Social entrepreneur Melina Schamroth is in the business of making a difference.
Current work
Founder of m.a.d.woman (making a difference), creator of the unique Single Volunteers dating program, Grateful in April, Gals Doin' Good networking events, motivational speaker and author, Melina runs programs and events to connect people with each other and with their communities.
m.a.d.woman is the winner of the National 2011 Telstra Business Awards - Yellow Pages Social Responsibility Award (as well as the Victorian State winner). Melina was co-named 2009 RMIT Communicator of the Year with acclaimed human rights activist Hon Michael Kirby. She was also a finalist in the 2009 Premier's Community Volunteering Leadership Awards, Highly Commended in the 2009 Anthill Cool Company Awards, a Finalist in the 2010 and 2008 BrainLink Women of Achievements Awards and Finalist in the 2010 Yarra Sustainable Business Awards. Melina is also the Vice President of the National Speakers Association of Australia's Victorian division, and in August 2013 was named Melina one of Australia's 40 Most Inspiring Women Over 40 by Prevention Magazine.
Be it bushfire relief, helping the hungry and homeless or supporting neglected animals, Melina is continually finding innovative ways to motivate and engage people.
In the past couple of years alone, m.a.d.woman achievements include cooking more than 70,000 meals for hungry and homeless Australians. Other projects have aided thousands of people - Black Saturday bushfire victims, disabled and disadvantaged youth, long-term unemployed and more.
Melina's unique corporate team building events also make a difference. From small groups to large teams, m.a.d.woman events unite participants - all while producing tangible outcomes for projects in need.
With no advertising budget, Melina has built the m.a.d.woman brand, attracting significant media coverage including regular television, radio, newspaper and magazine slots.
Previous experience
Work: Prior to starting m.a.d.woman, Melina spent 18 years working in journalism, communication, marketing and PR roles for a variety of global companies and leading organisations in Australia and New Zealand. These include top 100 companies, Government, not for profit groups, private companies and emerging businesses.
Education: Melina studied Philanthropy and Social Investment at Swinburne University in addition to extensive pro bono work for not for profit organisations in Australasia.
Author: Melina's books - How to be m.a.d. (making a difference) and m.a.d. (making a difference) in a green way - provide people with clever, practical and creative ways they can contribute to their communities, help others and reduce their environmental impact. Her socially responsible product range includes sticker m.a.d. and paper m.a.d. products. Melina is also the author of Beneath Dark Skies - a collection of Black Saturday bushfire stories.
