2025 Nominations to the Board

The nominations are as follows:

Rhys Cormick

Partner, Tax and Legal
Deloitte

I am passionate about making Canberra the greatest place to do business.

I’m seeking re-election to the Canberra Business Chamber Board to continue shaping the Chamber’s direction to support, connect and advocate for our diverse business community, driving economic success across the ACT.

 

Professionally, I am a tax partner with Deloitte. Here I work with a wide range of business and government organisations in Canberra and nationally. This experience has given me a strong network and deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing business.

As chair of the Finance Audit and Risk Committee, I focus on ensuring the Chamber’s financial sustainability and managing financial risks for the Chamber itself. I am also actively involved in Chamber events and initiatives that foster collaboration and strengthen the voice of business in our region.

 

If re-elected, I will continue to champion a connected, confident business community and focus on delivering ongoing value and strong advocacy for Canberra’s great businesses.

Leanne Foresti

Operations Manager
Foresti Pty Limited

Leanne Foresti was raised in a hardworking blue-collar family, shaped by the values of integrity, compassion, courage, and justice. Her father’s 45 years in civil construction, has grounded her in a deep respect for the people and industries that build our communities.

 

Today, Leanne is a mother of four, wife to Luigi, and co-founder of a respected concrete remediation business servicing Canberra’s commercial construction sector. With firsthand experience leading a small business, she understands the realities of the skills shortages and red tape and late payments impacts business and the wider industry. 

 

Her lived experience gives her a strong appreciation for the resilience of small business owners and the critical role they play in sustaining local jobs and community wellbeing.

 

In 2024, Leanne extended her commitment to public service by running as a candidate in the ACT Election, driven by a desire to represent the voices of working families and small business owners. As long-time member of the Master Builders ACT, Leanne has been appointed as board member on the MBA ACT Training Board from October 2025. This experience, her advocacy and her new role on the MBA Training board have deepened her understanding of policy, governance, and the importance of collaboration between business and government.

 

Passionate about strengthening Canberra’s business ecosystem, Leanne advocates for practical reform and policies that support growth, innovation, and mental wellbeing across the sector.

 

She believes success in business should not come at the cost of family, health, or balance — and that good business thrives when people do.

 

With a collaborative mindset and a commitment to purpose-driven leadership, Leanne brings authenticity, empathy, and real-world experience to every table she sits at. She will be a valuable new board member of the Canberra Business Chamber.

 

Pierre Huetter

Director, Operations and Partnerships
Urban Intelligence Australia

I offer a unique blend of strategic leadership and deep local knowledge, which I believe makes me an exceptional candidate to continue serving on the Canberra Business Chamber Board. With over 25 years of professional experience spanning the public, community, and private sectors within the ACT, I have been a strong, proven advocate for a vibrant business ecosystem.

 

As the Chief Operating Officer and co-owner of Purdon, I successfully drove the company’s expansion from a planning business into a multi-disciplinary firm offering communication, development management, spatial analytics, and crucial economic advisory services. This hands-on experience provides me with a current and practical understanding of the operational challenges and growth opportunities facing Canberra’s enterprises today.

 

My deep public sector insight stems from high-impact roles, including Major Project Facilitation for the ACT Government’s Economic Development Directorate and serving as a senior Planning advisor to Chief Minister Andrew Barr MLA. This background combines policy-making, political advisory, and hands-on business operation—a perspective invaluable to the Chamber’s work.

I have also served the community as a Board Member of the ACT Long Service Leave Authority, the Canberra YMCA, and Karinya House for Mothers and Babies.

I possess a comprehensive understanding of local regulatory issues and maintain respected relationships across government and industry. If elected, I am committed to leveraging this political and professional expertise to champion local businesses, ensuring the Chamber actively fosters a supportive and efficient economic environment for all members in our growing city. I offer the commitment, experience, and vision required to deliver tangible value.

Debbie Marshall

Exemplar Global accredited Lead Auditor
Debbie Marshall Consulting

Debbie Marshall is an Exemplar Global accredited Lead Auditor. She provides services to support organisations seeking to attain global ISO standards certification in Quality, Information Security, Occupational Health and Safety as well as Environmental standards. Her office is located in Forrest, ACT.

