Consultants

WENDY TAGLIABUE

Managing Director

Lead Trainer and Assessor: Management and Training and Assessing
Diploma of Business Management, Masters International Education, Post Grad Dip Bus. (Management), Grad Dip Education, Dip Assessment & Workplace Training, Dip Bus (International Trade) and Dip of Bus (Administration), Cert IV TAE

Wendy Tagliabue is the Managing Director of Innovative Business Training and has studied management styles at various local and international institutes, including Nijenrode University in the Netherlands and IBM in Europe.

In 1998, Wendy received a travelling scholarship from the Victorian government to lead a team researching management principles and equity and diversity styles in Malaysia and Singapore.

She has run her own business for 18 years as a trainer and consultant and has worked with SMEs, large corporations and government departments.

Wendy prides herself on her knowledge of culture and business practices in a vast range of countries across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

These countries include Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, New Zealand, India, China, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, France, Germany, England, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Czech Republic, Egypt, Turkey, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

In her spare time, Wendy enjoys being with her three children, and is the very proud grandmother of Henry James.

Wendy enjoys dining out with friends, going to the cinema and of course, travelling.

SHARON SIMPER

Lead Trainer and Assessor: Diploma of Business Administration
Diploma of Business Administration and Microsoft Office User Specialist Instructor, Bach Bus IT, Cert IV in TAA

Sharon is an experienced IT trainer with a broad and extensive knowledge of the Microsoft suite of products.

Sharon is a very popular among our clients due to her easy-going personality and down-to-earth approach.

She has been a valued staff member at IBT for over 10 years.

Sharon has been involved with course development, and course delivery in Australia, England and New Zealand.

Her other career highlights include being the Help Desk manager at NetConnect Communications, a training consultant at Lynx IT Training in London and a training consultant at Computerland in New Zealand.

At home, Sharon is the proud mum of Georgie and Lachlan. Along with her husband Mike, the family enjoy bike riding and trekking together in Australia and in New Zealand.

DAVID KAY

Lead Trainer and Assessor: Certificate IV in Training & Assessment
Consultant Bach Ed, Arts Degree and Grad Dip Ed

David Kay is the Director of David Kay Training and Development.

He has previously worked as a Vocational Education Advisor for European Union-funded ‘Education & Training HRD’ Program. David has also been a team leader of the AusAID-funded ‘PNG Occupational Skills and Standards’ project.

His work developing and delivering professional training has taken him to Chine, India, Malaysia and Indonesia.

David is currently consulting to the Samoan Government to assist in the implementation of a vocational training qualifications framework.
Other international ventures have seen David deliver conference papers at TVET conferences in Austria, Greece and Cuba.

In Australia, David has been involved in the development of industry competencies, national curriculum, national teaching assessment materials and facilitated professional development for public and private sector TVET staff. He also holds a postgraduate qualification in Education.

David has previously managed a registered training organisation that provided quality auditing services to training organisations.

He is also the author of workplace training books and is a member of the American Society for Training and Development, the Australian Institute of Training and Development and the Australian Society of Authors. 

MAX TOLSON

Trainer and Assessor: Diploma of Rural Business Management
Dip.App.Sci.Ag., MBA (Ag), Dip.Int.Trade, Dip.RBM (Env.) Cert IV in TAA

Max has had 35 years farm management experience in a broad range of roles both on his family farm and in the corporate agribusiness environment.

He believes that building knowledge and skills are essential for personal satisfaction and achievement- and is the key to successful farming.

Striving to make learning applicable to each individual person and their circumstances, Max’s goal is to keep his training programs simple and practical, while ensuring his students achieve results.

MAURA ANGLE

Media Specialist Trainer: Certificate IV in Training & Assessment
Bachelor of Arts, Politics and Administration

Maura Angle is a Walkley Award winning journalist and former chief-of-staff with ABC TV. She has more than 20 years under her belt in the media and has worked in newsrooms across Australia and overseas.

Her media knowledge and training skills mean she can help you quickly learn how the media operates, how to work with the media and how to develop and deliver your message.

Maura’s courses are practical, interactive and fun! They are all about giving you the best insight into the media world.

She can employ professional camera operators for more realistic role-playing and she also has her own gear for practice interviews and press conferences.

CHRISTINE SUMBUK

Trainer and Assessor: Diploma of Business Administration
MBA (Waikato – NZ), Bach. Econ (UPNG), Dip. FLM, Dip. of Business, Cert. IV in TAA

Christine is a workplace training specialist and human resource development professional, with over 16 years human resource development and training experience in Papua New Guinea.

She has substantial experience in developing and implementing capacity building plans; including training and needs analysis, HRD plan compilation and mentoring and coaching.

Christine has recently been involved in a number AusAID-funded PNG institutional strengthening and capacity-building projects.

Currently the coordinator for the Careers in Development Project in PNG, Christine is also involved in a frontline management program in the Republic of Nauru.

A popular trainer on staff, she has a knack for bringing out the best in an individual.

In Papua New Guinea, she is managing her own consulting business for the Government and private sector, as well as non-government organisations (NGOs).

