Board of Directors

Andrew Hedges

Chairman

Andy Hedges is a visionary, innovative business leader who has an ability to anticipate emerging trends and identify business opportunities.

He has a proven ability to engage large and diverse groups of individuals to build high performance teams. Also known as a lateral thinker, he likes to be at the focal point of cultural change in a business.

Described by colleagues as a humanistic leader best captured in this quote that he has framed above his desk;

“I don’t want to be better than other people. I just want to help others be better people.”

John Brennan

Director

John brings a wealth of leadership, financial and commercial expertise gained over 30 years in senior financial roles in large multinationals in Australia, USA, Europe and Asia.

He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and Ireland and trained with KPMG. He is also a member of the Institute of Company Directors.

John enjoys the opportunity to give back and has previously trekked to over 5,000 metres in north west India to raise money for Save the Children Fund.

When not using his expertise to help others, John enjoys his passion for sailing, golf, family and friends.

Tahnee Schulz

Director

Tahnee is an experienced speaker, psychologist and life performance coach. She is the director of several organisations including her own joint business. Tahnee specialises in mental health, substance use, trauma, high performance executive coaching and organisational psychology. She has experience working in a wide range of settings including educational, forensic, correctional, community, mining and corporate.

Tahnee has strong business experience and a lengthy management history. Tahnee built a ground up mental health and wellbeing business and developed and implemented world class real-time wellbeing response technology. Tahnee has also managed a 24/7 trauma-response team and numerous associates and contractors responding to critical incidents on a global scale including terrorism and natural disasters.

Tahnee has worked with many large national and international organisations including executive level management at Optus, Cricket Australia, the big 4 banks, Ambulance, Police, Special Operations, AFP and Defence. Her work includes providing clinical governance, risk mitigation, change management, workplace culture, high performance and life coaching, counselling, treatment plans and management support.

Tahnee has worked with various people involved in and affected by incidents such as the tragic passing of cricketer Phillip Hughes and subsequent inquest, the Sydney Lindt Café siege and subsequent inquest, several Royal Commissions and the Nepal Earthquakes Rescue Mission. Tahnee is proficient at clinical assessment, diagnosis, case formulation and treatment, and is well regarded for her skills assessing, treating and reporting on Acute Stress Disorder and PTSD.

Kate Hemphill

Director

Kate is Group General Counsel at Toga Group, a developer of residential apartments and a leading hotel operator across Australia, NZ and Europe under the TFE Hotels brand. Prior to joining Toga, Kate worked with Lendlease, BHP and law firm Herbert Smith Freehills.

Kate came into contact with Feel the Magic via The Observership Program, a scholarship program designed to train young professionals in board leadership in the not-for-profit sector. Having previously volunteered and worked with a number of NFP’s devoted to working with children and young adults, Kate was drawn to the opportunity to work with and expand FTM’s vision to support children who are experiencing grief.

When not buried in a contract, Kate loves travelling, being active, exploring her inner foodie and spending time with family and friends.

Liana Dubois

Director

Liana Dubois is the Director of sales, Sydney for the Nine Entertainment Company, wife to her small business owner Maxi and Mum to two of the cheekiest boys, Marley and Cha Cha.

A 20 year veteran of Australia’s media industry, Liana’s knowledge of and passion for true marketing based brand solutions drives business success and collaborative partnerships with media agencies, creative networks and of course Australia’s greatest brands.

In Liana’s home full of boys, there is constant mess, consistent laughter and always love for the imperfection of an energetic life.

James Thomas

Founder & Managing Director

As a young entrepreneur, James ran his own business and was an active property investor committed to living a successful life.

In the wake of losing his mother, James realised the life he had created was unfulfilling and unrewarding. Trading his time for money doing the things he didn’t enjoy did not sit right with him.

In 2012, he decided to sell his business and set out on a path of self-discovery. James was desperate to make purpose of his life and wanted to honour the memory of his much loved mother and father. James has since dedicated his life to giving grieving children a voice and providing a safe place for children to grow and thrive during their grief.

James’ greatest achievement in life has been the recent birth of his first-born son Madden. Together with his beautiful wife Kristy, they love spending time with Madden as a family.

James also likes to test his physical and mental strength by participating in challenging adventures around the world. James strives to share his passion whilst sharing his story and inspire others to chase their dreams, being an example of living a life filled with purpose despite the many challenges of life.