Jo Kinner
Founding partner
Jo has 32 years of experience as a business analyst, legal researcher, communications manager, marketing manager, brand agency owner, and reputation strategist.
Jo brings a strategic and analytical approach to solving clients' problems. She has worked in-house and as a consultant for global, national, and local companies based in Australia, Singapore, the US, and the UK.
The inspiration behind Reputation Sherpa came from observing how brand and reputation interact to influence business outcomes. Then Jo observed its role in attracting higher market values when a business was sold. Her enthusiasm for reputation and its role in business success has led to a decade of research and practice in the emerging field of proactive reputation management.
Over 15 years, Jo developed and tested new methods of building reputation proactively. She is passionate about helping business leaders increase their value and impact through reputation.
Sarah Smarrini
Employer Reputation and HR
As Reputation Sherpa's employer reputation and HR specialist, Sarah provides tailored strategic advice to business leaders on developing a high-performance culture, driving organisational change, attracting and retaining top talent, and being recognised as an employer of choice.
Sarah's career in HR and employer focused strategy spans 20 years and many industries.
She has held senior national HR management and consulting roles for Emirates Leisure Retail Australia, V/Line, Akzo Nobel, Monash Health and La Trobe University.
Sarah provides talent attraction and retention advice to both small business owners and large organisations in her own consultancy as well as being part of the Reputation Sherpa collective.
For Reputation Sherpa's clients, Sarah's strategic HR experience ensures alignment between a company's reputation goals and the internal culture that supports them.
Serena Darling
Brand Strategy
Serena is a brand and employer brand specialist with 23 years’ experience spanning private, public and not-for-profit sectors in Australia and the UK.
Her particular expertise is crafting brand strategy that’s aligned with business objectives and informed by research. Through brand perception research, brand strategy, positioning and narrative, and stakeholder communication, Serena helps clients build robust brands and grow their business.
From globally renown brands such as King’s College London and SPAR, to local success stories, Serena's experience is diverse. She provides strategic brand advice and solutions to SME and NFP clients in her own consultancy, as well as supporting Reputation Sherpa clients.
Serena creates compelling concepts and messages to help Reputation Sherpa clients build and protect their company and employer brand from the inside out.
Joe Perri
Public and Media Relations
Joe is a seasoned public relations professional with an extensive portfolio of past and present clients in Australia and internationally.
A masterful communicator and strategic thinker, Joe connects closely with clients to achieve editorial attention that goes far beyond traditional PR. For over two decades, Joe's PR and marketing strategies have helped organisations achieve their long-term reputation and marketing goals using the power of storytelling.
Some of Joe's past and present clients include: Commonwealth Bank, Malaysia Industrial Development Authority (MIDA), World Chinese Economic Forum, Skilled Engineering, IRESS, PIKOM / Outsourcing Malaysia, Australian Arab Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Million Dollar Round Table, Australian Medical Association, and many more.
As part of the Reputation Sherpa collective, Joe applies innovative PR that assists clients to gain recognition and protect their reputation.
Lucas Maher
Creative Execution
Lucas is an experienced graphic designer and a creative wizard. He has 20 years of experience in senior design roles, both in-house and as a consultant. He is also a skilled photographer.
Lucas brings a professional design edge to Reputation Sherpa's clients. His big-brand design experience is available to help companies of all sizes bring their reputation strategy to life.
Some of the brands Lucas has designed for over the years include ABC Radio, Adidas, Alfa Romeo, Audi, Banana Boat, BMW, Brisbane Airport Corporation, Brisbane City Council, Bupa, Commonwealth Bank, CUA, Eveready, Griffith University, Logan City Council, News Limited, Queensland Government, Queensland Rail, RACV, Ray White, Redland City Council, Rio Tinto, SunWater, Urban Utilities and Westfield.
As well as being part of the Sherpa collective, Lucas is Brand Experience and Creative Lead at Icon Group.
A word from some of the leaders we've helped recently . . .
"Working with Jo has been one of the most valuable strategic exercises we've undertaken. I feel more confident in our direction in Australia and globally"
"The reputation work with Jo has been profound for our business. Nothing we've done before in this area has had the same traction and impact. I'm thrilled with this work."
"Jo, you have absolutely jagged our positioning. It's telling me exactly what our customers are saying. I don't know how you pulled it out. It's perfect. Thank you."
A selection of the organisations Jo has helped over 30+ years
Build a reputation that takes you higher.
Earn trust, attract opportunity, and sustain growth.
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