’t add value or don’t have a solution.”
For Rexine, effective leadership is always future-focused. She aims to balance strategic and tactical priorities with continuing her own professional growth.
“I love to learn,” she says. “It’s about making sure I’m learning with substance and adding value, not just doing things for the sake of it.”
Developing others as well as herself
One of the most valuable outcomes of coaching has been the impact on the way Rexine develops the people around her. “Ricky has helped me to apply my leadership style and skills to build a strong team and to develop future leaders”, she says. “Our conversations have helped shape my approach to building teams, coaching my own staff and creating development opportunities for upcoming leaders within Hansen Yuncken.
“As part of that, I have also provided Ricky’s capabilities to my team. They don’t have to take them up, but many have. Connection is a very important element of coaching and I can see the difference in the members of my team who work with and are being supported by Ricky”, says Rexine. “I can see the confidence they’re building and the way they’re growing, and the best part is that it’s specific to them. This is down to Ricky’s ability to connect and understand us as individuals.”
A trusted perspective
One of the qualities Rexine values most is Ricky’s honesty.
“I know she’s going to give me a good view of myself from an external perspective,” she says. “I’m going to hear clarity, even if it’s something I don’t necessarily want to hear.”
That honesty is balanced by practical support and genuine accountability. “Ricky gives me books and resources to work through, but I’m accountable for doing the work before I turn up to a session.”
She also appreciates Ricky’s integrity.
“She understands where her expertise adds value and where it doesn’t. She doesn’t try to be everything to everyone.”
Perhaps most importantly, the relationship is built around flexibility rather than dependency.
“You finish a programme, take a break if you need to, and reconnect when the next challenge comes along. There’s never any pressure.”
Leadership growth never stops
Rexine’s story is a reminder that coaching is not just for leaders who are new to management or stepping into executive roles.
Even experienced senior executives benefit from having a trusted sounding board—someone who can challenge their thinking, strengthen their personal brand and help them continue evolving as leaders.
For organisations, investing in experienced leaders creates a ripple effect. It strengthens decision-making at the top, equips leaders to develop others more effectively and helps build a culture where learning and leadership growth continue at every level.
Chris Mayhew
How Chris Mayhew learned to create more engaging discussions through coaching with Ricky Nowak
How Chris Mayhew learned to create more engaging discussions through coaching with Ricky Nowak
Better conversations begin with better preparation
When Chris Mayhew created a series of national commercial forums for Hansen Yuncken, he had a clear objective. As PMO Manager, responsible for corporate governance, procedures and commercial capability, he wanted to bring together project delivery teams from across Australia to share knowledge, strengthen connections and engage colleagues in meaningful discussions.
A key part of each forum was interviewing guest speakers, facilitating panel discussions and sharing business updates. Chris wanted to ensure these conversations were informative, engaging and valuable for everyone attending, so when his manager, Rexine Jones, introduced him to Ricky Nowak, he saw an opportunity to develop the skills that would help him achieve exactly that.
What began as coaching on interviewing techniques soon expanded into broader discussions about leadership communication, training delivery and audience engagement.
Learning the craft behind great conversations
Ricky introduced Chris to the interviewing methodologies and techniques she has developed and taught over many years. She then brought those techniques to life through role play and practical exercises, with Chris taking turns as both interviewer and interviewee. This helped him build his confidence while adapting the techniques to suit his own natural style.
Each time Chris hosted one of the commercial forums, he recorded the session and shared it with Ricky, who reviewed it and provided detailed feedback. Because he only facilitated the forums periodically, he didn’t have the luxury of practising these skills every day. Instead, each forum became an opportunity to reflect on what had worked, what could be improved and how he could make the next session even more engaging.
The combination of practical experience and detailed feedback allowed him to refine his approach, even though opportunities to practise were relatively infrequent. That individual approach was something Chris particularly valued.
‘I’d send Ricky videos of the sessions I’d run and she’d analyse them. She could see my style, my strengths and my weaknesses. She never tried to pigeonhole me into someone else’s approach – she helped bring out my own style.’
Preparation creates better conversations
One of Chris’s biggest insights was that successful facilitation begins long before the audience arrives.
‘Ricky helped me understand how important the preparation is – thinking about what you want to achieve from the session and, more importantly, what the audience wants to get out of it.’
Previously, Chris would send interview questions to guest speakers in advance, but with very little guidance. The result was often lengthy answers that didn’t always focus on what would be most valuable for the audience.
Today, Chris still shares questions beforehand, but he also explains the themes and outcomes he’d like each speaker to focus on. Rather than leaving answers completely open-ended, that additional guidance helps interviewees concentrate on the areas that will be most valuable for the audience, while giving Chris greater control over the direction of the conversation.
At the same time, Chris deliberately holds back a handful of carefully planned questions, rather than sharing everything in advance.
‘I always have a few questions up my sleeve. Asking questions that guests haven’t seen encourages responses that are more natural, rather than rehearsed. The result is conversations that feel more authentic and engaging while still achieving my objectives for the session.’
Making every discussion more engaging
Alongside one-to-one interviews, Chris also facilitates panel discussions involving multiple speakers.
Through his coaching with Ricky, he developed techniques for balancing panel discussions, ensuring that all voices were heard and finding natural ways to encourage quieter panellists to contribute.
The same audience-first thinking has also influenced the training programmes Chris delivers across the business. Rather than concentrating solely on the information he wants to share, he now spends much more time considering how to structure sessions so participants remain engaged and leave with practical value.
Coaching that grows with you
Although Chris originally sought coaching to improve his facilitation skills, the conversations naturally broadened as his role evolved.
Ricky became a sounding board for designing training programmes, increasing engagement and creating learning experiences that people genuinely wanted to participate in.
‘We started with interviewing, but then moved into leadership discussions and how to structure training programmes so people actually engage with them.’
What made the coaching effective?
For Chris, three qualities stand out about working with Ricky.
First, her experience.
‘Ricky has a huge amount of experience, and she’s very open and approachable. The sessions were always enjoyable.’
Second, her ability to challenge him.
‘She could be quite strict, and I actually needed that. We only met once a month, so she made sure I stayed focused and made the most of every session.’
Finally, the breadth of her coaching.
‘We started with speaking, but because Ricky has experience in leadership and training as well, the coaching naturally expanded into other areas that were important in my role.’
Better communication creates better engagement
Chris’s experience demonstrates that engaging discussions rarely happen by accident. Whether interviewing a single guest, facilitating a panel or delivering training, success depends on thoughtful preparation, careful structure and a clear understanding of what the audience wants to gain.
By helping Chris refine both his preparation and his facilitation techniques, Ricky enabled him to create conversations that feel more natural for participants, more engaging for audiences and more effective in achieving their purpose.
For leaders, facilitators and anyone responsible for helping others learn, Ricky’s coaching shows that the most valuable conversations begin long before the first question is asked.
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