meet our leadership team.

alison hernandez

managing director - APAC

Having begun her career in hospitality and quality management, Alison started working in the Human Resources sector in the mid-nineties, finding a natural place for her skills and strengths in the career transition (outplacement) industry. In 2004, Alison co-founded Sageco (now RiseSmart), then a niche consultancy in ageing workforce and mature-age transition. Having led Sageco for 13 years, achieving year-on-year growth and expanding the Sageco services to include career and executive transition, Alison was instrumental in Sageco being acquired by Randstad Australia in early 2017. She is now the National Director for Randstad RiseSmart in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

Alison is a proud mother of a teenage daughter for whom she is actively creating an equal future, one conversation at a time. Alison lives in the beautiful Northern rivers region of NSW where she role models flexible work as a senior leader, commuting to and from RiseSmart offices across Australia, NZ and SEA.

catriona byrne

creative director

Catriona leads the marketing, communication and product development for RiseSmart in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. She has deep smarts in internal and change communication, marketing on a shoestring and knowledge transfer. Relentlessly curious, often amused and committed to inclusion and respect, Catriona loves meeting and connecting with people.

stacey blanch

sales director

A committed, dedicated and highly effective business leader focussed on business strategy, operational management and sales execution; Stacey has strong commercialisation and communication skills gained from working in a wide range of business environments and cultures. She is an influential business partner who readily promotes and fosters teamwork in an integrative manner to improve organisational effectiveness and performance. With more than 10 years’ experience specifically in the Career Transition Industry, Stacey has assisted many Australian companies, including many ASX 200 companies, plan and manage major change projects due to merger/acquisition activity, restructures, operational efficiency projects, digital transformation projects, and reinvigoration of mature businesses