Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, September 2025 – Koala®, the sustainable furniture innovator and B Corp certified company, has appointed Georgia Kelaher as its new Chief People Officer (CPO). In this role, she will lead the company’s people strategy, focusing on culture, talent development, and leadership growth to support Koala’s vision of transforming the way furniture is designed, built, and experienced globally.
Most recently, Georgia worked as a Fractional HR Leader, Consultant & Leadership Coach at The Curious Leadership, where she partnered with startups and scale-ups to navigate complexity, growth, and change. Alongside this, she coached executives and leaders to unlock potential and drive performance.
Previously, she took a career break of over one year to volunteer with Indigenous and refugee communities in Guatemala and Lebanon, where she supported education and community projects, taught English, and deepened her understanding of resilience, human connection, and purpose-driven leadership.
Before her volunteering journey, Georgia was Global Chief People Officer at Talent, a high-growth scale-up where she led HR strategy across the US, UK, and Australia for a workforce of more than 650 employees. She designed global talent, L&D, and DEIB strategies, introduced new engagement systems, and built leadership competency frameworks to enable business transformation and acquisitions.
Earlier, she served as Senior Director, People & Culture at Nearmap, a SaaS technology business, where she was promoted to lead regional HR strategy. She drove operating model transformation, introduced performance and succession frameworks, and led the shift from office-first to remote-first working. Her career also includes senior HR roles at Travelport, where she drove global restructuring during COVID and led international HR strategy, as well as leadership positions at Trimble Viewpoint and Bradken, where she developed organizational design, mobility programs, and workforce restructuring initiatives. Georgia began her HR career with early roles at Mastercard, PerformHR, and the University of Newcastle.
About Koala®
For over a decade, Koala® has been at the forefront of sustainable furniture design, creating products that blend beauty, flexibility, and durability while meeting real customer needs. With its Sydney-based Global R&D team, Koala innovates continuously to deliver world-class furniture experiences.
Sustainability lies at the heart of Koala’s operations. As a certified B Corp and proud member of 1% for the Planet, Koala has contributed over $3 million to WWF, supporting wildlife preservation and environmental protection. Every step—from design and supply chain to customer experience—is driven by a commitment to leaving a positive impact on communities and the planet. With bold ideas, empathy-driven leadership, and customer-centric innovation, Koala is shaping the future of furniture for generations to come.
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