Improving Workplace Communication Since 1998

Lisa Peers

Founder and CEO

Lisa trained at NIDA, The National Institute of Dramatic Art in Australia. She has decades of experience in film, television, and theatre, in Australia and the USA. Her notable acting credits include the Australian premieres of Fool For Love and Catholic School Girls, which she also produced, A Place to Call Home, GP, Home & Away, All Saints, Sunday Too Far Away, Monkey Grip, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Finding Nemo, as well as countless industrial and training videos.

Since 1998 she has trained and cast Corporate Actors for Communication Skills Training. She is an expert roleplayer, facilitator and presentation skills coach, with a passion for helping people to communicate effectively work, and an ability to bring out their unique message.  Learn more.

Core team

Our mission is to work with organizations to improve workplace communication, helping people be happier, more effective and empowered at work.

Matt Stewart

Project manager

Matt Stewart has decades of experience as a manager, trainer, facilitator and professional theatre practitioner. He was  co-founder and General Manager of Darlinghurst Theatre Company and Darlo Drama acting school until 2004, and instrumental in overseeing the rapid growth of both companies which are known for delivering unique and vibrant adult education. A Senior Consultant and Client Services Manager with Being Human Pty Ltd, a change management training company which introduced the Prosci Change Management Methodology to Australia.

A project manager and trainer with the Health Roundtable P/L and facilitator in restorative justice with the Department of Justice and Attorney General NSW, Matt is also founder and director of “Act Corporate Drama Training”, delivering communication courses to the public and corporate sectors, using body language as a tool to enhance interpersonal and presentation skills.

Elizabeth Ruffa

Elizabeth Ruffa

Production and liaison manager

Elizabeth is based in Pennsylvania and is currently pursuing her Bachelors’ Degree in Business Administration focused on Human Resource Management. She has 15+ years of administrative experience in Office Management, Human Resources, Accounting, and Scheduling. Elizabeth is responsible for developing and implementing procedures and scheduling. She is key in ensuring clients get the right talent for their projects.

Eleanor Handley

New York project manager

Masters in Fine Arts from The New School for Drama. In Australia was a business development manager and advised on the board of a financial advising company. Eleanor has worked extensively as an actress in new York and regionally across the USA.

Eleanor’s Corporate Role Play, Coaching and Facilitation experience ranges across a wide range of companies, in the finance, legal, pharmaceutical and academic sectors. She has worked with Peers and Players since 2002 in Australia and the USA. Her personal experience as an investment consultant, coach, teacher and communications training and her understanding of finance and management make her the ideal high-level facilitator and manager of our New York Team.

Our experts

With experience across a range of industries and businesses, our corporate actors and organizational psychologists deliver lasting change.

Richard
Lawton

Master voice & presentation coach

Richard is an accredited executive leadership coach and Myers-Briggs-Type-Indicator trainer and facilitator. He has delivered training on Emotional Intelligence and teaches Voice at Post-graduate level at Monash University. He has worked with many prominent business leaders, lawyers and presenters as a voice coach. Richard is the Director of Melbourne based Ignite Coaching Australia where he has honed his training programs.

Richard was a member of the renowned theatre company KISS, and toured nationally as a performer. As a coach and master trainer, he has worked with all levels of legal professionals, executive level managers, C.E.O.’s and board directors. His presentation skills seminars include Stepping Up to The Podium, As She Speaks, and Talking Brief Seminars.

Brian
Langsworth

Consulting organisational psychologist

An actor for many years, Brian now works exclusively in assessment and development. He develops and facilitates development initiatives and human resource activities for employees, senior managers and leaders for a variety of large multinational organisations. As a trainer, coach and facilitator, he has been involved in various programs including: providing effective feedback and coaching others; having crucial conversations; presentation and influencing skills; career counselling; emotional intelligence; understanding team strengths and development opportunities; understanding and interpreting psychometric instruments and building resilience.

Brian is a registered psychologist and associate member of the Australian Psychological Society. Academic qualifications include: Diploma of Professional Practice from the College of Professional Psychology and Bachelor of Social Science and Honours degree in Psychology.

Tanya
Edlington

Melbourne Client Liason

Tanya is a conversation specialist. She is frequently called on to develop leaders’ capability by focussing on practical conversation skills and mindset awareness. In addition, Tanya is a mediator and conflict coach. She draws on her background in the creative arts to support innovation and problem solving, using improvisation tools and techniques to give participants practical insight.

Tanya has experience working in the public, community, financial, health, higher education and arts sectors. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland and has studied the Advanced Diploma in Group Facilitation from the Groupwork Institute of Australia. Her role-play clients include KPMG, National Australia Bank, Melbourne Water, Centrelink, VPS, St John of God Health Care, Monash University, Royal Australian College of Surgeons, HEAL (Health Education Australia Limited), Australian Catholic University, Melbourne University and RANZCOG.

Yvette
Alcott

Senior Consultant

Yvette is a Senior Consultant to Peers and Players, with many years of industry experience as a corporate actor and program facilitator/coach, plus extensive experience as a professional actor. She is currently undertaking her PhD, investigating how people create impressions and form impressions of others. A fundamental aspect of Yvette’s research is the sequential links between thoughts, emotions and action.

Through her involvement with management training programs, Yvette has observed many times how good ideas and positive intentions fail to be realised due to these very factors. Her research and her professional experience offer clients a vital understanding of human behaviour and how it affects corporate management styles. Yvette has been a crucial member of the Peers and Players team since its inception.

Annelise
Piers

India Client Liaison

A seasoned corporate coach and specialist in cross-cultural business communication and corporate NLP applicaitons, Annelise uses her theatre experience to simulate workplace challenges She leverages her experience in customer service and HR to facilitate learning through real-time scenarios of making presentations, giving feedback, and handling clients. Annelise has not only trained personnel across a range of industries from equity analysts to scientists and IT professionals, but also in countries like Costa Rica and Sri Lanka.

Her clients include HCL Technologies, Amba Research, First Source, Cognizant, HP, ITC Infotech, Hindustan Unilever and CBM Saron to name a few. Annelise has been performing role-play for Peers and Payers and Goldman Sachs and ANZ in India since 2010.

Our happy clients

With a vast worldwide presence, Peers and Players has proudly worked with some of the most renowned companies.

Deutsche Bank
Samsung
Philip Morris
HSBC
Unilever
Bank of America
Gallup
Standard Chartered
SHL
KPMG
Google
Barclays
Cisco
Accenture
BAT
Johnson Controls
J&J
Allianz
Baker Mckenzie
Hay Group
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