Her sense of cultural awareness has allowed her to work with a broad range of people of diverse cultures and environments.

In her spare time, Christine enjoys spending time with her two children, husband Ken and granddaughter Kemoheena. She also enjoys gardening.

AXEL LEONHARDT

Lead Trainer and Assessor: Diploma of Management
Bachelor of Economics, Marketing & Adult Education & Graduate Diploma of Work-Pedagogical Knowledge & Skills, Industry & Handelskammer-Frankfurt, Germany; Diploma in Business (Frontline Management), RMIT Training-Melbourne, Australia; Diploma in Training & Assessment Systems, RMIT Training- Melbourne, Australia; Certificate in Practical Adult Training, J.W. Goethe University- Frankfurt, Germany; Certificate IV, Training & Assessment, RMIT Training- Melbourne, Australia.

Axel is an experienced practitioner who has accumulated his extensive professional experience in both Australia and Germany. Axel's work has seen him focus his skills on three industry areas- Education, HR-Management and Project Management.He is highly skilled and experienced in individual and organisational development, teaching, learning and assessment together with its application in industry and commerce. For 11 years, Axel ran his own consulting service, which saw him working with companies in a variety of industries on matters such as organisational development, strategic planning, needs analysis and facilitation and training. This work also took him on several assignments in the Pacific Rim and South-East Asia. He later joined RMIT University's private Training/HR consultancy, 'RMIT Training', and then became a consultant at the School of Engineering, working to promote better industry engagement approaches.

During the past 18 months, Axel worked as the program manager for the AusAid-sponsored project in Papua New Guinea. The $6 million project saw the small but experienced team working with 21 development agencies to overcome a ‘skills gap’ in the country.

The pilot program was deemed a success, with all objectives achieved under budget. Axel also assisted with the establishment of three new post-graduate degrees in partnership with two PNG universities. A keen motorcyclist, in his spare time Axel can be found touring the open roads or tinkering with his bike in the shed. He also enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing badminton and reading.

ERIC BUCHLER

Lead Trainer and Assessor: Training & Assessment
Bachelor of Education (Environmental Management), Diploma of Frontline Management, Diploma of Training and Assessment, Cert IV Training and Assessment, Cert IV in Business (Small Business Management)

Eric has worked for over 15 years in the VET sector within Victoria. He has held positions within TAFE institutes including Swinburne and Chisholm.

His diverse working experience has allowed him to work with a variety of client groups, including the private sector and government. His client list has included Coles Myer, the Victoria Police Force, The Department of Justice and Monash University.

Eric’s experience has allowed him to deliver training across a range of disciplines, including training and assessment, business planning, marketing and sales, e-business, quality management, occupational health and safety and customer service.

Eric has worked with both large and small organisations to help plan their progress and document key findings.

Eric’s central philosophy towards training and development is best summed up by a German proverb, “those that want to learn will always find a teacher.”
Away from work, Eric is keen on sports including tennis, softball and cricket. He also has an obsession with the Melbourne Football Club in its elusive quest for a premiership.

DON HARKINS

Trainer and Assessor: Diploma of Rural Business Management
Diploma of OHS. Grad Dip Education 25 years. Trained Trade Instructors Certificate. Automotive, Welding, Fitting and machining and Industrial Electronics Certificate (Industry Qualifications). Certificate IV in Training and Assessment

Known within the Work Safe industry as an OH&S training guru, Don has had many years of experience in safety and risk management.

Don boasts nine years experience within the industrial, automotive and welding trades. He worked in America for two years with agricultural manufacturer International Harvester, and was the Assistant Director of Rural and Trade, Sunraysia TAFE in 1989.

Don’s personal teaching style is very accommodating and he is known around the office as a ‘very nice fella.’

DELPHINE BARBER

Trainer and Assessor: Diploma of Rural Business Management
M.B.A. studied at EDHEC (Ecole Des Hautes Etudes Commerciales) - Majored in finances BACCALAUREATE S (equivalent to Year 12 or VCE) - majored in maths and science.

Delphine has lots of life and work experience in the industry, with an impressive resume including roles as Training Executive for the Hotel Windsor in Melbourne, HR Administrator at GE MONEY in France and HR Manager for a French hypermarket chain.

Delphine is a friendly trainer with extensive international experience.
One of her many talents is her excellent language skills in French and German. Another is her ability to making the most complex concept sound simple, making her a popular trainer.

Delphine shares her knowledge and skills in many volunteering situations including distribution of food to homeless people, coaching students in inter-school commercial presentation competition, teaching French to students in India and coaching long-term job seekers (role-playing job interviews in prison).

GEORGE HARITONIDIS

Lead Trainer and Assessor: Website design and HTML courses
Bachelor of Engineering (Software Systems Engineering) Hons

George is an experienced software engineer who works for a boutique web development and consultancy company, aCore Consulting Solutions.

He has helped both small and large companies in developing online solutions and assisted them in joining the online community.

George has 10 years of experience with designing and developing web pages and four years experience in server-side technologies and database management.
His teaching style involves describing course material in a non-technical, easy to understand manner, making him a popular staff member.