How grateful I am that Kilfinan Australia and by extension John Ashby came into my life. I think I was one of the first groups of mentees in late 2014. I was quite nervous having not had a mentor before. I had been the CEO of Banksia Gardens Community Services for about 10 years, and the organisation had just been granted Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status.

John was absolutely brilliant. He assisted me transition the organisation and the Board, including a name change into the award-winning dynamic organisation with over 100 staff that it is today. He recommended I complete the Australian Institute of Company Directors Course. He supported and encouraged me to join other paid Boards; he even stuck by me during my spell with breast cancer.

John is a super human being, kind, compassionate, clever, supportive and always there when I needed him.

The success of Banksia Gardens Community Services can be largely attributed to the mentoring John gave to me. Thank you, John. Thank you, Kilfinan Australia.