The team » Melanie Feisst
Melanie Feisst
Consultant
melanie@eastsideconsulting.co.uk
Expertise
Strategic planning, marketing and communications advice for small and growing businesses in the private and third sectors. Internet and online communication.
Passions @ work
Working in teams and one-on-one with people doing amazing things to make a difference in their community. Applying proven business tools to strengthen and grow social enterprises.
Passions away from work
Friends and family, travel, the highlights of London, food, salsa, entrepreneurship and promoting New Zealand to anyone that will listen.
Eastside highlights
Since joining the team in late 2007, I’ve spent the majority of my time working on two of Eastside’s enterprise investment programmes: Equal-Invest and Spark. The two aim to give social enterprises equal access to top-class finance and consultancy.
Highlights have included five social enterprises winning green lights for investment at the Equal-Invest finale and the launch of Spark, both of which were in December, 2007.
Previous experience
- Consultant, Eastside Consulting, 2007 to present
- Self-employed business consultant/coach, 2005 to present. (Projects included www.moneymagpie.com and www.workboot.co.nz).
- City reporter, The Daily Telegraph, 2005-2006
- Business reporter, Waikato Times (NZ), 2003-2005
- Reporter, Waikato Business News (NZ), 2000-2003
Education
- Postgraduate short courses: Project management; Aligning business and people and Coaching and mentoring (Auckland University, New Zealand).
- Graduate Diploma in Journalism (Massey University, New Zealand).
- Bachelor of Management Studies (1st class hons.), management communication, (Waikato University, New Zealand).
Nationality
New Zealand
Languages
English
Basic French
Fifteen organisations have been chosen to compete for a share of £500,000 and hundreds and thousands of pounds of other prizes through Spark to build their social enterprise to get more people off the streets permanently.
read more »
Spark, an innovative £1.5million project to prevent and tackle homelessness using social enterprise, was launched on 18 December by Junior Housing Minister Iain Wright.
press release »
Eastside guides social enterprises to pitch for investment at Dragon’s Den-style event
read more »

