Lorna Mancakas

People Partner.

CPHR
MCIPD
Lorna is an experienced People and Culture professional who helps leaders work through complex people challenges with clarity and care. With more than 25 years’ experience across Australia and the UK, she brings a practical approach to both strategic HR projects and day-to-day support. She has partnered with teams in transport, healthcare, hospitality, facilities management, financial services and insurance. Lorna builds trusted relationships quickly and enjoys finding solutions that work for the people doing the work as well as the organisations they’re part of.

Background

Lorna has held Senior People and Culture and HR partnering roles with Alstom Transport, Compass Group Australia, WA Health and Queensland Health, as well as organisations in the UK.

At Alstom Transport, she supported workforce mobilisation across two major alliance projects, helping leaders bring teams together, align people practices and navigate change. At Compass Group Australia, she partnered with senior leaders across a diverse, multi-site workforce spanning frontline, trades, technical and corporate roles.

Her healthcare experience includes supporting leaders through complex employee relations matters, workplace investigations, workforce planning and organisational change. Earlier in her career, Lorna worked across financial services and insurance in the UK, building experience in leadership development, performance frameworks, policy and employee wellbeing.

Lorna brings that breadth of experience to Zest’s People Partnering work. She can step into an existing team, get up to speed quickly and provide thoughtful, hands-on support when extra capacity or specialist HR experience is needed.

"No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted"

Aesop

Qualifications

  • Certified Practitioner, Australian Human Resources Institute (CPHR)
  • Chartered Member, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (MCIPD)
  • Postgraduate Degree in Human Resources Management
  • NVQ Level 4 in Management

Skills

  • Strategic HR and business partnering
  • Employee and industrial relations
  • Workplace investigations and complex case management
  • Organisational change and restructuring
  • Workforce and capability planning
  • Performance management and leader coaching
  • Organisational design and role clarity
  • Culture, engagement and employee experience
  • Talent acquisition and onboarding
  • Policy and HR process improvement
  • Absence, wellbeing and return-to-work support

Our team is a group of passionate, curious, and human-first thinkers dedicated to transforming workplaces and helping people and organisations thrive together.

Ready to rethink work?