We listen to you tell us where you want your business to be
Kim Hewson
Principal
EMBA, GIA (Cert), Cert IV Training and Assessment, GAICD
As the co-founder of Economic Transitions, Kim has a wealth of knowledge and experience across a range of industries and is passionate about developing sustainable business in regional and remote Australia. Her key skills in social engagement across communities and Traditional Owner groups has delivered results benefiting local government, communities, and industry particularly in post mine closure land use. Her knowledge is underpinned with an Executive Master of Business Administration from the University of WA, and her current Doctor of Philosophy research through Curtin - WASM focusing on the development of sustainable tourism as an economic supplement in regional mining economies.
She has published papers and presented at conferences on her work in regional development. She is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, holds a Certificate in Governance of Not-for-Profits and a member of the Governance Institute of Australia. She is a Committee Member of the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Visitor Centre, Australia’s Golden Outback, Board Member of Regional Development Australia – Wheatbelt, and Company Secretary for the Australian Prospectors & Miners’ Hall of Fame.
Our Team
Kim is supported by a team of qualified and experienced Project Assistants who each have a history of living and working in regional Australia. Our Projects Coordinator keeps the team on schedule for each project and supports both the desktop research and community engagement. Our Accounts Assistant ensures each of our projects is on budget and governance and compliance requirements are adhered for projects and the business.
Simon Hewson
Director & Business Development
BSc(Geology), DPhil, MScMBA (Mineral & Energy Economics), MAusIMM
As the co-founder of Economic Transitions, Simon has extensive experience in mining across open pit life of mine planning, geotechnical engineering and risk modelling, structural geology modelling and oriented core diamond drilling analysis, pit slope optimisation, open pit mine planning and optimisation, financial modelling, project evaluation, as well as auditing and assessment of life of mine and post mine closure land use. He has experience in underground mine planning and project management as well as development to production of satellite mines. His experience is global having worked in some of the largest mines in Africa, Indonesia, as well as throughout Australia – NT, NSW, QLD, WA - in gold, iron ore, bauxite and critical minerals, and for companies including Alcoa, Barrick, BHP, Newcrest, Newmont, Resolute and Wiluna Gold. He has published papers and presented at conferences on his work in slope stability.
Amy Sleight
Project Assistant
BBus(TourMan)
Amy knows first-hand the challenges and the joys of living in a regional location having been born in Northern, Western Australia. She graduated from Edith Cowan University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Tourism Management with a minor in Marketing before travelling to the UK and spending time exploring London. Since returning she has gained extensive experience working with tourism companies such as V3 Leisure providing tourism booking platform support and reporting, as well as tourism marketing, survey distribution, data collection analysis, and client and stakeholder engagement. Her current focus is on ensuring sustainable tourism for regional communities.
Helen Waddell
Project Assistant
BBus(TourMan)
Helen is a Western Australia local with an understanding of the benefits of residing in a rural community having lived in Moora, Western Australia. Helen graduated from Edith Cowan University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Tourism Management with a minor in Marketing while working in 4- and 5-star hotels in operations, sales, and marketing. Since then, she has worked in a range of industries including information media, construction, and mining services in marketing, project management and stakeholder engagement. She shares our passion of sustainable regional communities and assists with stakeholder engagement on all projects.
Theresa Brillantes
Project Assistant
BSc(Hosp&HtlMan)
Theresa moved to Perth from the Philippines in 2022 with extensive experience in the tourism industry. She has worked for one of the largest airlines in the Unites States of America as well as one of Asia’s leading luxury villa rental management companies having established their reservation and guest service procedures for luxury villas and chalets in various tourist destinations in Asia. She has handled different OTAs (online travel agencies), travel agents, and VIP clients as well as currently working on various tourism projects throughout Western Australia. Having the experience in an international setting has allowed her to be exposed to and understand the travel and tourism industry on a global scale, as well as understanding of different cultures and tourism at a regional level. She has recently completed a Diploma of Business – Accelerate with Training in Digital Analytics.
Erin Rotondella
Project Coordinator
BBus(Tour&Hosp), Cert IV Bookkeeping, Cert III Business
Erin graduated from Murdoch University in 2021 having completed a Bachelor of Business in Hospitality and Tourism Management. Her experience in the tourism and events industry during her studies has provided her with sound theoretical knowledge to apply to projects with Economic Transitions. Erin works across all projects assisting each of the Projects Assistants contributing her knowledge and gaining exposure and new skills in the variety of projects we are engaged on.
