Community Project Manager

Nathan Antonik

Nathan has served in the Queensland Police Service for 16 years. Throughout this journey he has experienced many different facets of the job. All his years of service was completed on the Gold Coast eventuating in being a Detective Senior Constable of the Child Protection Investigation Unit. Whilst in this unit he has investigated many complex juvenile issues involving kids at the highest of risk. Nathan was an integral part of commencing Project Booyah which is an on-going early intervention program run by the Queensland Police for disengaged youth.

Nathan was a professional sportsperson who continues to have a massive buy in with the local sporting community. He is a board member of the Runaway Bay Junior Rugby League club and enjoys coaching rugby league at a club and representative level. He is local born and bred Gold Coaster who simply has a passion for assisting kids and families at risk. Success is born through hard work and persistence, success is measured internally not externally.

Campus Manager / Teacher

Heath Fox

Heath joins the MOB team as an experienced educator, working for Education Queensland for 15 years as a Head of Department, classroom teacher and he has had experience at the Deputy Principal level. Heath grew up in the NSW country town of Wagga Wagga before heading overseas to the USA to play high school and college basketball. The experience was an amazing one for the sporting opportunity but also upon reflection an amazing opportunity to experience a different education system. Heath has a love for basketball that he shared with many students in his previous role as Head Sports Excellence basketball coach at Palm Beach Currumbin SHS.

Heath returned to Australia to complete a Business Degree in Marketing/Law before completing a graduate diploma in Education before commencing his teaching career.
Heath has a passion for working with young men and believes that you shouldn’t wait for an opportunity, you should create it. He strongly believes that all students deserve a chance of reaching their dreams and he sees the MOB Academy as a place for students to do exactly that.

Student Services Manager

Amanda Strickland

Amanda initially began her career in banking and finance. After many struggles with her son, it wasn't until he was in year 5 that she witnessed first hand the significant difference a passionate and dedicated teacher can have on the social, emotional and academic well-being of a child. In that moment of realisation, a passion for inspiring a lifelong love of learning and ensuring all students, irrespective of the barriers and challenges they face were afforded an equal opportunity for success and supported to establish a solid foundation in learning and life emerged.

She quickly made the transition into education and is now a qualified Teacher with over 10 years of experience. A significant injury which left Amanda unable to walk for seven months, led her to recently make the transition from the classroom and back to a more administrative role. Amanda now runs the administration and student services department of MOB, assisting all.

Marketing Manager

Courtney Primmer

Courtney joined MOB at the end of 2019, focussing on Marketing and Event Coordination. She grew up as a New Zealand expatriate in Malaysia, making the move to the Gold Coast to further her career and start an exciting new adventure. She is passionate about teaching young people how to care for their mind and body, as well as providing community-based support focussed on health, wellness and life skills.

Courtney has a degree in Hospitality and Business Management and relates strongly to the correlation between physical and mental health, which aligns with the core foundation pillars of MOB.

Chief Financial Officer

Vanessa Kirkham

Vanessa Kirkham is a qualified accountant and also holds a Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment and is also a Justice of the Peace. She completed a Bachelor of Business majoring in Accounting with Central Queensland University and worked as an accountant for a major accounting firm in Queensland Colin Woodward and Associates for five years.

Vanessa is also the director of Olive Gray Business Solutions and has been a part of MOB for over five years. Her expertise in financial accountability and management will allow her to offer valuable direction.

Head Program Facilitator

Damien Gow

Damien has been a part of the MOB family for over 5 years as the Head Program Facilitator. He joined the army in 1995 and was posted to the corp of artillery where you remained for a further 13 years. Here he gained valuable experience in leadership and team building whilst learning the importance and foundations for becoming a better version of himself.

Upon leaving the army he became a youth worker, which let him to become the Head Program Facilitator at Men of Business. Since then he has utilised his life experiences to positively influence and help navigate youths on the Gold Coast become better men. He is passionate about providing young men with an environment where they are able to become better versions of themselves.

Board Member

Michael Roberts

Michael became a school principal in Queensland 22 years ago at a small school in western Queensland and has been a principal of ten schools across the state.
In 2009 he left Australia to work for a Singaporean education company in South East Asia as an advisor to the CEO. Michael has been the Principal of Broadbeach Independent Public School. During his tenure, Broadbeach progressed from achieving average results, to being regarded as the highest performing primary school in the South East Queensland Region and when compared to similar schools, the highest performing in Australia. Upon leaving Broadbeach, Michael became the Executive Director of Schools for Good to Great Schools Australia where he travelled across Australia to support partner schools.

Michael is now Executive Principal of the Arcadia Group of schools which support disengaged youth and is also the Executive Director of the consultancy business COGlearn.
In 2017, Michael was asked by the Federal Minister of Education to be one of only two school principals and eight experts overall to serve as a panellist on the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools. This panel was commonly referred to as the Gonski Panel. 
Michael has an Honours degree in Psychological Science and regularly incorporates the research-based principles he has learned from this to improve both student learning and staff performance.

Board Member

Dean McPhee

Dean is the Managing Director of Prospace Projects, a leading management firm with in the retail and commercial sector. With a combined 20 years experience with in the fashion and construction industries Dean has worked with and advised both Global and Local brands on development strategy, business model design, as well as infrastructure and investment planning.



Dean was raised on the Gold Coast and has a overwhelming passion to help the young boys of his community grow up to be outstanding men that will help lead, shape and guide the future of the city not just in business but more importantly in leadership and culture. Dean joined the Men Of Business (MOB) as a mentor in 2016 and was then invited on to the board in 2018 and Board Chairman in 2020

CEO

Jason Sessarago

Jason is an experienced educator and school leader most recently as the Principal/ CEO of Arcadia College, The Spot Academy and Ohana for Youth. He has spent many years serving on not-for-profit boards including holding the positions of Chairperson and Secretary. Being community minded, Jason serves as a board member with Gold Coast Rugby League and Men of Business Australia Ltd.  Jason’s experience in the education and training industries extends over 20 years having worked as a classroom teacher, careers advisor, deputy principal and principal.

He was also involved in the accreditation and establishment of two independent schools – the Australian Technical Colleges at North Brisbane and the Australian Industry Trade College at Robina.   Jason’s vision is to revolutionise the approach to secondary schooling by providing a safe, inclusive and progressive form of education for young men has been the driving factor behind his involvement with the Men of Business.

CEO

Marco Renai

Marco founded Men of Business Australia in 2011 after volunteering his time to support youth at risk, particularly young men. Marco has been a business owner in the health and fitness industry on the Gold Coast for 23 years. After realising that there was no specific male focussed programs for young men who were struggling to engage in life and their education, he went back to his business community and piloted the first Men of Business program.

The initiative has proven to be incredibly successful and well supported by the community, including local schools and service providers. To date, over 1000 Gold Coast youth have benefited from the support of the Men of Business programs. He is passionate about creating better futures for the young men, and their families on the Gold Coast.