The Human Story Behind the Business & Brand - International Student Inspirer Nazrul Islam

The Human Story Behind the Business & Brand - Brain Surgery Survivor & Thriver Ramiz Gabrial

My next guest for this podcast series is the founder and owner of Beehive Consulting Ramiz Gabrial. In addition to running a highly successful engineering consultancy for the past 13+ years, Ramiz has recently released his own memoir Stronger Than the Scar. It’s a story of reflect, of resilience, of resourcefulness, and of redefining how to continue to personally and professionally thrive after significant brain surgery. Born and raised in Baghdad Iraq where he obtained and applied higher education degrees in mechanical engineering, Ramiz’s world was permanently reshaped in the 1980s when he was told he needed to have major brain surgery in the UK. This was at the height of the war between Iraq and Iran, and there was a lot of red tape involved in Ramiz gaining permission to travel to Birmingham in England for his surgery. A journey to a foreign land that he had to make on his own, as no family members were allowed to travel there with him. Ramiz made a full recovery from this life-saving surgery and has continued to seize the day ever since. Returning to his homeland of Iraq where he was both a consultant and university lecturer, Ramiz has since worked as a professional engineer across multiple countries and continents. These include Jordan, New Zealand, the USA, Qatar and Australia. In 2011 he arrived in Australia and within two years had established his consultancy that continues to support construction industry clients across various locations including in Victoria, NSW and South Australia. Ramiz had few contacts when he settled in Melbourne and started up his business, which is further testament to his persistence and perseverance in transforming challenges into opportunities.

The Human Story Behind the Business & Brand - Visual Storyteller Kelly Hoinville

My next guest for this podcast series is Yarra Valley based photographer, educator and nature enthusiast Kelly Hoinville. Kelly has a decade of experience as a high school teacher, which includes leadership roles where she led the development of education and wellbeing programs that increased student agency as well as engagement. Teaching and empowering students was what Kelly self-defined as her dream role. Where she worked with some really motivated adolescents, supporting them in bringing their creative ideas to life. Including on projects that shifted broader school cultures. But it was when Kelly became a mother in 2024 that she experienced a career pivot moment. She realised that there were other dream roles that appealed more to her, such as being able to spend time raising and caring for her son. Kelly now channels much of her energy and creativity into her photography business. And she’s also a dedicated karate practitioner of 20 years, who supports her husband Craig with the family’s karate business. As a creative storyteller, Kelly has spent many years capturing families, couples and local businesses through her camera lens. In her Kelly Hoinville Photography business, she effectively blends visual storytelling with a deep understanding of each person or people. This includes tapping into their own unique stories and experiences. She also helps small businesses to bring their brand to life through authentic, purpose-driven imagery that connects more deeply with their ideal customer. Kelly’s photography work is defined by her passion for storytelling, her ability to connect with people, and her commitment to creating meaningful experiences within natural settings. Did I mention she’s an avid nature lover, whose hobbies include snow skiing, hiking, mountain biking and motorcycling, while also maintaining acreage in the Yarra Valley.

The Human Story Behind the Business & Brand - International Student Inspirer Nazrul Islam

My next guest for this podcast series is career strategist and the founder of OZGRADS Nazrul Islam. Based in Sydney Australia, Nazrul supports international students in finding job opportunities. It’s a personal mission of his, as a former international student who faced numerous challenges when settling into the Australian workforce. Including the navigation of visa work and residency visas, and overcoming a range of cultural barriers to settle into the Australian lifestyle. He founded OZGRADS in 2024, with the primary mission of equipping international students to be able to gain work in the competitive Australian job market. Nazrul has been involved in student development including future career pathways across various Australian Institutions for over a decade. This includes as a Regional Trainer Team Leader at ACAP University College, as a Professional Year Program Facilitator at Navitas, and as an L&D Specialist at the Macquarie Education Group Australia. He has supported more than 500 international students in securing roles aligned with their qualifications and aspirations. Underpinned by the combination of practical job search strategy as well as mindset and confidence development.

The Human Story Behind the Business & Brand - Boardroom Equaliser Doctor Keith Dorsey

My next guest for this podcast series is Doctor Keith Dorsey based in LA in the USA. He’s the founder and owner of leadership development consultancy Boardroom Journey, and is an advisor, a researcher, an author as well as a speaker focused on diversity, governance and strategic growth within business leadership contexts including boardrooms. Keith has dedicated much of his career to unlocking boardroom opportunities for the underrepresented such as women and people of colour, to optimise diversity within corporate senior leadership. Including via research examining board membership pathways, which has highlighted both barriers and facilitators when it comes to female executive leaders. In line with this, he’s the author of ‘The Boardroom Journey: Practical Guidance for Women to Secure a Seat at the Table’. Also an honouree of the USA’s National Association of Corporate Directors, Keith serves on numerous boards including in technology, financial advisory and tertiary education. He’s a former managing partner of a global executive search firm, and has been a long-term advisor to Fortune 500 companies. Keith brings a deeply human perspective on how purpose-driven leaders can maintain resilience under immense pressure, and why building inclusive, representative boardrooms is essential for both individual growth and business transformation. He excels at drawing out the stories and strategies behind thriving leadership pipelines. And his leadership insights have been published in both the Harvard Business Review as well as Forbes.

The Human Story Behind the Business & Brand - Jess Mitchell

My next guest for this podcast series is Jess Mitchell. She’s the founder and owner of the Jess K Mitchell practice that provides coaching, workshopping and public speaking services in line with her own self-developed learning and development framework. Her practice is focused on inspiring teams and businesses to shift from individual or siloed environments to more connected and collaborative settings. Underpinned by Jess’s mantra of being bold and staying curious, to shift the dial on how businesses and employees function or operate. Jess has an expansive career background that includes many years in sales and business development leadership roles. This includes for the well-known global brand Thermomix. Taking on several high-pressured roles that included as the National Sales Manager for both Australia and New Zealand where she upscaled the salesforce from 32 to 700 consultants. Prior to working in the bright-lights sales sector, Jess was a kindergarten teacher for several years. Where she no doubt attained another advantageous set of skills founded on patience, resilience and adaptability. Not to mention communications tailored for very particular audiences. And it was a relatively recent health issue that ignited Jess’s desire to set up her practise, to share her own lessons and experiences to benefit other businesses and business leaders.