Our team

 

We all share a thirst for the new–new scenarios and the chance to chew each one over, think it through and come up with a good solution. We don’t take comfort in off-the-shelf. We really enjoy getting to know an organisation and working with you to create the impact you’re after.

 
 
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Louisa Coppel

Founder/director

Louisa founded The Big Picture in 2006. A word nerd and stickler for quality she’s passionate about working on the things that make a difference–in people, in organisations and in the wider community.  

Her work focusses on drawing clarity out of confusion and helping her clients make decisions about what really matters.   

Louisa designs and delivers participatory workshops and focus groups as well as larger events and conferences and has facilitated strategic and business planning sessions for many boards and management teams. 

An accredited facilitator of the Team Management System™ Louisa also works as a coach and mentor and develops and delivers training programs for clients. 

Prior to establishing The Big Picture Louisa worked in government, the arts and with other not-for-profit organisations.

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Helen McDonald

Senior Associate

Helen’s awakening to the world of communication and persuasion began as a teenager handing out free stickers for her beekeeper parents that said ‘Eat more honey’. It was a simple hook, and it got her thinking about language and what works to change people’s behaviour.

With a 25-year career spanning the arts, government and private sector, Helen still loves communications.

Her extensive work with four Victorian Government departments encompassed strategy writing and execution, media relations, issues management, speech writing, publication and video production, stakeholder engagement and internal communications. 

With The Big Picture Helen has worked on projects with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, Parks Victoria, RSPCA Victoria, VicHealth and Our Watch.

Helen has particular depth in internal communications and understands the best contemporary methods to inform, engage and inspire staff.

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Jamie Nicolai

business manager

Jamie has been involved in the arts for most of his life as an award-winning Producer, Location Manager, Assistant Director and Actor in film and theatre, and has made three documentary films about our closest neighbour Indonesia.

He is the designer of two published board games in the United States based on television properties, The Amazing Race and Grey’s Anatomy.

In the media company he ran for 12 years with Charlie Hill-Smith, The House of Red Monkey, Jamie managed the back end of the business and was producer for all projects.

Running a team, organizing and managing major projects, developing systems and creating a space for individuals to do their best work are the skills Jamie brings to The Big Picture Strategic Services as Business Manager.

 

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Kylie Miller

Senior Associate

Kylie is a communications specialist with more than 20 years of experience as a journalist, writer, columnist, sub-editor and editor for newspapers such as The Age, The Herald Sun, The Newcastle Herald and The Bangkok Post.

She won the prestigious NSW Young Journalist of the Year award in 1994, completed a month-long placement at The Straits Times in Singapore, profiled Midnight Oil singer-turned-politician Peter Garrett for a book on leading Australians, and worked as a consultant on award-winning feature film Look Both Ways.

Kylie also writes children's picture books, including Heroes of Black Summer (Australian Geographic, 2021) and Albert, The Greyhound Who Loves to Run (Laneway Press, 2022).