 

Debbie has extensive experience in team leadership, quality-assured project management and rich stakeholder engagement in for-profit and for-purpose settings in Australia. Her industry experience comprises key advisory and management roles in Education, Health, Local Government, State Government and Infrastructure (Mining, Rail, Civil and Structural). Specifically, Debbie brings leadership expertise from client, consultant, contractor, principal contractor and Independent Reviewer roles on a range of significant projects across Australia. Her understanding of customer and stakeholder expectations, standards, as well as strategic and operational measures is rich and has proved a clear advantage to clients and partners.

 

Debbie has a strong interest in creating innovative opportunities that also allow regional and rural communities to thrive. Born in Parkes, NSW her passion for creating vibrant, strong, self-reliant communities underpins her approach to work and life.

 

In addition to her Auditing qualifications, Debbie holds qualifications in Public Relations, Anthropology and Community Engagement. She also holds a MBA, specialising in Strategic Project Management and Entrepreneurship.

 

Debbie is the Chair of Derek’s Place, a charity that supports children losing a parent to terminal illness, She has held Directorships for Meals on Wheels (Toowoomba, Qld) as well as Rotary Club of Canberra. Her interests include strategic partnerships, sustainability and growth. Debbie is a Microbusiness member of Canberra Business Chamber and a graduate member of Community Directors Institute of Australia.

Craig Sloan

Partner
KPMG

Overview

I am a Chartered Accountant and have been with KPMG since 1987. I currently lead the Canberra Consulting practice of the firm, specializing in the provision of services to both Federal and State/Territory government agencies. My extensive experience includes the provision of accounting, financial management, Defence capability costing, program management services and a broad range of government advisory services.

 

Relevant Board Experience

I have over 30 years serving on boards and committees, including Director of Canberra Business Council / Canberra Business Chamber from 1996 to 2021 (holding the position of Chair for 7 years). I was also awarded Life Membership of the Canberra Business Council.

 

Current Roles

Director and President of Hockey ACT Ltd


Relevant Former Roles

Chair of Canberra Institute of Technology
Chair of CIT Solutions Pty Limited
Chair of the Gallery of Australian Design Ltd
Chair of Construction, Energy and Infrastructure Limited
Chair of National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature Inc.
Chair of Regional Development Australia ACT
Director of TAFE Directors Australia Ltd
Director of AFFIRM: The Australian Foundation for Mental Health Research

This experience will ensure I bring strong financial management, governance and strategic planning and implementation skills to the Board.

 

The above roles and involvement over many years with the Chamber has given me substantial knowledge of the workings of the Chamber and the issues facing Canberra and the region. I look forward to the opportunity to continue to use this knowledge and my broad network in adding value to the Chamber and the business community through my election to the Board. I will take an active role in growing the membership base and establishing policy in collaboration with the ACT Government that will identify and deliver initiatives to drive economic growth in the ACT and region.

 

Having been born and lived in Canberra all my life, I am passionate about this city and region and what it has the potential to become.

John Teres

Chief Executive Officer
National Promotions Australia

Canberra has been home for nearly 40 years.

Like so many residents, I came here for work but then chose to stay.

My work history spans:
Military Service – RAAF Officer
Public Service – Marketing consultant
Non-Profit Sector – Consultant CEO to 2 Associations
Small Business – Marketing, Design, Merchandise, Events.
Start Ups – recipient of ACT (ICON) funding for a project
International Business – I have imported goods for the last 15 years and now have an “office” in Hong Kong at Cyberport.  

I have seen Canberra change over the years and see such potential for the future.
I have also seen the ACT move onto the regional and world stage as a destination in its own right. 

This particularly interests me, and I see the potential for business opportunities and non-profit connections. The Chamber is also doing more in the international space and this development is exciting.

I am now working in a global environment with my next project.

In the last 3 months I have been in Europe, USA and Asia and there is not only a sense of renewed confidence, but also opportunity. Canberra can capitalise on this. The growth and, more importantly, acceptance of virtual connections gives ACT businesses the ability to explore beyond regular borders. 

Canberra also has a vibrant and growing “Young Business” community that sees Canberra as a base, but not a restriction to develop, grow and prosper. This includes young diplomats that I am working with.

I believe that my breadth of experience and business connections is something that the Chamber and fellow members can draw on.

As there isn’t a video option (with the nomination ) this year, pls take a minute to hear my pitch on Linked In – watch it here.