A Harmonious Balance: How Clare Morris has Nurtured Family and Rewarding Career at the Levant
Creating a successful career while starting a family isn’t easy. But at Levant Consulting, Director Clare Morris is empowered to raise her children her way. She’s played an integral role in Levant’s incredible growth - and we are delighted to help Clare and her family grow well, too.
Flexibility, family, and fun
It’s a challenge every working parent knows well. How to strike that seemingly elusive balance between the demands of work and family life. As a busy mum of two young children, Clare Morris is grateful to find that equilibrium at Levant Consulting.
Clare is one of Levant’s Sydney Directors. Since joining us in Melbourne in 2014, she has been instrumental in the business’s growth, helping to establish our presence in New South Wales to create one of the most creative and people-centred human capital consulting firms in Australia. In turn, Clare is given the freedom and support to nurture her young family.
“The only way I’ve been able to have a family and progress my career is because of the flexibility Levant has provided,” Clare says. “My team often talks about Levant being like a family. We’ve been to each other’s weddings, we’ve started families, and we’ve been each other’s support. Like any business, there have been some challenging times, but we’ve had so many incredible highs, and we’ve celebrated those together.”
As a Director, Clare identifies organisational change and transformation projects for clients, then assembles the right teams to create and deliver tailored, sustainable solutions. She’s also heavily involved in the day to day running of the business as a member of the Levant Board and by overseeing the internal operations.
To build strong, collaborative relationships with clients and colleagues, Clare says authenticity is key. But it’s also important to have some fun along the way. “We value people who bring their whole selves to work,” Clare says.
“Integrity is really important. You need to do what you say you’ll do - for your clients and the team. We work hard, but there’s also a lot of banter. And I think that plays into the fact that we have a more creative mindset than many bigger consulting firms. We don’t want to take a cookie-cutter approach; we want to create a unique and exciting experience for our clients and ourselves.”
Exploring new horizons
Sydney is a world away from where Clare grew up in Gippsland, Victoria. Instead of cityscapes, she was surrounded by endless paddocks, cattle, and crops on her family’s farm. But she was always a city girl at heart, spending her school holidays with her aunties in Melbourne.
“I just loved the big smoke, so it was always a done deal that I’d move to Melbourne as soon as I could,” Clare says.
While studying a Bachelor of Business in Entrepreneurship, Clare worked part-time with a government agency, where she was introduced to the world of change management. She was then hired as the youngest-ever Consultant at SMS Management and Technology. Three years later, she joined a large consulting firm as a Senior Human Capital Consultant.
“I made the most amazing network of friends and experiences there,” Clare says. “I gained a lot of tools and skills, but after three years, I started to burn out. I didn’t have the mental fortitude to just work, work, work. I wanted a life as well.”
One of her colleagues, Fadi Zeitoune, left the company to form his own consulting firm - Levant Consulting. Clare was at a crossroads. She knew she couldn’t keep working at her current frantic pace, yet she also wasn’t sure what direction to take. After a career break to travel overseas, she decided to join Fadi (and four other former colleagues) at Levant.
“I knew Fadi had integrity and a great work ethic, and I trusted that,” Clare says. “Fadi was keen to build something unique, not just a duplicate of one of the big consulting firms. That really did appeal to me.”
Clare joined as a Senior Associate, and helped establish Levant’s processes, systems and operations. When her husband landed an exciting new job in Sydney, it was the perfect opportunity for her to relocate and help build the team’s NSW practice. Since then, her career has continued to soar. From Consulting Manager to Board Director, having a family has been no barrier to Clare’s progression at Levant.
“With my first child, I initially wanted to have 12 months of maternity leave. But after eight months, I was ready to return to work. I was welcomed back with open arms, working two days a week, then three, then four. I don’t have to worry about pickups, drop-offs, or sick days. Levant understands what I need to do as a mum. Not many companies would be so supportive. It’s been fantastic.”
World of possibilities
A self-confessed foodie, Clare values balancing her work with family, pilates, and entertaining friends. She knows Levant values her as a whole person, which enables her to make a sustainable, tangible difference to her team and the businesses she works with.
As for the future, Clare and her family may relocate and expand Levant’s presence overseas. But in the meantime, Clare looks forward to continuing to grow the business, and to grow along with it.
“It’s been incredibly rewarding to see Levant go from strength to strength,” Clare says. “I love working on projects that contribute to its success. I also really value being able to experience business life with my friends, and I want to help them grow and be the best Consultants they can be.”