Our story

For Tom, there’s no problem that cannot be solved. A clear-headed strategist and commercial leader with a big heart and a fancy for Hawaiian shirts, Tom used his deep experience in finance and professional services as a launchpad for Provider Choice. Part of his fervent desire to find a new way to navigate the NDIS comes from personal drive: when his nephew became a participant in the scheme, Tom saw firsthand how difficult it is for families to find the right services, let alone understand their plan. So he teamed up with his mate Jono and made it the firm’s mission to build a solution for his nephew, and anyone else in the NDIS.

Jonathan grew up with a best friend, Marcus, who has autism. He was Marcus’ support worker while studying law. Little did he know that his lived experience with disability and a two-year role as a consultant – advising NDIS executives on the scheme’s rollout and technology – would give him the inside knowledge and hands-on enthusiasm to start the Provider Choice story with Tom. Marcus remains a close friend to this day, even though he tries to convince Jonathan that the only teas worth drinking are almond, coconut and piña colada. Jonathan prefers real piña coladas and says he’s a kite surfer, even though he’s only had one lesson and shown no aptitude for it. He is a nominee for a family member in the NDIS.

Rhys helped develop the Provider Choice app, which NDIS participant's use to understand and manage their plans, and the backend systems our teams use to support our participants. He is a firm believer in using technology to remove life's administrivia and give us back time to spend on doing whatever it is that brings us happiness. If he's not coding in his lazy boy he's in the surf or on the slopes.

Nadine is our strategic, yet hands-on people leader, who is focused on making Provider Choice the best place to work. With over ten years of experience in hiring, building, and motivating talented teams at venture-backed startups and other fast-growing companies, she loves bringing clever and caring humans together, unleashing their potential and helps us champion our mission of making the NDIS easier to navigate for everyone. She also loves being active outdoors (must be her Canadian roots), from hiking and cycling to snowboarding and wake surfing.

You'll instantly feel better when Jen picks up the phone. She is our go-to person in the world of NDIS funding and heads our plan management team with great empathy and organisational skill. Jen is a trained primary school teacher, but – lucky for the disability community – discovered she’s much more in her element outside the classroom. Caring and sensitive by nature, Jen is great at training our plan managers and invoicing teams to offer a warm-hearted, friendly and dedicated service, where every person whose plan we manage feels reassured and understood.

The NDIS can be a tricky road to navigate and that's where Shadia comes in to help make that journey as smooth and bump-free as possible. She's a curious creature who loves to learn more about people and what she can do to help create the best outcome. Coming from a health background, Shadia is pursuing her passion for helping individuals and their experiences in the health care system by deep diving into her Masters degree in Public Health. In her downtime, Shadia loves to crank up some beats and whip up a batch of freshly baked goods, with her Apple Pie being her most perfected recipe (it's all about the nailing the crust).

Lorien is all about making life easier for the participants she supports. She is an experienced plan manager, who made the jump into the disability industry several years ago. Lorien had spent many years working in retail banking and mortgage lending, roles that developed her passion for helping others and that she has now transferred to her career working in the NDIS. When she isn’t busy looking for solutions for her participants, she can be found cooking and mixing cocktails with David Bowie blaring in the background!

After many years in retail, Amanda decided it was time for a change. She jumped head first into a career as an NDIS Plan Manager and has since gained valuable experience working with people from all walks of life. With her good eye for detail and accuracy, Amanda really enjoys working in the accounts space to ensure invoices are processed and claimed correctly for all participants. Her in-depth knowledge of the NDIS means she is always able to work with providers to explain tricky details and requirements. The end result is what she's really all about - allowing participants to enjoy daily life to the fullest! When she is not working, Amanda loves listening to live music, staying fit and healthy and spending as much time as possible with her loved ones.

Bec came to Provider Choice with 8 years experience in the disability industry, and has worked closely with many participants and families to understand and use their NDIS plans. She's happy to talk NDIS for days, and if you're confused or frustrated not to worry! Give her some time and she'll find out everything you need to know. When she's not in our Perth office, she's being a proud dog Mum to her cavoodle Lily, working through her commerce degree, attempting to keep her indoor plants alive (why are Fiddle Leaf Figs so fiddly?!?), and inviting more friends than she has seats for to her dinner parties.

Christie has a strong professional history with the NDIS, having been at the forefront of the NDIS roll out in Queensland. She was in the sector when block funding was still at play. She even held the very first phone line at The Endeavour Foundation Head Office, answering NDIS questions before it went live in most of Australia. One thing was certain for Christie - this was a sector she loved. She worked as a Support Coordinator for many years before becoming a Plan Manager, which she finds as the perfect role for her to continue to help others pursue a fair, full and dignified life. She is an empathetic, relationship-oriented person and loves nothing more than seeing the participants she works with move from strength to strength. Outside of work, Christie loves to find herself in nature - this can look like a walk with her puppy, Luna or camping with friends and family. She also loves concerts and eating great food.

Steve is a dedicated personal Plan Manager, who is just one of our team working from Regional Australia. Prior to joining the disability sector, Steve had a long career helping people in financial hardship. He always seeks any opportunity to make a difference to people's lives and knows the key is to be present and listen. In his spare time Steve loves his sport, spending time with the growing family, and having a laugh. Although, he often cops grief over his lame Dad jokes.

