Our People
We guide and empower small business to articulate and execute their goals.
Sara Pantaleo is a leader in the business community, a national award winner, and led multimillion-dollar businesses, while having Chair and Director roles of various other private and not-for-profit boards.
Sara was instrumental in developing a small 12-restaurant operation to becoming the largest Italian casual dining franchise in Australia with expansion to New Zealand. In her early career, she worked in IT Operations with mainframe systems. In 1996 she joined La Porchetta and took a major shift from the corporate environment into a small family business. She was appointed as CEO in 2005 and as a Director in 2010. She drove La Porchetta’s growth to become the largest, licensed, a-la-carte restaurant franchise in Australasia. She achieved this by empowering and developing her team to build corporate systems and processes that enabled the company to expand without compromising its core family values and culture.
With the right elements firmly in place, Sara went on to introduce key structural and service innovations that positioned La Porchetta for continued success.
Sara Pantaleo is an experienced executive with practical experience in both corporate and small businesses. She was a finalist in the Telstra Business Awards and holds a Master of Leadership qualification, specialising in diversity, equity and inclusion and has a drive for putting people first. She has led and built high-performing teams by developing their skills and empowering them. Her transformational leadership style fosters an inclusive people culture with a sense of belonging that leaves no one behind.
A former National Franchise Woman of the Year (2010), Sara is also a Telstra Businesswoman of the Year Victorian Finalist (2012).
So, when you book a mentoring program with Sara Pantaleo, she will individually tailor the sessions to the needs of each small business leader to enable you to reach your full potential and achieve business success.
Sara also holds roles of Director and Non-Executive Director on boards.
Her current roles are:
Moira Kelly Creating Hope Foundation, Executive Director
Global Gardens of Peace, Chair of Finance and Risk
Family Business Association, Deputy Chair
Link Community and Transport, Non-Executive Director
Women on Boards (WOB) Cultural Diversity Committee, Chair
Sara was also a Non-Executive Director on the Franchise Council of Australia board for nine years
