About Men’s Business
"If you cannot see where you are going, ask someone who has been there before."
— J Loren Norris
Our Mission
Creating communities of mentors
Men’s Business brings mentors together to acquire new mentoring skills, inspire each other, and grow and develop as human beings.
Our Vision
We see a future where men no longer face the challenges of life alone. At just the right time a mentor comes alongside offering acceptance, encouragement, growth and guidance. It is such a simple idea yet the benefits for individuals and society as a whole are enormous:
We will strengthen the social fabric as more authentic, supportive relationships between men are formed
We will directly address the sense of isolation and confusion many men feel
We will turn the tide of depression, boredom, anxiety, low self-esteem, violence and relationship breakdown affecting men
We will reduce negative male behaviour – sexual harassment and abuse, addiction, domestic violence, absent fathers, neglectful partners
Who started Men’s Business?
Meet our founder
Miles Protter
Good mentors have changed the course of Miles' life. His first encounter was as a teen, soon after his mother's death.
"One day my friends took me to a youth club in a nearby church. I'd hardly ever set foot in a church before. A young priest introduced himself, 'Hi Miles, I'm John. Sorry to hear about your Mum. How are you doing?' "
"I was shocked as no one else had ever asked. No teachers, or friends of my parents. No one. I got a lot off my chest that day. What was so comforting was knowing he was always there and available. And he never imposed himself, it was always my choice."
+ READ MORE
Later Miles studied in Canada and then the UK. He got as job with a London-based investment bank, offering opportunities to see the world. It was an exciting time. Several years in to his career, however, Miles began to notice many men, including himself, were struggling with the demands of work and family.
He got interested in mentoring and learned the skills to mentor others. He eventually left his job to become a professional mentor, first in the UK and later Australia. Miles has since coached and mentored many hundreds of people, mostly men, both inside and outside the organisational environment.
Miles established Men's Business in 2016 for men called to be mentors, offering them encouragement, skills development, community and personal growth. Through The Values Partnership Miles and his wife Deborah also offer professional mentoring to individuals and establish mentoring programmes in organisations.
View our services or get in touch today for more information.
Our Board Members
Our committed board members help make the Men’s Business possible. You can read a little bit about each of our Board Members below.
Andrew Howe
+ Read About Andrew
Andrew was raised on a farm, 300kms from Perth in the south-eastern wheatbelt where he saw first-hand the benefits of a close community, where people looked out for each other and the practice of passing on information and life skills to the next generation was a tradition. A decade of study at boarding school and university saw Andrew graduate as a town planner and urban designer. Work took him to Sydney for a while but for the past 25 years he has been a director of WA’s largest planning and design firm, Element Advisory.
Andrew is married to Sally and has a teenage daughter. In his spare time Andrew lectures at Curtin University, is a member of his parish council, was a member of his school’s Board, assists a number of not-for-profits by volunteering his time on their various asset and development committees and rides a bike, a lot.
Joe Zappia
+ Read about Joe
Growing up in a small country town creates a strong sense of connection with the local community as is the case in many small towns across the world. Coupled with a strong European heritage where family relationships are the cornerstone of everyday life Joe has used these experiences to guide and influence his personal and professional life.
An opportunity to participate in an executive coaching program in 2013 introduced Joe to The Values Partnership and like-minded people such as Miles. The years since then have allowed the opportunity to deepen his understanding of mentoring and the vital role it can play in today's changing complex environment. Joe lives in Western Australia and is married with two adult children. He is partner of consulting firm IGP and previously enjoyed a long career in mining with BHP Billiton and South32.
Meiron Powell
+ READ about Meiron
Meirion is a father of three children and has been happily married to Lucy for twenty years. They live in Fremantle where the children go to school and the family are very much part of the local community. Meirion is the founder and Director of Indian Ocean Building Company. He has a BSc in Quantity Surveying having worked in private practice in the UK and the Caribbean before arriving in Perth in 2003.
Prior to joining the Men’s Business Board, Meirion had sat on the Board of The Common, a church plant based in Palmyra. Meirion’s a keen sportsman, having played rugby for many years in the UK and more recently enjoys swimming, running, ultimate frisbee and social level football (soccer) in WA. Meirion and his family are active members of the St Philips Anglican Church, Cottesloe community
Andrew Mostyn
+ READ about Andrew
Andrew is married to Gabe and has two adult sons. He's a Non-Executive Director of Craig Mostyn Group, founded in 1923 by his grandfather. It has grown into a diversified food & agribusiness turning over more than $400m annually and employing over 580 staff. He worked in the business for over thirty years, many as a senior executive. He has also sat on a number of not for profit business associations, charities and sporting bodies such as: Family Business Australia (WA Chairman and Director on the National Board), Future Force Foundation (Director), Fremantle Foundation (Director), Mostyn Family Foundation (Director), Hands Across the Water (WA Ambassador).
Andrew is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD) and was awarded the Australian Sports Medal (ASM) in 2000 for his contribution to the game of Rugby Union.
Contact us to learn more about Men’s Business and our mentoring opportunities