Perth Leader Connect: Storytelling For Change

Luella has spent 25 years delivering and consulting on large transformations, mergers and restructures for global organisations including KPMG, Chevron, Prudential and Mercer. She led part of the COVID response for WA.

She has worked on more than 15 restructures and mergers across Mercer, AMP and AXA, Westpac and Lloyds, Chevron and the WA State Government. She was Program Director on Mercer's acquisition of BT Super and Advance, a $60m program with around 500 delivery and subject matter experts, moving $65bn of AUM, 880,000 members and 330 staff into Mercer Super on time and on budget. She was Program Director, VaccinateWA, the only system in Australia ready at the point of first vaccination and winner of the 2021 IPAA WA award for Best Practice in Digital Transformation, and Director, SafeWA, Australia's leading QR code application.

She has coached more than 100 leaders through restructures, including KPMG's national Partner in Charge and 60 lead partners through its own 1,400 FTE restructure, and run at least 15 formal consultation processes with employees and unions, with no formal issues raised and no delays to implementation. She led KPMG's Perth People and Change practice for two years, with a 97 per cent engagement score, the highest nationally, and was the Australian lead for KPMG's global Change Management and Change Leadership methodology for 8 years.

Luella has two doctorates in change, leadership and storytelling. Her thesis: “Storytelling for Change: Telling Trusted Change Stories”.

That's what she's passionate about: creating and improving the connection between the organisation and its people. Which is all about trust, the work her Doctorate covers. Storytelling is a great way to do this, it creates and builds trust, empathy and collaboration.

She brings her experience as a leader, program director and organisational change expert to find the balance between delivery and culture that creates the best environment for change.