ABOUT

After starting her career at KPMG, Melissa worked for a decade in financial services before transitioning into the social purpose sector. Melissa brings over a decade of CEO leadership experience and is a trusted advisor to boards on leadership acquisition, structure and governance performance improvement for non-profit organisations and social enterprises. In her role as Managing Director at Govern for Purpose, Melissa brings her cross-sector knowledge and expertise to support purpose-led Boards on Board optimization across, structure, strategy, risk, purpose and impact. Melissa is a Chartered Accountant, a Fellow of the Centre for Sustainability Leadership, and has a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Finance from the University of New South Wales.

Michelle is a former lawyer who brings globally acquired expertise across the commercial and not-for-profit sectors to assist boards and CEOs with their governance and strategic issues. Her experience includes advising boards and executives on effective strategy, change management, stakeholder engagement as well as governance, risk and organisational culture issues.
Michelle is an experienced CEO in the social sector and prior to this, worked in strategic advisory and business development roles.

Sangeeta Leach is a highly experienced board advisor and business leader with deep expertise in strategy, governance, and business transformation. She works closely with boards and executive teams to enhance organisational effectiveness, manage risk, and drive sustainable growth.
With a background spanning global consulting, corporate leadership, and advisory roles, Sangeeta brings a strategic yet pragmatic approach to governance, helping boards sharpen their focus, navigate complexity, and align diverse stakeholders.
Sangeeta is known for her ability to ask the right questions, challenge assumptions, and provide clear, actionable advice. She is passionate about purpose-driven leadership and equipping boards with the tools they need to create lasting impact.

Leon has been working across the past 20 years in the for-purpose space primarily with professional member-based associations. His roles saw him working with boards and as a senior executive including recent positions with CAANZ and as GM Membership & Engagement with Governance Institute of Australia. In more recent times Leon has been advising clients across the Health, Aged Care, Education and Association sectors as Chief Partnerships and Accounts Officer with GovernWith, a SaaS company who provide board governance review and development programs including director skills matrix evaluations.
Leon’s passion is to help Boards and Executive to align on purpose and to enhance collective and individual capabilities of those with governance obligations.
Leon is a member of GIA and has completed their Effective Director Course.

Pauline supports the Govern for Purpose team to manage Board reviews. Pauline works with clients to manage the implementation of our services and ensures that all interviews and consultations are planned well in advance.

Bill joined Govern for Purpose in 2025 as the newest member of the team, supporting account processes. With a fresh perspective and energy, Bill is already contributing to the seamless management of client engagement and internal coordination as part of the Accounts team.