About Us
Cooper Hardiman was established in 2016 and since then has grown to become the advisor of choice for Human Resources, Industrial Relations, business advisory and workplace training services for a wide range of organisations throughout regional Victoria and South Australia.
We have a team of five skilled and personable staff, most of whom are based in Warrnambool and surrounds, who are passionate about supporting organisations to achieve their potential through the provision of expert advice and high-quality training services. We pride ourselves on being reliable and trustworthy.
You’ll find dealing with us to be easy and uncomplicated, even in the most challenging of circumstances.
Meet our Team
Gavan Cooper
Director - BA/Law (Hons), Cert IV Workplace Investigations, Cert IV Project Management, Trained Mediator – AIMAA
Gavan commenced his career as an employment lawyer, having held various specialist Employee Relations and HR Consulting roles with nationally and internationally respected organisations including ANZ and the University of Melbourne.
Prior to co-founding Cooper Hardiman, Gavan was responsible for People, Culture and Strategy at South West Credit Union (since merged with Beyond Bank) where he was a member of the Executive Team and an ASIC Approved “Responsible Manager” of a financial institution.
He has strong technical expertise in interpreting and applying industrial instruments and relevant legislation. He is also skilled in the area of conflict resolution and boasts a 100% success rate in conducting mediations. He is extremely experienced in workplace investigations and case management and is particularly passionate about working with leaders to improve workplace culture, team dynamics and people management skills.
Gavan has developed a reputation for developing innovative training content and being an inspiring and engaging workshop and team building facilitator. In the last seven years he has delivered over 300 workshops to organisations Australia-wide.
Contact Gavan on 0427 973 306 or via email at gavan@cooperhardiman.com.au.
Ed Thomas
Senior Workplace Relations Consultant - B.Bus (HR/Management), Cert IV Training and Assessment, Cert IV Government (Investigations), Member of the Industrial Relations Society of Victoria.
Ed is a specialist Workplace Relations professional with 20 years of experience across the public and private sector. Ed has held various roles including Workplace Relations Advisor at the Office of the Employment Advocate and Workplace Agreements Advisor at the Workplace Authority, with a particular expertise in workplace investigations, interpreting and applying industrial instruments and relevant legislation and conflict resolution. Prior to commencing at Cooper Hardiman, Ed was a Fair Work Inspector at the Fair Work Ombudsman. Ed is a director of Thomas Workplace Solutions and consults to SMEs on a wide range of workplace relations issues, with a particular passion for supporting businesses to be compliant, innovative, productive and harmonious workplaces.
Contact Ed on 0417 331 160 or via email at ed@cooperhardiman.com.au.
Neralie Cadusch
Consultant - Bachelor Arts/Social Work (Hons), Melbourne University
Neralie has over two decades of experience working within the Victorian health and human services sector, undertaking a range of senior management roles, including clinical supervision, quality and continuous improvement, individualised support and planning, and case management roles within Victorian public and community-based health, aged and disability services.
Neralie has specialist skills in group facilitation, coaching, organisational review and redesign, systems auditing and continuous quality improvement, risk management, developing performance systems, policy and procedure development and strategic planning.
Contact Neralie on 0412 551 430 or via email at neralie@cooperhardiman.com.au.
Claire Farrer
Business and Consultancy Support Coordinator
With her experience in business management, Human Resources administration and finance, Claire provides our team with support throughout all aspects of our business. Having worked for many years as a Business Manager for an accounting firm as well as a Financial Planning Assistant and is a former small business owner herself, she has valuable expertise in a wide range of areas.
Claire coordinates our extensive schedule of internal and external training programs and is the first point of contact for many clients who require assistance with designing a training program that best suits their needs. Claire also utilises her expertise in recruitment to assist clients through all facets of the recruitment process, as well as managing the business administration and management aspect of Cooper Hardiman.
Contact Claire on 0419 138 085 or via email at claire@cooperhardiman.com.au.