Our People
Adrian Ryan, Company Director
The linen and manchester trade has run in Adrian’s veins from as early as the late seventies when, as a youngster, he worked during school holidays in his parents’ manchester store in Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs.
That retail store was the forerunner to Lorraine Lea Linen Pty Ltd, now the largest linen and manchester party plan company in Australia and New Zealand, which his parents started in 1985.
Before entering the family business in 1994 as General Manager, Adrian enjoyed a successful career on the creative side of advertising that saw him work in high profile agencies in both Australia and the UK. His creative skills have been instrumental in the development of Lorraine Lea’s strong branding, corporate and promotional material.
Now as Company Director, Adrian is actively involved in all aspects of the business, fulfilling a mentor role to the executive leadership team and particularly enjoying time with the Managers and Consultants in the sales force.
Adrian also holds a position on the board of the Direct Selling Association of Australia where he is actively involved in representing member companies in industry policy-making, marketing and education, and promoting the benefits of the industry to the broader community.
Neil Kruse, Chief Executive Officer
Neil joined Lorraine Lea Linen in 1999 as General Manager and now holds the position of CEO. His experience in direct selling spans over three decades, having spent 13 years in senior roles within two different multi-national party plan companies prior to joining Lorraine Lea Linen.
Neil attained a Bachelor of Business from the RMIT University in 1984 and currently holds CPA status with the Australian Society of CPAs. Neil continues to focus on continuous improvement in the business to better the experience of everyone connected with Lorraine Lea Linen.
Debbie Robertson, Sales Director
Deb has been involved in the party plan industry for over 35 years and started in sales at the age of 6, growing up in her family's mixed business. When not yet out of her teens, she started doing party plan.
Deb moved to country Victoria early in her married life and went back to party plan after her first son was born, to meet new people and to help her young family's income. Her husband, Mark, was with a bank, and they frequently moved from town to town with Deb taking her party plan business with her each time. By the time her third child was born, Deb had discovered Lorraine Lea Linen.
When she started her Lorraine Lea business in Geelong, there were less than 60 Consultants in the entire company! She's witnessed the company growing from a backyard business to a multi-million dollar international operation. There have been many changes, but one thing that has never changed, according to Deb, is it is still so much fun and the people are what makes it so great.
Ian Evans, Marketing Director
When looking for a school holiday job at the end of Year 11, Ian saw party plan as a rewarding and time-effective way to earn money. That was over 30 years ago and the start to an amazing career in direct selling.
‘Moonlighting’ and holding parties of an evening whilst a schoolboy by day, Ian completed Year 12, deferred university and set his goals to progress through the sale force (Manager/Director) ranks with a multi-national company to corporate office.
With 16 years' experience at corporate headquarters in training, sales and marketing management roles, Ian has worked throughout all states in Australia, extensively throughout New Zealand and Asia.
Ian has a passion for home fashion and for the benefits party plan provides for customers and consultants alike – it really can change the way you live!
Wendy McCombe, Training Manager
Wendy has been part of the direct selling industry for nearly 20 years. Starting as a Consultant in Melbourne with a children’s wear party plan company, she became a Manager developing personal teams. Wendy then moved to Sydney and later Perth, each time building teams and developing her own personal business from scratch.
Wendy’s love of the industry took her into the corporate side of direct selling in 2000 where she was active in setting up several new party plan businesses and managing sales teams. 2004 brought her to Lorraine Lea Linen where Wendy currently holds the position of Training Manager, developing training material and programs to assist our Managers and Consultants to continuously learn and improve their party plan skills. Seeing Managers and Consultants develop both personally and professionally is what Wendy most enjoys about her role, as well as being able to be hands-on with our sales team throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Helen Bitaks, Sales Development Manager
After 15 years in the banking industry (as Bank Manager and Customer Service Manager), Helen tried her hand at something completely different by joining the direct selling industry. She spent 7½ years as a sales consultant with a multi-national company, focusing on recruiting, developing and promoting Consultants and Managers. The flexibility of party plan offered Helen the opportunity of managing her own team whilst working full-time elsewhere. Helen’s business quickly grew and the decision to fully commit to her direct selling business is one that she has never looked back on.
Helen believes the most satisfying aspect of her involvement in the direct selling industry is that it’s a self-promoting business that has meant she’s had the privilege of watching people’s lives change simply because she offered them the opportunity to join her in direct sales. Helen, herself, joined because a girlfriend asked if she’d help her.
John Ramsden, Sales Development Manager
John Ramsden also joined Lorraine Lea Linen in January 2010. Prior to joining Lorraine Lea, John spent fifteen years as the Director of Sales Development and Special Events of a multi-national direct selling company. Before this, John taught at a private school in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne for fifteen years.
John has experience in film and editing, as well as having represented Australia at home and overseas in the sport of baseball.
John works closely with the Lorraine Lea Sales Development team supporting the Managers and Consultants in the field, as well as helping to develop sales strategies within the company.