Rachelle Mulholland
Accounts Assistant
DipAcc, Cert IV Human Resources
Since completing the Diploma in Accounting, Rachelle has worked in small business across a variety of industries assisting each in business sustainability. She completed the Certificate IV in Human Resources in 2021 to build on her bookkeeping knowledge and to enable her to diversity her role. Not only is she a master of accounting and business analysis and HR systems, she also assists on each of the projects tracking project components and ensuring all projects are on time and on budget.
Our Partners
We enjoy collaborating on projects with like-minded businesses to provide not only a holistic approach with creative solutions but one that will fully encompass all areas of your project. We manage the process and deliver outcomes and recommendations that will be easily understood.
Rikki Clarke
Creative Spaces
Creative Spaces consists of a group of passionate designers and architects who work in collaboration with individuals, local communities, and local and state governments to create immersive environments with the ability to create spaces that act as a “living bridge” connecting people with their environment, cultural places, each other, and important events of the past. Rikki Clarke, Director of Creative Spaces, has over 15 years’ experience in design, interpretation, and exhibitions. Before investing in the private practice of Creative Spaces, she worked in various design and project management roles in Australia and the UK. Rikki has extensive experience on projects where the combination of space and content has been used to interpret stories of people and place. She brings this expertise to all Creative Spaces’ projects, whether in exhibition spaces (both permanent and temporary), heritage and environmental trails, new media productions, creative encounters, and interactive experiences.
Mark Adams
Executive Compass
Executive Compass is a boutique West Australian consulting firm, with a highly regarded reputation as specialists in hospitality & tourism, hotels & resorts, sporting clubs & associations, recreation & leisure facilities, restaurants & bars, and health & wellness. Executive Compass prides itself on maximizing value and return on investment through clear structured solutions that increase revenue, control costs, and sustain outcomes without risk. The company is led by Managing Director Mark Adams, with a career spanning three decades. He has self-navigated a pathway around some of Australia’s most recognised destinations and built a consolidated framework as the foundation behind “Executive Compass” hospitality consultants & coaching.
John Douglass
Flametree Creative
Flametree Creative is a Western Australian owned communications consultancy specialising in transformational change. Their clients vary from one-man bands to national companies, and they operate on a project basis or full-service capacity, but their objective is always the same: to clearly differentiate their client's business to the extent that it becomes or remains a brand leader within its category. To achieve their aims, they follow a process of continuous improvement that clearly positions their client's brands by simplifying offerings and ensuring that the expectations they create are matched by the outcomes desired by their clients. Creative Director John Douglass graduated from Curtin School of Design before commencing his career at Fremantle Arts Centre Press, then launching Brown Cow Design in 1993 and now Flametree Creative. He has served as lead creative to: City of Fremantle, Dunsborough Construction, Fremantle Sailing Club, Halco Tackle, Kidago Art Institute, and Mt Barker Chicken to name but a few. He has designed books for Richard Woldendorp, City of Perth, UWA Press, The Town of Victoria Park, Holmes a Court Gallery, Linneys, BHP and many others. He has designed interpretive displays for the Australian Prospectors & Miners' Hall of Fame, John Curtin Gallery, and the Maritime Museum of WA.
Amy Gough
Wanderlust Communications
Established in 2015 by Amy Grough, Wanderlust Communications is a boutique communications consultancy based in Western Australia, specialising in the tourism industry. Wanderlust Communications offers a range of services including traditional and online public relations, online communications strategy, workshops and training, copywriting and social media implementation and management. Amy is an experienced communications professional with a strong background in integrated public relations and social media backed with an Honors Degree in Public Relations and Advanced Diploma in Management. Amy began her career in the UK working with travel and tourism brands including Stena Line, Welcome to Yorkshire and Co-op Travel. She then went on to work for one of the UK’s first social media agencies and developed the social media strategy for global brand Sony Ericsson. Wanderlust Communications has worked with many tourism organisations including Tourism WA, Australia's Golden Outback, Visit Mandurah and Fleurieu Peninsula to powerhouse consumer and FMCG clients including Itchy Baby Co to Cadbury and InterContinental.