Bond University alumna Jessica Mellor (Class of 2007) has been named one of Australia's six leading young executives by the Australian Financial Review BOSS magazine.
Ms Mellor, who holds a Bachelor of Property and Sustainable Development majoring in Urban Development and Sustainability from Bond, is Chief Operating Officer of The Star Gold Coast.
She began her corporate career in property development and construction which brought her into the orbit of Hong Kong billionaire Tony Fung.
Ms Mellor, 35, joined Mr Fung's Aquis Group in 2013 and she played a key role in the group's planned Yorkey's Knob project in Cairns before moving to Aquis's Casino Canberra.
She was appointed CEO of Aquis Entertainment Limited and Casino Canberra in 2016, taking the casino from a loss-making venture to break-even in 18 months.
In 2019 Ms Mellor became general manager of The Star Gold Coast’s hotel, food and beverage and events department and, shortly thereafter, COO of the operation.
She told BOSS she considered herself an authentic leader.
"I think I was less successful as a leader when I was trying to be a professional," she told the magazine.
"I think I connect with my team much better by being myself. I think I am adaptive. And I am resilient. Not too much bothers me day to day."
Like many other leaders, Ms Mellor said much of her year had been spent dealing with fallout from COVID-19, with the casino closed and thousands of staff stood down.
The Star has recently reopened some of its signature restaurants.
"It's been difficult but I try to look for positives in it," she told Boss.
"It's been an amazing opportunity for us to look differently at the way we do things."
Ms Mellor also holds a Bachelor of Laws and an MBA.
The full list of 2020 BOSS Young Executives can be found here.Â