Melbourne, Australia, May 2026 – Coles Group has appointed Lainie Cassidy as Head of Business Partnering, People & Culture.
Lainie Cassidy joins the organization after an accomplished 12-year tenure at KPMG Australia, where she led several high-impact people, culture, wellbeing, inclusion, and leadership initiatives. Her appointment strengthens Coles Group’s people leadership capability as the retailer continues to focus on employee experience, workforce wellbeing, leadership effectiveness, and organizational culture across its extensive national operations.
Commenting on her transition, Lainie Cassidy reflected on her rewarding journey at KPMG Australia, expressing gratitude for the opportunities, leadership experiences, and colleagues she worked alongside during her tenure.
Before joining Coles Group, Lainie Cassidy spent more than 12 years with KPMG Australia in several senior people and culture leadership roles. Most recently, she served as Director – People & Culture, where she led strategic people initiatives focused on leadership development, organizational culture, employee engagement, and workforce transformation.
Prior to that, she held the role of Head of People Operations | Director Mental Health, Safety, Inclusion & Culture, leading initiatives across psychosocial safety, workplace wellbeing, inclusion, leadership capability, and employee experience. She also served as Associate Director – People, Performance, Safety and Culture Operations and Senior Manager – Wellbeing, Health, Safety & Culture, building extensive expertise in organizational culture, people operations, performance, and workplace wellbeing.
Alongside her corporate leadership journey, Lainie has also contributed significantly to broader workplace wellbeing and leadership ecosystems. She currently serves as a Board Member at the Psychosocial Safety and Leadership Institute and at Heart On My Sleeve, supporting initiatives focused on mental health, leadership, and workplace wellbeing.
She additionally served as Implementation Leader for the Champions of Change Coalition and as Board Delegate for the Corporate Mental Health Alliance Australia (CMHAA), contributing to organizational transformation, inclusion, mental health, and employee engagement initiatives across Australian workplaces.
Earlier in her career, Lainie Cassidy spent more than seven years with Toyota Australia in health, safety, wellbeing, and employee relations leadership roles, including National Health, Safety and Wellbeing Manager and Health, Safety & Employee Relations Specialist. She also held positions with Sims Metal and Amcor, developing deep expertise across workplace safety, risk management, employee relations, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness.
Coles Group is one of Australia’s leading retailers, operating more than 1,800 retail outlets nationwide and employing over 115,000 team members across retail, manufacturing, distribution, corporate, and fulfillment operations.
The company serves millions of customers weekly through its physical stores and digital platforms while focusing on its purpose of helping Australians eat and live better every day. Coles Group continues to invest in sustainability, workforce inclusion, employee experience, and operational excellence as part of its long-term growth strategy.
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