Meet the Team

We have a dedicated central office team, who are there to support our franchisees from the initial set up and ongoing running of their business. The HR Dept is a family business at heart and our support team have been chosen for their specific areas of expertise, including business development, operational, legal, finance and marketing.

Pia was the first franchisee in Australia for the HR Dept and a minority shareholder in HR Dept Australia. Pia has been running her HR Dept business in Perth WA since March 2017 and was also the HR Professional Lead until April 2019. From December 2017 to September 2018 she was also the Franchise Development Manager for the Franchisor.  Pia became a Director to HR Dept Australia and a Board Member in March 2018 and in October 2020 Pia took over as the co-owner with Darren Brandli of the HR Dept Australia. Pia has over 25 years’ HR experience in the areas of HR, IR Management and Consulting in both Australia and the UK. She holds a Bachelor of Business degree with a double major in Human Resources & Management from Edith Cowan University. Pia has worked at a senior management level gaining a wealth of knowledge and experience in recruitment, employee relations, performance management, change management, acquisitions and mergers, HR policy and procedure writing. Pia is a CAHRI member of AHRI and a committee member for WA for Women in Franchising (WIF).

Darren has been a Director to HR Dept Australia and board member since March 2018. In October 2020 Darren became the co-owner of the HR Dept Australia. Darren brings with him a wealth of experience in continuous improvement via Lean and 6 Sigma certification, corporate reporting and regulatory governance. He has worked for a global mining company for the past 11 years and is responsible for the engagement of multiple internal and external stakeholder groups to ensure a high standard of business practices are delivered. His expertise in developing and maintaining quality assurance/quality control systems is coupled with a Cert IV in Training and Assessment to ensure workplace knowledge is specific to the business needs and up to date. Darren has chaired multiple internal steering committees and acts as the company liaison officer to the Department of Health to ensure license requirements are met. Prior to his current role Darren worked in the television industry in both Australia and the UK and holds a diploma in Sound Engineering.

Clayton has been in the Franchising industry since 1995 where he ran an Australian chain of 60 retail outlets across Canada. After moving back to Australia in 2012, he first became involved with MBE with the acquisition of the Perth CBD Centre in St George’s Terrace and becoming a franchisee.  After quick success he became a partner in MBE Australia and subsequently moved into the role of CEO overseeing more than 40 locations across Australia in 2014. Over the course of his working career, Clayton has owned and run a successful HR/Recruitment Agency which he also took back to Canada in 2007.  Recently completing his CFE (Certified Franchise Executive) degree, this now brings a world of opportunities for not only himself, but all franchise groups he works with. Clayton enjoys business networking and is also a member on the committee for the Franchise Council of Australia (FCA). A proud father and husband, Clayton enjoys travelling, camping, fishing and recreational flying. Clayton brings a huge amount of business and franchise experience with a focus on people, process and product while always following his mantra of the 5 P’s – Proper Planning Permits Peak Performance.

Appointed as a Director of the HR Dept Australia on 1 November 2018 and he resigned his position in February 2020. Rob is now providing external consulting advice to the Directors. Rob recently retired after twenty years of service as an Executive Director, Group Company Secretary and Financial Officer from a privately owned mining, property and financial investments group in Western Australia with broad interests in Australia and U.S.A. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and New Zealand Rob brings financial and local compliance oversight as well as business operating experience to the operations.