Meet the team – Ali
Get to know our Finance Officer at FleetCo, Ali Bortoli. Ali supports our team with her broad skillset and is responsible for accounts payable and receivable, cash flow management, and liaising with our client’s finance and accounts teams to ensure smooth fleet hire transactions.
Ali joined Thiess nine years ago before finding an opportunity to join FleetCo in 2021, where she’s been able to apply her site and office-based experience in finance.
Where did you grow up and what did you want to be when you were a kid?
South-east Brisbane, Bayside area on the water. I wanted to be a PE teacher, travel guide or location scout.
Tell us about your career to date.
I worked in PR & Communications for AMEX in London before moving back to Australia to work in the health industry in Newcastle. I moved to Byron Bay for 10 years working in event management and hospitality and on the side, I became a sole-trader bookkeeper for restaurants and Skydive Australia (my welcome to the company was a free 15,000ft jump out of a plane!).
I then worked as an Office Accounts Manager for a company that managed four hotels, a motel and Splendour in the Grass live music festival (free live music access perks were great!). I moved back to Brisbane and joined Thiess working as a Payroll Accounts officer and a FIFO Senior Site Finance and Admin Officer, before returning to Payroll when COVID hit.
What is your favourite travel destination?
Soooo many great places I’ve been.
· I lived & worked in London on/off for 5 years
· I lived & worked in Fethiye, Turkey running a hotel on the Mediterranean
· I travelled by camel out to stay in the Moroccan Sahara dessert & stayed in a Berber tent sleeping under a million stars (& next to the smelly camels!), ate traditional tagine & couscous with our hands & saw a real-life oasis, which vanished upon getting closer
· I competed in an inner-tube floating river race around the UNESCO world heritage listed town of Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic, and
· My 2nd home Bali… I’ve been about 15 times now!
What has been your biggest work achievement?
My first job during high school was a learn-to-swim coach, where I looked after babies, toddlers and a special-needs child who wore leg braces that restricted his involvement in activities with the other kids.
With persistence, patience & trust, I helped him to swim without the use of his leg braces, stretch out his legs & swim a 25m length pool unassisted. The smile of the freedom he felt was priceless. It was a life-changing moment for me, teaching me that anything is possible if you have the right team to support you.
Why do you enjoy working in the mining industry?
It wasn’t until I visited and worked at site that I got to see the vastly different environment each site has. To see a pit in real life gives you a better perspective of what we do, the amount of employment we provide, and the resources we mine to fuel the country’s economy. There are so many contributing roles in the mining industry and it’s fascinating to learn how my colleagues contribute within our business.
What do you do away from work to relax?
I spend time with my friends and family, I enjoy discovering new restaurants, walks along Manly/Wynnum waterfront and of course, planning my next travel adventure!
Which three people would you invite to a dinner party?
Michelle Obama, Layne Beachley, David Attenborough.
Ali and our team are always available for a chat – reach out today.
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