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Sara Pantaleo

Business Strategy and Execution Plans, Family Business, Franchising, Crisis Management Plans
My professional experience in leadership roles has been across small business, not-for-profit and corporate
environments.
I am a great collaborator and bring people together to create and implement desired strategies.
I am known for always putting people first and growing and mentoring teams to achieve above and beyond.
I am known for my straightforwardness, integrity and mentorship.
I believe in order to execute strategies you must ensure that you are able to resource and empower the team so
that they are able to execute business goals.
Early in my career I was part of a team managing disaster recovery of IT systems and since then I have grown and
applied my knowledge of implementing Crisis Management Plans in the business, I was involved in.
This has meant that I have been able to lead my teams through very difficult and challenging circumstances.
Structure and governance are very important to me and I am rigorous in this regard in all the companies and boards
I am a part of.

Skills:

  • Finance-
  • Governance-
  • Exit/Succession-
  • HR-
  • Import/Export-
  • Management-
  • Marketing-
  • Planning-
  • Relationships-
  • Sales-

Industries:

  • Franchising-
  • Tourism, hospitality, accommodation and food services-
  • Wholesale trade-
  • Transport, postal and warehousing-

Spoken Languages:

  • Italian-

State: Victoria

Primary Locations:

  • Melbourne CBD-
  • Melbourne North-
  • Melbourne North West-
  • Melbourne East-

Mentoring available by:

  • In Person, Face to Face in (Victoria) or by Phone and online

I can also deliver mentoring by phone and online

Current Occupation:

SBMS Mentor. Self Employed in Small/Family Business Consulting. Moira Kelly Creating Hope Foundation Limited – Co-founder, Executive Director, Chair (OCT 2015–Present) Franchise Council of Australia (FCA) - Non-Executive Director (Oct 2018–Present & Oct 2015 – Oct 2017) Family Business Australia (FBA) National Board - Non-Executive Director (2018–Present)

Detailed CV:

 ACHIEVEMENTS

Moira Kelly Creating Hope Foundation

  • Drove the foundation’s Strategy, business plans and execution
  • Set up all the Governance and reporting to ACNC
  • Instrumental of putting together an advisory board of strong volunteers
  • Set up foundation brand presence and awareness
  • Implemented a CRM for the management of donors and volunteers
  • Creation and execution of Policies and Procedures and processes
  • Grew donations by 40% in the first three years
  • Volunteer search and onboarding principles and processes

La Porchetta

  • Created a new company brand and style guide and marketing strategy
  • Implemented new franchisee support department including coaching and on-ground support
  • Implemented nutritional information to all La Porchetta recipes as well as recipe cards with images and food costings
  • Implemented the marketing fund and created National brand marketing and Local Area Marketing (LAM) strategies and tools for franchisees.  The final company logo, of three to be transitioned over five years, is still being used today.  We created and took ownership of our jingle.  Created a LAM portal for franchisees to be able to access marketing tools to be used at a local level.  Now have total strategy around marketing and LAM and lots of tools, including Social Media Policies and how to nurture and look after the customer as a guest in your home.  Created Training and tools for the franchisees being able to implement in store.
  • Created trademarks and documented all IP, including phone numbers and company logos.
  • Implemented supply agreements and service level contracts to benefit the company and franchisees with leveraging group buying 
  • Implemented the first online ordering system as early as 2012, with I-takeaway and then oversaw the continuous change to two systems prior to implementing the system being used today (Hungry, Hungry), in 2020
  • Oversaw the Implementation of Website very early on and in the time, I was CEO the website was re-designed three times.  Led the implementation of the website automation and creation of database of customers, even though mainly dine in restaurant.
  • Oversaw the implementation of a company intranet and franchise email where all communication was streamlined and all tools in one central repository
  • Implemented Crisis Management Plan and rolled out to the head office team as well as all the franchisees and ways of communication during a crisis, including everyone’s role
  • Implemented the first E-learning platform in 2012 and in 2019 now implemented through a new modern intranet.
  • Implemented new support and Operational manager New Zealand to support franchisees locally
  • Implemented research and competitor analysis process and monitoring on an ongoing basis and use of external industry information
  • Implemented personal development strategy to ensure all our team had access to internal and external training as well as support of certified training funded by the company.  Ie. specific, legal, marketing and accounting training
  • In 2015 organised an external company brand audit and prepared a host of recommendations on restaurants new shop-fit outs and new brand presence.  Then worked with operations teams and franchisees to refresh our restaurants and brand.
  • Oversaw new design and brand presence guidelines and implementation into restaurants.  All restaurants had a minor, medium or major refurbishment when I left La Porchetta in February 2020
  • Oversaw a consolidation of the business and realigned brand values to ensure everyone was committed to the vision and company values in 2015
  • Led the business through three major Crisis, one of them being the passing of one of the co-founders of La Porchetta
  • Led the implementation of one of the earliest HR compliance deeds in Australia in 2016.
  • Introduced Home deliveries in 2016, very early on as the new wave of eating at home began.
  • Oversaw the evolution of our menus over the years and in 2020, La Porchetta now has amazing systems to be able to assess competition, be able to know the menu items that are most successful and also be able to analyse the profitability of each item and know the nutritional information.  In 2018 implemented a Vegan menu to compliment the list of already vegetarian options and opened up a new consumer audience.
  • Collaborated with all stakeholders and created Vision, Mission, Purpose and company Values.  This has now been refreshed in 2019.
  • Prior to leaving La Porchetta implemented a sustainability and social responsibility policy to foster a culture of triple bottom line and not only focusing on profitability.