Stephanie is passionate about supporting, empowering and making a positive impact in the lives of others. Through her 'lived experience' with loved ones on the NDIS, she understands each participant and their families journey is unique. As a strong advocate for those living this human experience; she feels that the compassion, empathy and kindness of others is incredibly powerful and can leave a lasting impression and can sometimes be life changing. Stephanie loves spending time surrounded by nature and loved ones. She values self-care for the physical body through rest, exercise and nutrition while keeping the mind healthy and balanced through love, music, meditation and quiet time. Stephanie is a dedicated personalised plan manager open, willing and ready to help on your journey.

Hayley has a natural instinct to help out. She cares about people, and when someone needs a hand, she’ll be there to support them. When she was 19, she volunteered for the children’s charity Barnardo’s and took on a ‘big sister’ role mentoring an 8-year-old girl. Fast forward in time and she’s still in touch with her ‘little sister’, who is now a 26-year-old strong and independent young woman. Hayley’s loyalty, energy and compassion make her a fabulous personal plan manager, and she works hard to show customers she has their back. She’s also a singer in a community jazz big band and a serial short-course completer to grow her personal collection of eclectic, but valuable life skills ranging from sewing and script writing to burlesque.

Steph is a dedicated personal Plan Manager currently studying psychology. Previous to joining us she was volunteering with Lifeline, which stoked her passion for helping people. According to Steph, the ears are the most underused muscle in the body and she will do everything she can to listen and understand your world from your perspective. Glitter is her favourite colour and she (literally) leaves a trail of it through the office! Outside of work you're most likely to find her upside down practicing handstands, pole dancing, sewing, singing, painting (galaxies are her favourite) or hanging out with her cat.

Faris joined the disability sector as he has a passion to help people. Previously, he has been a Local Area Coordinator and Support Coordinator helping families to navigate the NDIS and assisting them to connect to suitable supports. He has lived experience as a person with a disability and wants to help people live better lives. Faris has spent a lot of time working with youth and helping them to see the best in themselves. During his downtime, he enjoys time with his family, playing all sorts of sports and is a big foodie!!

Christy was born and raised in Texas (yee-haw!) and has a passion for helping people; as demonstrated by many years of caring for both disabled adults and children. She likes to think of herself as a better listener than talker. She is a firm believer in listening to understand, not listening to respond. Outside of work you’ll usually find her outside somewhere. On a hike, out cycling or even on a playground with children (both human and furry). When not enjoying the great outdoors you can find her binge watching her favourite shows or engaging in her most favourite activity of all: napping.

Brandon is an experienced and compassionate individual with a strong background in working with people living with disabilities. Previously, he has volunteered overseas in disability speciality orphanages, tutored students in finance through the Disability Services Unit at the University of Wollongong and has also worked on the COVID wards collecting blood samples. He is deeply passionate about helping others achieve their goals, listening to life stories and enjoys making people laugh. In his spare time, Brandon enjoys outdoor activities such as Surf Life Saving, playing netball and, as you can see from his bio pic, camping!

Lea grew up with both her parents working in the disability space in a beautiful community Hohepa, back in her hometown of Christchurch. In Hohepa she grew up alongside a very diverse group of people who allowed her to see and experience all the differences the human experience has to offer. Lea also learnt the value of simple actions that could change a person's attitude and set them on the right track to live a good life. Deeply empathetic with a strong love for all people, she brings these beautiful qualities with her to work each day where she strives to encourage and support participants to live their lives to their fullest potential. In her free time, she loves travelling, forest walks, beach adventure and taking photos as she explores. She also enjoys creating, macramé and jewellery.

As one of our dedicated Plan Managers, Nicola will expertly help you navigate your plan with care, passion and empathy. Nicola has a genuine heart for people from all walks of life and is always up for a chat. Previous to discovering her passion for the NDIS she was a building consultant working in residential home and land sales (just ask her about floorplans and real estate!). Nicola spends her free time with her family and many animals (3 cats, a deaf Old English Sheepdog and a bearded dragon named Goggles).

Buzzing with energy and optimism, Helen is our dynamic community contact for the state of Western Australia. At sunrise, you’ll often find her up and running around Perth’s beaches training for triathlons before switching into what she calls “turbo mode” to make life for NDIS participants less stressful. From attending disability expos to showing families how to go about getting the most out of their plan, Helen always gives 110% to the people she works with – big smiles included.

Sally is making sure every NDIS participant getting in touch with us is having a great experience. She’s overseeing our team of personal Plan Managers and their workflow to create small magic improvements – shorter email response times, for example, or easier invoicing. Sally has outstanding NDIS expertise, thanks to years of working as a nutritionist and client engagement specialist with an NDIS health provider. Needless to say, she loves taking care of people and things, including a private greenery of over 60 plants grown on her balcony and sunroom floor.

Emily loves discovering stories about how people from all over the world and with different abilities live their lives. As our enthusiastic social media coordinator, she digs out interesting research, videos and news titbits that show the beauty of being unique – regardless of your ability. Prior to working at Provider Choice, Emily completed a bachelor’s degree in communications at UTS with a major in social and digital media. She also used to help produce social media content for the Sydney Film Festival. One of her favourite things to do in her spare time is to try out different restaurants and cafes and share good food with everyone she knows.

Oliver is one of our fantastic Community Engagement Managers. He is an active advocate within the disability space, and as a participant on the NDIS himself, he brings a wealth of insight and experience to the role. He also brings a special warmth and a healthy dose of humour to the job - his side gig is as a stand up comedian, performing at shows big (think: Melbourne International Comedy Festival) and small.