Michelle Merriman
Summary
With over 20 years of enterprise leadership expertise, successfully aligned global teams and worked across cultures to ensure smooth operations, project delivery, and implementation of strategic initiatives for transformative business growth and organizational change. Experienced business strategist with a proven track record of integrating businesses and extracting synergies through industry-transforming projects. Demonstrated ability to drive organizational change and align global teams, while delivering on strategic business integration, operational excellence, and project delivery. Success lies in leading transformational initiatives, ensuring seamless operations, and enhancing productivity across diverse cultures and industries.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Chief Operations Officer
Anglo American
01.2022 - Current
- Company Overview: Crop Nutrients (UK)
- Drive collaboration between the CEO and executive team to align operational objectives with business strategy, resulting in a change to project execution model (~1bn USD pa), option development of downstream opportunities for 13mtpa Polyhalite project and initiation of project syndication
- Championed a culture of continuous improvement, fostering collaboration between departments for optimal operational results.
- Increased profitability by optimizing sales and fulfilling lower overhead costs.
- Act as a Strategic advisor to the CEO, providing counsel on key decisions and initiatives to drive organizational goals and objectives
- Direct cross functional teams to successfully ramp up and then ramp down development based on the funding commitments of the board
- Oversee the development and implementation of streamlined governance, processes to reduce cost and improve productivity
- Lead the development and implementation of strategic initiatives aligned to external commitments and market development
Head of Project Integration
Anglo American
03.2019 - 01.2022
- Company Overview: Group Technical & Sustainability (Aus)
- Lead the global Project Management Office (PMO), overseeing project portfolios, governance, and delivery excellence for a portfolio of XX of investments
- Define and implement project management processes, standards, and best practices to ensure consistency and alignment across the organization
- Develop and maintain project management methodologies tailored to the unique requirements of the mining industry
- Provide strategic direction and leadership to project managers and teams across multiple locations, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement
- Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to track project progress, identify risks, and drive proactive decision-making
- Collaborate with stakeholders at all levels to define project objectives, scope, and success criteria, ensuring alignment with business goals
- Implement project governance frameworks to mitigate risks, ensure compliance, and enhance project delivery effectiveness
- Group Technical & Sustainability (Aus)
Board Director
Loreto College
01.2019 - 01.2022
- Promoted diversity and inclusion on the board, fostering a vibrant culture of innovation and ideasharing.
- Endorsed ethical business practices throughout all levels of the organization, fostering a culture of integrity and accountability.
- Enhanced company performance through strategic decision-making and active involvement in executive discussions.
Innovation & Transformation Program Manager
Origin
12.2012 - 10.2018
- Company Overview: Integrated Gas – Upstream Operations (Aus)
- Lead the redesign of the operating model of Upstream Operator for coal seam gas in Southeast Queensland - ~$300m CAPEX and OPEX recurring value
- Contribute to a study to zero base the operating model, establish a stretch ambition and enlist senior stakeholders to reach alignment
- Drive capability uplift in line with vision and strategy
- Implement all aspects of the operating model, operating system, underlying core processes and people elements
- Utilise, coach and embed agile and lean work practices through the design, implement and sustain phases of the program
- Lead cross functional teams through innovation process from problem definition, prototyping and scale up
- Deliver an actionable integrated change and communications strategy focussed on the employee experience
- Lead the programme implementation of improvement initiatives focused on people and business transformation - circa $320m OPEX recurring value
- Lead a direct and indirect team to deliver sustained value to improve business value and meet market commitments
- Build process improvement and change capability across the Operational business
- Change and leadership coaching to facilitate business transformation
- Internal consultant to support the full project lifecycle of multi-dimensional projects and the realisation of benefits and business outcomes
- Accountable for the development and implementation of implementation framework to support 24/7, multiple roster operational business
- Lead the delivery of process and operational improvement initiatives through a workforce with multiple rosters including a remote FIFO workforce
- Integrated Gas – Upstream Operations (Aus)
Director - Operations
Fieldworx
03.2009 - 12.2012
- Collaborated with executive leadership on strategic planning initiatives to drive business growth.
- Implemented data-driven decision-making processes, leveraging analytics to optimize operations
- Overall responsibility maximising the company’s profitability and efficiency
- Managed a program of wide-ranging projects and consulting with diverse industries (Federal, State and Local Government departments and agencies, Not-for-profit organisations, and corporate clients)
- Stakeholder engagement to manage complex internal and external stakeholders
- Responsible for business operations including human resources, business systems and processes, contracts, and procurement
- Lead bid, tendering and business development activities
- Develop and maintain knowledge of operational and strategic operating models
- Brand development and marketing
- Identifying, developing, and directing the implementation of business strategy
Manager, Group Strategy
Bank of Queensland
12.2006 - 03.2009
- Management of the strategic planning process and preparation of the Bank’s strategic plan
- Research, Development, Preparing papers on trends and issues in banking and their implication for, and impact upon, Bank of Queensland
- Development of acquisitive and defensive strategies that align with the Bank’s strategy, and leading recommendations on potential acquisitions opportunities to the bank MD and general Board
- Organisational impact assessment for potential transactions
- Business integration of acquisitions
- Introduction of a service company concept for the Bank’s franchise network
- Organisational efficiency program - mandated to identify over $50m in sustainable cost savings
- Commercialisation of the Owner Business model
- Developed a strong company culture focused on employee engagement, collaboration, and continuous learning opportunities
Education
Mergers & Acquisitions - In Progress
Imperial College of London
Leading Strategic Projects Programme - 2021
Oxford University
01.2021
Agile Bootcamp - 2018
Agile Coaching Institute
Boston, MA01.2018
Level 1 Organisational Coaching - 2018
IECL
01.2018
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt - 2016
Queensland University of Technology
01.2016
Prince 2 Foundation & Practitioner - 2009
Yellow House
01.2009
Change Skills - 2006
Australian Graduate School of Management
01.2006
Master of Business Administration - Major in Finance
University of Southern Queensland
01.2004
Skills
- Organizational leadership
- Operational excellence
- Profitability improvement
- Operations management
- Strategic planning
- Organizational development
- New business development
- Performance optimization
- Cost savings and reduction
- Business development
- Change management
- Acquisition integration
Otherpositions
Board Director, Loreto College, 01/19, 01/22
Timeline
Chief Operations Officer
Anglo American
01.2022 - Current
Head of Project Integration
Anglo American
03.2019 - 01.2022
Board Director
Loreto College
01.2019 - 01.2022
Innovation & Transformation Program Manager
Origin
12.2012 - 10.2018
Director - Operations
Fieldworx
03.2009 - 12.2012
Manager, Group Strategy
Bank of Queensland
12.2006 - 03.2009
Mergers & Acquisitions - In Progress
Imperial College of London
Leading Strategic Projects Programme - 2021
Oxford University
Agile Bootcamp - 2018
Agile Coaching Institute
Level 1 Organisational Coaching - 2018
IECL
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt - 2016
Queensland University of Technology
Prince 2 Foundation & Practitioner - 2009
Yellow House
Change Skills - 2006
Australian Graduate School of Management
Master of Business Administration - Major in Finance
University of Southern Queensland
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