Hannah Brennan

Co-founder and CEO

Hannah is a hospitality professional, Swinburne Multimedia (Media Studies) graduate and occasional freelance writer with a soft spot for limericks. She’s worked in restaurants for over 10 years, and loves food (particularly Italian, Mexican and Thai) and the social side of hospitality. After volunteering with the refugee community in Fitzroy, including editing *bespoken, a newspaper providing a voice to marginalised members of the community, run by The Social Studio, Hannah co-founded Scarf with Jess Moran in 2010. Hannah was a mentor in Scarf’s early programs, and looked after marketing and communications for three years, before becoming General Manager in 2013 and then CEO in 2020. She firmly believes in the power of social enterprise to allow young people to gain the skills, confidence and connections needed to break into employment. As well as ensuring the trainees get the most out of the program, Hannah is interested in fostering the Scarf community – volunteers, dinner guests, host restaurants, sponsors, knitters and the like. She also spends a bit of time gently reminding people that Scarf is not an acronym! In our case, it’s just a warm, comforting show of support and an expression of culture.

Hannah works Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email: [email protected]

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Neil Baxendale

Wellbeing and Job Readiness Manager

Neil’s first job was in a family owned hotel in a seaside town in the North of England, and since then he’s worked in cafes, breweries and plenty of pubs (including supervising an East London pub during the 2012 Olympics, which he reckons was equal parts exhilarating and exhausting). Not content to just play the hospo game, Neil has also facilitated programs which helped young people in prison change their behaviours and lead more positive lives. After gaining a Diploma in Criminal Justice Studies, Neil worked as a Probation Officer in the UK, and then in Australia as a support worker for an outreach program, enabling adults to reintegrate into society after leaving prison. Neil was a volunteer restaurant mentor during Scarf seasons in 2014 and 2016 (and a keen diner during other seasons) and in August 2018 we were thrilled to welcome Neil to the team.

The Wellbeing and Job Readiness Manager role sees Neil wearing a number of hats at Scarf (and he really, really loves a hat, as we discovered during our 2020 Zoom workshops!) Neil plays a crucial role in supporting trainees through our 10-week Seasonal Programs so they can reach their goals, and helps to make sure that all Scarf staff and volunteers are working within our Trauma-Informed framework which prioritises trainees' safety and wellbeing. Another strength is running Job Readiness group workshops and one-on-one sessions with Scarf graduates as they transition from the program to ongoing employment. Neil also connects with others in the community sector to share ideas and resources and ensure that Scarf is part of a sector-wide approach to breaking down employment barriers for people from asylum seeker and refugee backgrounds. And when any potential employers come knocking, Neil is always keen to chat to them about connecting Scarf graduates with jobs. Neil prides himself on fostering trainees’ strengths, building their confidence and providing really practical support with resumes, job hunting and job applications, interview skills and the like, in order to make employment more equitable for our talented, resilient and motivated graduates. 

Neil works Monday - Thursday. Email: [email protected]

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Mir Bugti

Restaurant and Training Manager

Mir joined the Scarf Community in 2016 when he graduated from the Autumn Scarf ’16 seasonal program at Rupert on Rupert. Since then, he’s worked in hospitality in front of house roles at different venues, most recently managing the renowned Super Ling in Carlton. Food, wine, beer and all fermented juice are passions of Mir’s. He firmly believes in sustainability and supporting local businesses. Arriving in Australia in 2012, Mir initially settled in Perth and subsequently moved to Melbourne in 2015. Mir loves exploring Australia and what it has to offer. His highlights include visiting country Victoria, enjoying the amazing offerings in Hobart, exploring the outdoors in Cairns and playing tourist in Sydney. On his days off Mir doesn’t mind watching movies based on true events or stories. He calls Melbourne home but will always be a West Coast Eagles supporter. Despite keeping very busy with work, Mir has remained engaged in the Scarf Community, working at multiple Do More Than Dine events, speaking on a panel during GROW Assembly ’18, and volunteering to mentor new graduates during Scarf Turns 10!

Mir was excited to join the Scarf management team in August 2020 as our Restaurant and Training Manager and since then, he's firmly established himself as a core team member who provides inspiration to new trainees. Mir is responsible for a number of elements in Scarf Programs, from supporting with trainee and mentor recruitment, planning and running training sessions, designing drinks lists for Scarf Dinners (and working closely with our generous beverage sponsors) and facilitating accredited certificate training for the young people who take part in our programs. During Scarf Dinners, Mir sees that trainees are well supported while they gain hands-on, paid work experience - a crucial aspect of breaking down some of the employment barriers which have previously existed for our participants. Mir works closely with our volunteer trainers, mentors and partner restaurants, and draws on his strong front-of-house experience to ensure all diners have a wonderful night out when they attend Scarf Dinners. 

Mir works Monday - Thursday. Email: [email protected]

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Jess Colgan

Finance Manager

Working with social enterprise and their founders is what Jess loves best. So together with her passion for and experience in hospitality, this makes Scarf her perfect match. We were excited welcome Jess to the team as our Finance Manager in August 2018. As a chartered accountant, Jess has enjoyed immense opportunity to partner with organisational leaders, creating effective solutions to critical business needs. For 7 years, Jess was Head of Finance at food&desire, a leading hospitality and events business in Melbourne. Her ability to analyse results, build solid relationships and strengthen culture have been the foundations of her success. In 2018, Jess co-founded social impact consultancy Y, collaborating with business to increase their positive social and environmental impact, and with social enterprise to create financially sustainable business models to thrive.  

Jess works at Scarf on Tuesday mornings. Email: [email protected]

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Mel Ross

Volunteer Bookings Manager

Mel is a food and wine lover who thrives on exploring Melbourne’s fantastic cafe and restaurant scene. Although she is a trained physiotherapist, she’d love to get into the events side of hospitality. She dreams of running her own cheese and wine bar, because cheese! And wine! Mel has two gorgeous young children, who keep her on her toes and take up most of her time outside of work. Mel has been supporting Scarf from the early days and loves having “date night” with her husband at Scarf Dinners. Mel joined the Scarf team in June 2015 to manage our bookings and support us with administration, and we literally don’t know what we’d do without her!

Mel volunteers at Scarf throughout the week. Email: [email protected]