Consultants
To provide the best possible service to our clients Nexus has established a network of experienced consultants. These consultants bring valuable expertise in:
- strategic people management
- change management, career transition, team building and conflict management
- coaching and facilitation
- network building and collaboration across government
- research and evaluation
- workforce planning and modelling
- survey design and analysis
- project management
- corporate governance.
Catherine Sambell (BA, DipEd, Grad Cert Management)
Managing Director
Catherine is Managing Director of The Nexus Network. She has over 22 years' experience in the WA State Government primarily working in five of WA’s central oversight agencies as a senior manager and member of the executive leadership group. In her government roles Catherine worked on whole of public sector people and organisational development programs including leadership, corruption prevention and integrity building. She also has experience in organisational change. Catherine has consulted to many state government agencies and community organisations on a wide range of projects. She has considerable corporate and leadership expertise in organisational development and strategic people management.
Caroline Adupa (M. Psych Community, Post Grad Dip Psych, BA Psych)
Director
Caroline is a Director and formally a Consultant of The Nexus Network since 2014. She has extensive experience as a consultant assisting, guiding and supporting public sector agencies in recruitment processes; job creation and classification; and has experience carrying out structural reviews within agencies, compliance, and evaluation projects. Caroline has a strong interest in assisting public agencies attract and retain good people, who subsequently make positive contributions to the WA community.Caroline worked in several WA public sector agencies for almost 10 years before she joined Nexus. She worked on several performance audits at the Office of the Auditor General as a Principal Performance Analyst; also worked as a Child Protector Worker at the then Department for Child Protection; and worked in several other agencies including Department of Justice; Ombudsman WA; Commissioner for Children and Young People; and Department of Education.
Jan Saggers (BA Hons)
Director
Jan is a founding Director and former Managing Director of The Nexus Network. She commenced consulting in 1995, after working in policy roles for seven State government agencies. Jan’s interests lie primarily in research and public policy, with an organisational development focus. She is particularly interested in building organisational capacity for the purpose of delivering organisational goals. Jan has also worked extensively in executive recruitment.
Other Nexus consultants
Susan Barrera (BSc Hons, BEd, MBA)
Senior Consultant
Susan returned to The Nexus Network after an absence of ten years, during which time she worked in senior public sector management positions in industrial relations and community development. Her most recent position was Director General, Department for Communities. Susan's background includes organisational development, labour relations, policy development, program development and evaluation and training. During her career, spanning more than 30 years, Susan has worked in all tiers of government and has a strong interest in assisting agencies and individuals improve their performance through creative collaborations.
Darja Kragt (BA, Msc International Business, MSc Business Research, PhD Leadership)
Senior Consultant
Darja is an experienced leadership development and organisational change consultant. She joined Nexus Network in 2021. She has worked with government departments, resources sector companies, global consulting firms, and academic institutions to build and promote individual and organisational leadership capacity. Dr Darja is passionate about helping individuals and organisations to develop more effective and inclusive leadership. Her unique strengths as a leadership development professional are an excellent understanding of research evidence and the ability to translate these insights into specific and effective practices. She has designed and facilitated dozens of leadership development workshops and programs for professionals, MBAs and executives in Australia and Europe. In addition to leadership development, her core skills are research, evaluation, data collection and analysis.
Kristin Berger (BSc Hons, MSc, GAICD)
Senior Consultant
Kristin joined The Nexus Network in 2025 following her departure from the WA public sector at the end of 2024. During her 23-year career in the public service Kristin held several Senior Executive Service positions, most recently Deputy Director General (DDG) Economic Development Advice at the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation Industry and DDG Industry Regulation and Consumer Protection (IRCP) in the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety. Kristin’s background includes labour relations, industry and policy development, regulation, leadership and mentoring, collaboration and team building. During her career Kristin has worked in the public sector and the union movement, as an academic at a number of universities and as a consultant.
Mariana Atkins (PhD. Geography and Urban Planning, MSc. Social Policy and Planning, BA Geography (Honours) )
Consultant
Mariana is an experienced consultant and researcher working at the intersection of social justice, research, and evaluation. With a background in Geography and Planning, she brings extensive national and international experience spanning over 30 years. Her work has a strong focus on community engagement and collaboration with diverse stakeholders to design and deliver impactful research and evaluation projects. Mariana has recently joined The Nexus Network after several years in academia, most recently at the Centre for Social Impact at the University of Western Australia, where she has led large, multi-year projects, including an award winning state-wide developmental evaluation focused on building community financial resilience to disasters. Mariana’s strengths lie in project design, mixed-methods research, and leading multidisciplinary teams across areas such as health and aged care, disability, unemployment, and arts and health. She is a skilled communicator and educator.
