Pam Stevenson
Head of Talent & People
With 12 years’ experience across Talent & People roles, I’ve had the opportunity to work with truly amazing teams at Google, Harrison.ai, and CommBank—helping them scale and thrive. My passion is simple: building incredible teams and fostering cultures that people love being part of. I’m also the founder of Sydney Talent Meetup, a vibrant community of 2,000 HR professionals, where 150 of us come together every quarter to share learnings and insights. Now, I’m thrilled to bring this energy and experience to OIF Ventures, where I’ll be helping our portfolio companies grow their own game-changing teams (and have a little fun while we’re at it!).
Lessons to live by
The biggest lesson? You can’t do it all yourself—delegate well, surround yourself with great people and trust them to shine. The right team makes all the difference. My favourite business principle: people buy from people. It’s not just about the product or service; it’s about trust and relationships. Whether you're building teams or selling solutions, it’s authentic human connections and your reputation (protect it well!) that matter most to drive success. And finally, perfection is a little overrated—progress and adaptability win every time... sometimes I still need this reminder!
on the lookout for
It’s really cliché to write AI for this question, but we must go there. More specifically, I think the game-changer is more about the intersection of AI and human connection. From healthcare to education to recruitment (and more!) – companies that figure out how to blend tech with the personal human touch (at scale) to give us extra superpowers will dominate.
lasting impact
I’d love my impact to be helping people realise their full potential—whether it’s building teams, careers, or just supporting someone in their journey. On a personal note, as a parent, I want to show my son the power of lifting others up. If I can inspire him and others to believe in themselves and achieve more than they thought possible, that’s a legacy I’d be proud of.
“Bounce-back ability” is essential for a successful founder. Beyond grit, curiosity is what drives innovation. Successful founders are always asking, “How can we make this better?” and stay obsessed with solving problems. And finally, emotional intelligence is the secret weapon. Knowing how to inspire teams, connect with customers, and manage relationships is the glue that holds it all together. Finally (can I say that twice?!) – add in a sense of humour too - if you can laugh through chaos, you’re already winning.
Pam Stevenson