Deborah Melkie is an Associate Partner in the Board Practice at Omera Partners, based in Sydney. She specialises in chair and non-executive director search, and is known for her discretion, her instinct for identifying candidates others overlook, and the confidence senior leaders place in her throughout a process. We talked with Deborah about her role at Omera Partners, how she approaches a board search, and what greatness means to her.

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What is your role at Omera Partners and what brought you to executive search research?

“I am an Associate Partner in the Board Practice, where I focus on chair and non-executive director search across ASX-listed, private, superannuation, and not-for-profit organisations, both in Australia and internationally. The sectors I cover are broad, spanning financial services, infrastructure, energy and renewables, resources and mining, fast-moving consumer goods, retail, technology, health and biotechnology, and government, which keeps the work genuinely varied. I joined Omera Partners in 2012 and moved into the research side of the business relatively quickly. My background was in investor relations and corporate affairs at large ASX-listed companies, so I already had a working familiarity with boards and senior executives. That foundation translated naturally into search research, and it's an area I've stayed in ever since."

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What does the research process involve, and how do you support the partners and practices you work with?

"A typical assignment begins with a briefing with the client, market mapping, building a clear picture of the potential candidates across a sector or capability set, before moving into developing a long list, sourcing the right people, candidate outreach, and qualification. From there I brief the partner on progress, and we liaise directly with the client once we're ready to present our findings."

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What do candidates, clients and colleagues experience when they work with you?

“I would describe my approach as professional and discreet. Senior candidates and clients alike place a high value on confidentiality, and I take that seriously at every stage of a search. At board level in particular, people need to trust that a sensitive conversation will stay exactly that, and a great deal of my work depends on having earned that trust.”

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What do you most enjoy about working at Omera Partners, and what are you most proud of in your work?

“What I enjoy most is finding the people nobody else has identified. Board search at this level often means identifying candidates who are not on any obvious list, people with the right combination of experience and availability who genuinely fit a brief. When that comes together, it is genuinely rewarding. The close-knit nature of the research team at Omera Partners also matters a great deal to me, because the collective expertise we draw on strengthens the work we do."

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“Finding outstanding talent for our clients, is how I help bring to life the thought of where greatness is found.” 

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What does life look like outside the office?

"Away from work, I make time for Reformer Pilates and reading, and I love spending time with family and friends, as well as travelling."

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