Today, Kelli lives in Broome with her husband and two young children, raising her family with the same values she grew up with: community, connection and the courage to keep striving for their dreams.
As Managing Director of Source Business Partners (SBP), she leads a team dedicated to empowering Local Government Authority finance teams right across WA, from remote regional Shires to large metropolitan cities.
“What we do at SBP is about more than numbers. It’s about people. It’s about capability. It’s about helping teams feel confident, supported and able to make decisions that strengthen their communities.”
Whether mentoring officers, filling resourcing gaps, improving processes or providing expert advisory support, SBP works in a way that reflects Kelli’s own philosophy: warm, respectful, empowering and deeply committed to long term outcomes.
“I love the diversity of the work, the incredible people we meet, and the impact we get to make, and I get to do it with the best team beside me.”
With professional qualifications (CAANZ) and a commitment to continual learning and growth, Kelli is recognised for her strengths in capability building and mentoring, financial leadership, navigating complexity with calm and clarity and building trust across all levels of an organisation. Her lived experience, from elite sport to remote leadership to business, financial and strategic advisory roles, has shaped her into the kind of leader who blends expertise with empathy and structure with heart.
“Mentoring matters to me because I know how tough it can be in local government. When you build confidence and capability in a finance team, you are strengthening the whole organisation and the community behind it.”
Local government remains Kelli’s passion because it is where community impact is most visible, immediate and meaningful.
“Local government touches every part of a community’s daily life. When we help finance teams thrive, we are helping communities thrive.”
SBP’s mission and values, empowerment, integrity, wellbeing and continual improvement, strongly reflect her own leadership style.
“And we have fun doing it. That is the SBP way.”
Drawing on her leadership journey across remote islands, regional WA, elite sport and state wide consulting, Kelli offers this advice for women in regional and remote leadership. Back yourself, even before you feel ready. Confidence grows with action. Anchor yourself in your values because they will guide you through uncertainty. Seek out mentors and be one for others because growth accelerates when shared. Invest in your skills because capability is empowering, especially in isolated roles. Stay connected to community because it gives purpose to the work.
To those entering the finance or consulting field, her message is simple. Be curious, stay grounded and remember the people behind the numbers. Relationships matter more than anything.
Her guiding philosophy is to empower others, act with integrity and leave every person, team and community better than she found them.