Checkside

Sam Willis

Managing Director

Sam worked in investment banking and wealth management prior to spending 10 years in the corporate advisory space. He worked with a number of emerging listed companies prior to founding, developing and leading a listed resources company that completed a major farm-in agreement with Conoco Phillips.

Sam is an experienced executive and non-executive director, with skills running across strategy, corporate finance and governance. Sam is a trusted mentor and coach to a select number of senior and developing executives.

Scott O’Hehir

Director

Scott has been advising businesses for over 15 years and is an expert at helping clients formulate and implement strategies, structures and management systems required to successfully grow.

Scott developed the Checkside High Performance Operating System and Leadership Turbocharge course to meet the needs of emerging and mid-market businesses. Scott has been recognised for his success in business turnaround projects and is a former committee member of the Turnaround Management Association. Scott is a trusted mentor and coach to a select number of senior and developing executives. Scott holds tertiary qualifications across Management, Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management, as well as post-graduate qualifications in Applied Finance.

Mark Majzner

Client Director

Mark is an internationally experienced CEO and entrepreneur of public and privately owned businesses, in a range of industries and markets in Australia, Asia and Europe. Mark has a demonstrated expertise in strategy development and building profitable and sustainable business with high performing teams. Mark strongly guided by his values, purpose and is a passionate community leader and builder with experience across several important organisations.

Mark is a member of The Executive Connection (TEC45) and has an MBA from Stockholm University Business School. He is a lifelong learner and appreciates that the best way to learn is to teach and share knowledge and experiences with others.

Tony Femia

Client Director

With over 20 years of senior leadership experience, Tony has a proven track record of building high performing teams, leading strategic change and delivering consistent business growth with larger multinational corporates and mid-tier financial services companies across Australia.

As a trusted coach and mentor to many business owners, leaders and sales professionals, Tony’s experience has proved an invaluable sounding board and helped them to unlock their untapped potential and boost the growth of their target markets and business.

Tony is an enthusiastic, energetic presenter and thrives on the opportunity to facilitate tailored training and coaching frameworks for leadership and team development programs to help grow skills, confidence and high-quality delivery with impact.

Damian Hicks

Client Director

With an impressive track record as an ASX company director and a wealth of experience in strategic, corporate, financial, and governance roles across Australia and northern Europe, Damian is poised to make a significant impact in his client director role.

Damian’s ongoing role as Chair of Corporate Board Services (known as experts in outsourced financial management, compliance and governance for ASX-listed, unlisted public and private companies) has honed his skills in leading teams to success. This, alongside his experience as an entrepreneurial founder and deal maker, will be invaluable in guiding Checkside clients as they navigate growth and transformational change.

Damian is admitted as a legal practitioner in Western Australia, has a degree in accounting & finance, holds diplomas in finance & investment and applied corporate governance, and is completing a geology degree.

Matt Davey

Client Director - Adelaide

Matt established his own strategy consulting business in 2019 and works closely with business owners and leaders to lift their focus to a bigger picture by providing direction and support in the areas of strategic planning, customer connection, strategic execution and leadership coaching.  Based in Adelaide, Matt’s primary focus has been on assisting mid-market businesses and business owners to help deliver better outcomes for all stakeholders.

Prior to this, Matt worked for Bendigo and Adelaide Bank for 23 years in a range of roles across home loan sales, contact centre, high network deposits, leadership, digital  and business banking strategy.

Fiona Stretch

Client Director

With over 16 years of experience in strategy development and change management, Fiona has a proven track record of delivering successful outcomes for organisations across Australia, the UK and West Africa.

Her expertise lies in translating strategic vision into actionable steps and guiding teams through business improvement and product management. Fiona excels at building cohesive teams and fostering continuous improvement to drive measurable success. Growing up on a sheep and cattle farm, Fiona is a country girl at heart and brings an enthusiastic, pragmatic approach to her client engagements, driving impactful results.

Fiona holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from UWA, with majors in Corporate Finance, Marketing, and Financial Accounting, and is a certified Organisational Coach (Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership) and Change Manager (Prosci).

Paul Quinlivan

Client Director

With over 25 years of senior leadership experience, Paul has a strong track record of driving strategic growth, operational excellence and cultural transformation across diverse industries.

He has held executive roles including COO, CFO, and GM, leading major projects and building high-performing teams. Known for connecting strategic vision with practical execution, Paul brings structure, clarity and energy to every engagement.

A natural communicator and people-first leader, Paul brings clarity, structure and energy to every engagement. He’s passionate about helping teams thrive and is a trusted leader who fosters growth, accountability and sustainable success. Outside of the boardroom, Paul is a dedicated supporter of grassroots sport and community initiatives. He’s a former Australian surf lifesaving representative, has completed 22 Rottnest Channel Swims, and remains actively involved in local surf, football, and school communities.

Chris Bates

Advisory Board

Chris was founder of Checkside in 2004 and has transitioned to CEO of fast-growing, family-owned agribusiness group Waringa.

He has a background in financial services and succession planning and has been advising businesses for over 20 years. Chris holds Bachelor of Business from Curtin University, is a graduate of the AICD company directors course (GAICD) and has completed various finance qualifications from the Securities Institute of Australia (SIA) and the ASX.

John Beech

Advisory Board

John has held various senior executive positions across the mining, energy and technology industries. He was a senior executive and director of NYSE and ASX listed Orbital Corporation from 1987 until 2002. He was also an award-winning Chair for the international CEO leadership group, The Executive Connection (TEC) for 15 years.

Since 2003, John has provided consulting and advisory services to assist companies to commercialise their technologies into global markets. John has been a director of publicly listed companies and is currently on the advisory board of several private companies. He continues to provide leadership development, coaching and mentoring services within companies and to a select number of senior and developing executives.