Mentors in Brisbane

Vanessa Garrard

Founder & CEO

Simpli

Vanessa Garrard is a serial entrepreneur, mother to four young children and a leader in the consumer products industry.

She is currently the Founder & CEO of Simpli, a sourcing company focusing on eco-friendly products & packaging for small businesses & corporates. Vanessa is also the Chair
of Bravehearts.

She has founded 17 companies over the past 25+ years, 8 of which have grown to be multi-million dollar companies. Products designed by her teams can be found in over 5,000 retail stores covering
more than 30 product categories. In fact, 1 in 2 Australians’ owns a product that her companies have produced.

Vanessa’s passion for business and commercialising products has seen her ranked in Australia’s Top 30 Female Entrepreneurs list 5 years running and she was named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year for Industry, Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year, and more recently, Vanessa was named in the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence.

With over 25 years experience in building businesses across Australia, China, the UK, Europe and the US, Vanessa understands what it takes to build and grow a global business.

We acknowledge all First Peoples of this land and celebrate their enduring connections to Country, knowledge and stories. We pay our respects to Elders and Ancestors past present and emerging.

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12,812 MENTEES

800+ MENTORS

83.5M STEPS TOGETHER

Content Marketer at Mentor Walks, Tess’s professional life is shaped by a desire to drive gender equality and build an inclusive society. Her passion and experience saw her lead the social media arm of the Teach Us Consent campaign, pulling mandatory consent education for Australian students over the line in March 2022.

She is currently completing her Bachelor of Communications (Social and Political Science) at UTS and is most energised and inspired when surrounded with powerhouse women.