WORK EXPERIENCE

La Porchetta - Director 

2010- Feb 2020

Restructured the family business into a corporate holding company structure with subsidiaries. Led the team to new look restaurants, developed IT online ordering and Delivery and an Online presence, as well as menu revamp.

WEBSITE: https://www.laporchetta.com/

 La Porchetta - CEO

Jul 2005 – Feb 2020

Developed strategies and lead the business to new innovation and an enhanced business franchise model. Developed comprehensive Operations manuals, Head office re-structure and a new support structure for franchisees.

 La Porchetta – Distribution and Administration Manager

Jul 1996 – Jul 2005

Established a distribution centre to deliver to restaurants backed by a supply chain of local and imported goods.  Set up logistics and product procurement. 

Joint founder of this not-for-profit organisation.  Have been passionate about helping in the community and had been supporting Moira Kelly’s work for many years before deciding to go the next step.

Currently Chair for the Foundation and run our board meetings, as well as looking after the financial performance.

Restructured the family business into a corporate holding company structure with subsidiaries. Led the team to new look restaurants, developed IT online ordering and Delivery and an Online presence, as well as menu revamp.

 NAB - Lead Operations Analyst

1993-1996

Worked in the Service Management department, where the bank held Service Management agreements with Information Technology (IT) hardware and software suppliers.  We also provided information and support to the bank’s business units with regard to IT needs and   software unavailability.  I wrote manuals on hardware and software reporting, liaised with the media department and other business units to keep them informed of any services that were unavailable due to IT issues.

 NAB - Operations Analyst

1991-1993

NAB – Computer Operations

1989-1991

Worked as support in Operations IT services of the NAB.  This was for NAB’s mainframe systems, providing - support for the processing and execution of data and backups of all financial and non-financial files.

 NAB – Shift Supervisor - Operations

1986-1989

I led a team in the back up site of the NAB IT mainframe operations.  As part of this position I was involved in the Disaster Recovery Team.  Which included events of scenario planning and restoring mainframe systems of software during a crisis.

 NAB - Various

Feb 1984 -1989

Started working in a Branch when I completed my education and then transferred to the Information Technology part of the bank in November 1984, where I started as a computer operator doing shiftwork, became supervisor of test network and then moved to the live site as an Operations Analyst.

 

 

Qualifications:

  • Diploma in Business - Franchising
  • Certificate IV in Information Technology
  • Certificate of Mediation
  • Family Business Governance and Directorship Course
  • Financial Essentials for Family Business