“One of the original Executive Roundtable groups ER03 featuring John Tyquin Managing Director of GOA Billboards (third from right) who remains a member of Amanda’s TEC Group, and Brian Cole founder Executive Roundtable on the right. Photo taken 2002.”
Spark Consultants Pty Ltd was started by Amanda Cole in 1998 as one of Brisbane’s first independent commercial design and project management practices. Launching out of a role as Senior Designer for Project Services in the Queensland State Government, Amanda built relationships with a number of key businesses in Brisbane designing office fitouts for companies such as Urbis and Me Bank and refurbishment projects for resorts such as Hamilton Island, Noosa Springs Country Club, Royal Queensland Golf Club and Royal Sydney Gold Club.
“I’ve been privileged to work with some amazing people and see the impact of the changes they have made. Helping people be their best and achieve their dreams is why I do what I do.”
Amanda Cole
Amanda won the Qld Young Business Woman’s Telstra Award in 2000, and the Centenary Medal for service to business and joined peer mentoring business Executive Roundtable (ER). In the process she met the founder of ER, Brian Cole, and they married and had 2 children: Ellie & Ben, to join the four children Brian had with his late wife. Spark was put on hold, while the children were young and Amanda worked in ER launching a women’s networking group ERplus, employing a GM and building the team.
Brian was diagnosed with a brain tumour and died two years later in 2006 when Ellie was 2 and Ben 6 months old. Amanda negotiated the sale of ER to The Executive Connection (TEC) in 2006 and launched her own business-owner focussed TEC group in the same year. Amanda became the youngest TEC Chair in Australia and the first female Chairman out of a national cohort of 70 Chairs.
Amanda also relaunched Spark Consultants in 2006 as a consulting business working with private and family businesses facilitating strategy and leadership development. In that time Amanda has grown a portfolio of relationships with substantial Brisbane private businesses. Along the way she has won awards for Chairing from TEC placing her in the top 10% of Chairmen nationally.