About KONA

Unlike many CEOs, Garret is extremely hands-on as KONA’s chief Sales Training, Call Centre Training, DISC, Strategic Planning and Negotiation Skills expert. He has run several successful businesses, led sales and marketing teams globally and regularly consults to some of the world’s leading brands, including multi-billion-dollar multinationals. A practitioner who speaks from the heart and his experience at the coalface, Garret is a straight shooter whose lessons are real, raw, immediately actionable and transformative. He is commonly referred to as a ‘business engineer’ due to his outstanding track record of transforming the bottom line and culture of the organisations he supports.

Glenn is the man behind the KONA name, inspired by the infamous KONA Ironman Challenge in Hawaii, which he has conquered along with many other global endurance events. He brings the tenacity and resilience he has learned from the sporting arena and in business – having started, grown and sold several highly successful companies – into his role as KONA’s Senior Mentor. In this role, Glenn supports individuals, teams and leaders to achieve goals they never thought were possible. He is also an engaging and inspiring conference and keynote speaker.

 With over 25 years of experience in the gaming and consumer goods industries, Shaun is recognized as a strategic leader adept at driving commercial success and organizational growth. His career has been marked by a commitment to developing robust commercial strategies, executing them effectively across global markets, and developing and mentoring high performance Sales and Marketing teams. 

Driven by a passion for innovation and excellence, Shaun continues to leverage his extensive experience to shape impactful commercial strategies, foster growth in dynamic industries, and mentor, coach and train teams. His dedication to aligning the organisation’s objectives with customer-centric outcomes remains at the core of his professional ethos.

Mia McLeod is a seasoned digital sales and business leader who has forged a distinguished 20-year career at globally recognised media and entertainment powerhouses, including Walt Disney, Sony Music, and Universal Music. Specialising in digital business transformation, Mia excels in design-led digital marketing, growth strategies, social media, e-commerce, and data-driven decision-making.

In her roles heading up digital and sales teams at Sony Music and Universal Music, Mia cultivated pivotal relationships with industry leaders like Apple, Spotify, Telstra, Vodafone, and Optus, driving notable revenue growth. Mia is recognised as a music industry leader in digital licensing deals, through her strategic insights and growth success. With a passion for launching businesses and cultivating high-performing teams, Mia is a proven industry disruptor. Beyond her digital, sales and marketing expertise, Mia is also a business coach and accredited mediator. Mia offers a unique blend of creativity, strategic insight, and sales expertise which allows her to redefine success for brands and businesses. Mia helps businesses implement transformative solutions and elevate success.

Damien has extensive experience working with managers and teams wanting to improve team performance. As a specialist facilitator he has many years’ experience developing and delivering group facilitation exercises.

Damien prides himself on combining an energising style with a structured process to inspire better outcomes specific to each team’s needs.

As a certified facilitator, Damien holds a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE40116).

With over 20 years of sales experience in some of the most competitive industries, Kristin brings a unique blend of expertise, authenticity, and heart to our team. From capturing an impressive 55% market share in his first sales role to closing multimillion-dollar deals in the NZ marketplace, Kristin has consistently demonstrated his ability to drive results. Kristin’s no-nonsense approach is all about helping business owners and sales teams break away from the stereotypical ‘salesperson’ persona. He focuses on empowering them to sell their value authentically, fostering genuine connections with clients. By leveraging a well-structured sales process, Kristin ensures that each interaction is not only effective but also meaningful.

Sienna is an accomplished and customer-focused administration professional with extensive experience in delivering exceptional service. With a keen eye for detail and strong organisational skills, she excels at streamlining processes and enhancing operational efficiency. Sienna’s ability to build rapport with clients and understand their unique needs sets her apart, ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction. Her expertise spans a range of administrative tasks, including calendar management, travel coordination, and document preparation. Throughout her career, Sienna has consistently demonstrated her dedication to providing outstanding support and fostering positive relationships. With her strong work ethic and passion for customer service, Sienna is an invaluable asset to The KONA Group and wider HBB AUS Team.

Afra supports clients by diving into her unique multi-industry experience in lean innovation, design thinking, sales and marketing and overlaying it with every client’s needs. She is passionate about unlocking innovative, sustainable approaches for organisations to champion new and more effective ways of thinking and working. 

Tim firmly believes that ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’ and must be the number one driver for organisational excellence. His extensive experience on Boards, leading teams and businesses, combined with his academic qualifications in Law and Psychology, has given him powerful insights into human behaviour and its relationship to individual and collective performance.

Jan is an experienced HR specialist with a broad business background in senior and executive management roles across various industries. She deploys practical leadership strategies, effective change management instruction and critical operational knowledge that positively impacts people, performance and culture.

Sarah’s extensive media and communications background, infectious enthusiasm, and strong work ethic make her an incredible asset to our team and clients. Her core areas of expertise include customer, employee and stakeholder engagement, brand storytelling, journalism and digital content creation.