Profile
Athena Chintis, director of people and culture at Cliftons, believes HR is pivotal to organisational success. With a career spanning diverse industries, including banking, property, professional services and FMCG, she has established herself as a trusted partner to business leaders, leveraging her HR expertise to navigate complex challenges and drive meaningful change.
At Cliftons, a global event solutions company, Chintis has spearheaded initiatives that are reshaping how people experience work. She has led the development of a contemporary remuneration framework to strengthen transparency and fairness, alongside the revamp of the company’s EVP introducing lifestyle benefits and implementing an “All Roles Flex” policy to enhance work-life balance.
She has also prioritised building leadership capability, equipping managers to lead performance, engagement and people decisions with confidence and consistency. Her leadership has contributed to Cliftons being named on the 2023, 2024 and 2025 Australian Financial Review BOSS Best Places to Work list.
An advocate for gender equality, Chintis’s prior accomplishments include co-establishing a Diversity Council at Citigroup, earning the organisation Employer of Choice for Women status for three consecutive years.
Motivated by curiosity and a growth mindset, Chintis thrives on connecting ideas, experimenting with solutions, and shaping the future of HR. As the NSW State President for AHRI and a member of its State Council, she is dedicated to advancing the HR profession and creating workplaces where people and businesses thrive.
Level 13, 60 Margaret St., Sydney, NSW 2000
02 9250 0999
gil.sewell@ember.org.nz
linkedin.com/in/athenachintis
cliftons.com
Athena Chintis
Director, People and Culture
Cliftons Event Solutions
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Bio
Milestones
Profile
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Bio
Milestones
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Special Report
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Bio
Milestones
1994–1998
1998–2008
2008–2015
2015–2018
2019–Present
Kickstarted her HR career within the banking sector at Advance Bank and Commonwealth Bank of Australia
1994–1998
1998–2006: VP, Senior HR Business Partner/HR Manager - ANZ at Salomon Smith Barney (part of Citigroup)
2006–2008: VP, Head of Resourcing - ANZ at Citi Markets & Banking (part of Citigroup)
1998–2008
Head of Human Resources at Property Council of Australia
2008–2015
Contracting with various organisations in the financial services, FMCG, consulting and professional sport industries
2015: Elected to AHRI NSW State Council and became Secretary
2015–2018
2019–Present: Group Head of People and Culture, and then promoted to Director, People and Culture at Cliftons
March 2020–Present: Elected to NSW State President, AHRI
2023, 2024 and 2025: Cliftons was recognised as one of the Australian Financial Review BOSS’ Best Places to Work
2024 and 2025: Recognised on HRD’s Hot List
2019–Present
Milestones
Milestones
Sept 2021
Feb 2022
Apr 2022
Jul 2022
Aug
2022
Suncorp Bank introduces Solar Home Bonus offer for customers who are choosing renewable energy for their homes
Sept 2021
Month-on-month market share growth commences
Feb 2022
Suncorp Bank wins the Canstar award for most outstanding value in investment loans
Apr 2022
Suncorp Bank wins Money Magazine’s Bank of the Year and Business Bank of the Year awards for the fifth year in a row
Jul 2022
Suncorp Bank’s turnaround times are the lowest they have ever been. The lender becomes Australia’s first certified carbon neutral bank for both its operation and transaction services
Aug 2022
Milestones
As a founding member of WOW! (Women. Opportunity. Winning.), an employee resource group created for all women of Ryan Specialty, Phillips Topping has long championed for women in the industry.
“It’s very important to set an example and to not only inspire but mentor other females,” she adds.
In addition to her sharp marketing eye, the key to Phillips Topping’s success lies in her high-energy approach and positive attitude.
“As the leader of a team, it’s important to motivate and encourage your team members. People work very hard and do their best and it’s important to recognize these efforts. For my career overall, my attitude has been one of curiosity. The more you can learn, the better you’ll understand the business, and then the deeper your knowledge will become, making you a better team member.”
Chief underwriting officer of executive risk at Chubb
President of financial insurance solutions at Kemper
Chief underwriting officer at Axis Capital
CEO of global Insurance at Endurance
CEO of global Insurance at Sompo International
Empathy underpins that discipline. Prickett has struggled in the industry. She has felt what it is like when promised support does not materialize. Having worked across almost every function in the company, she understands operational detail and the pressure agents face. That shared experience shapes her leadership.
Structural barriers also shaped her path. As a woman and a mother, she encountered the assumption that serious business building required keeping priorities “out of order for a time.” She also experienced the double standard that frames firm women as difficult while praising similar behaviour in men.
“If you have a choice between being liked and doing the right thing, doing the right thing is always better, even if it’s the unpopular thing,” Prickett says.
She wants to dismantle the expectation that women must choose between career and family, or between strength and kindness. In her view, leadership demands both conviction and care.
Being named an Elite Woman carries weight. Prickett did not have female role models in the industry when she started. She hopes visibility changes that. “I hope I can be an example. Not of perfection, but of persistence. Of building from your values and staying true to who you are.”
The legacy Prickett is still defining centres on proof – proof that a large, profitable company can grow without sacrificing integrity; proof that agents can build real assets while keeping their priorities intact; and proof that leadership does not require abandoning who you are to succeed.
“If you have a choice between being liked and doing the right thing, doing the right thing is always better, even if it’s the unpopular thing”
Lee-Ann Prickett,
Experior Financial Group
“What I’ve learned is that when you build from your values, when you put people first, when you do the right thing even when it’s hard, that becomes your plan”
Lee-Ann Prickett,
Experior Financial Group
“I’ve always believed that if you love what you do, you’ll never settle, and that attitude has guided every decision I’ve made”
Danny Ibrahim,
KeyRate Mortgage
“My strongest professional quality is my ability to build trust and long-term relationships, whether with clients, colleagues, or stakeholders”
Danny Ibrahim,
KeyRate Mortgage
“My strongest professional quality is my ability to build trust and long-term relationships, whether with clients, colleagues, or stakeholders”
Danny Ibrahim,
KeyRate Mortgage
“I’ve always believed that if you love what you do, you’ll never settle, and that attitude has guided every decision I’ve made”
Danny Ibrahim,
KeyRate Mortgage