Congratulations
ISSA Emerging Leaders Oceania & Asia-Pacific
Inaugural Class
ISSA Oceania & Asia Pacific is proud to announce its inaugural class of Emerging Leaders! This prestigious group of industry professionals represents the next generation of visionaries in the global cleaning and facility solutions industries. This group of individuals under 40 have been selected for their outstanding contributions, leadership, and commitment to driving the industry forward.
Stay Tuned for Updates on 2025 Voting
Voting for the ISSA Rising Star Award in honor of Jimmy Core is officially closed. Thank you to everyone who voted, we appreciate your participation. The 2024 winner was recognized at the ISSA Show North America on November 19. Details for the 2025 nomination and voting process will be announced soon!
Winner
Donnell Hines, Regional Operations Manager, Integrity National Corporation
Donnell Hines exemplifies what it means to be a rising leader in the cleaning and facility solutions industry. Known for his hands-on management style, Donnell works alongside his team to ensure projects are completed efficiently and on time. As a certified building service manager, he has played a key role in creating detailed training programs and cleaning schedules that directly improve team performance and morale. His clear communication and dedication to continuous learning set a strong example, as he regularly attends training classes alongside employees to deepen his industry knowledge.
Beyond his professional role, Donnell distinguishes himself through genuine, approachable leadership. His authenticity, patience, and ability to connect with others foster trust and drive positive outcomes. He actively supports his team and leads by example, earning respect through both action and empathy.
Donnell also contributes through his volunteer leadership with Integrity Cares, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting vulnerable communities through local outreach. His commitment to service, combined with his personable nature and operational excellence, makes him an ideal Emerging Leaders Award candidate who embodies the very best of the industry’s future.
Donnell Hines
Integrity National Corporation
1st Runner-up
Megan Russo, Director of Sales Operations, BradyPLUS
Megan Russo leverages 14 years of industry experience to drive growth and inspire teams as Director of Sales Operations at BradyPLUS. With leadership roles ranging from Outside Sales Representative to Strategic Account Executive and Regional Sales Manager, Megan combines strategic foresight with authentic influence. She completed Harvard’s Mastery of Negotiation course and leads with purpose, earning the trust of peers and stakeholders.
Megan spearheaded the successful AbilityOne program, generating over $2.5 million in its first year while supporting employment for individuals with disabilities. She managed complex accounts exceeding $100 million and led a sales team overseeing $62 million in sales and $15 million in profit, earning multiple accolades including Circle of Excellence and Sales Manager of the Half.
A committed volunteer, Megan served seven years with IFMA including five as Board Secretary and is active with BOMA and ISSA’s Hygieia Network. She coaches youth baseball and supports local school initiatives, demonstrating leadership beyond the workplace.
Megan’s integrity, professionalism, and strategic mindset make her a respected leader with a bright future, advancing both her organization and the cleaning industry at large.
Megan Russo
BradyPLUS
2nd Runner-up
Sarita Ceron S, Quality Control and Compliance Manager, CCMS - Custom Cleaning and Management Services, Corp
Sarita Ceron is an emerging leader whose impact on the cleaning and facility solutions industry stems from her rare ability to merge scientific rigor with practical operations. An environmental engineer certified in ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001, and ISO 14064, she brings specialized expertise in indoor air quality and waste cycle management. At CCMS, Sarita leads compliance and quality control programs, implementing frameworks that have strengthened performance, safety, and sustainability across multiple operations.
Her leadership is both technical and practical. She has developed protocols supporting greenhouse gas reduction, created systems for waste segregation and smarter product selection, and uses inspection data to reduce risk, improve safety, and elevate client communication. Through these measurable initiatives, Sarita is redefining compliance as a driver of innovation and sustainability rather than simply an obligation to meet standards.
Sarita’s influence extends beyond CCMS. She mentors frontline staff and supervisors, leads training on safety and environmental practices, and supports Spanish-speaking employees and women entering the field. She contributes time to community clean-up efforts, volunteer programs like Habitat for Humanity through NAWIC, and even helps small, minority-owned businesses navigate environmental compliance basics. Her outreach reflects her belief that environmental stewardship should be accessible to all.
What distinguishes Sarita most is her human-centered leadership. From mentoring circles to cultural initiatives like her “Phrase of the Week,” she builds morale while fostering accountability and respect. A realist with big vision, she inspires teams and clients alike—modeling how science, empathy, and strategy together can advance the cleaning industry toward lasting health and sustainability.
Sarita Ceron
CCMS
2nd Runner-up
Sarita Ceron S, Quality Control and Compliance Manager, CCMS - Custom Cleaning and Management Services, Corp
Sarita Ceron is an emerging leader whose impact on the cleaning and facility solutions industry stems from her rare ability to merge scientific rigor with practical operations. An environmental engineer certified in ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001, and ISO 14064, she brings specialized expertise in indoor air quality and waste cycle management. At CCMS, Sarita leads compliance and quality control programs, implementing frameworks that have strengthened performance, safety, and sustainability across multiple operations.
Her leadership is both technical and practical. She has developed protocols supporting greenhouse gas reduction, created systems for waste segregation and smarter product selection, and uses inspection data to reduce risk, improve safety, and elevate client communication. Through these measurable initiatives, Sarita is redefining compliance as a driver of innovation and sustainability rather than simply an obligation to meet standards.
Sarita’s influence extends beyond CCMS. She mentors frontline staff and supervisors, leads training on safety and environmental practices, and supports Spanish-speaking employees and women entering the field. She contributes time to community clean-up efforts, volunteer programs like Habitat for Humanity through NAWIC, and even helps small, minority-owned businesses navigate environmental compliance basics. Her outreach reflects her belief that environmental stewardship should be accessible to all.
What distinguishes Sarita most is her human-centered leadership. From mentoring circles to cultural initiatives like her “Phrase of the Week,” she builds morale while fostering accountability and respect. A realist with big vision, she inspires teams and clients alike—modeling how science, empathy, and strategy together can advance the cleaning industry toward lasting health and sustainability.
Sarita Ceron
CCMS
Mohammed Zakariah, Executive Director, Hygiene & Sanitization Services (Fiji) Ltd
Mohammed Zakariah is the Executive Director of Hygiene & Sanitization Services (Fiji) Ltd, a building services contractor he has helped grow into a benchmark for cleaning excellence in the Pacific. At 30, Mohammed has built a reputation for visionary thinking, hands-on leadership, and an unwavering commitment to raising professional standards in a market that has had limited access to global industry resources.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, his company earned a Certificate of Recognition from FEMAT for outstanding performance in Fiji’s fight against the virus, a reflection of the protocols and culture he had already put in place. His company was the first cleaning business in Fiji to win the Fiji Business Excellence Award, a recognition it has held consistently since 2015.
Beyond operations, Mohammed runs community clean-up events, educational hygiene workshops, and has long supported a local rugby club that provides young people in high-risk areas with a constructive pathway. He also mentors new staff using ISSA training resources, bringing global best practice to a region where it is genuinely needed.
Mohammed Zakariah
Hygiene & Sanitization Services (Fiji) Ltd
Michael Green, National Sales Manager , Sabco Professional
Michael Green is National Sales Manager at Sabco Professional in Australia, where he has delivered consistent annual revenue growth while simultaneously advancing the company’s sustainability practices and team culture. At 39, he brings a combination of strategic foresight, commercial discipline, and genuine investment in the people around him that his nominator describes as the mark of a standout leader.
Michael’s approach to growth is inseparable from his approach to sustainability. He actively works to ensure that commercial performance and environmental responsibility move together rather than in tension. He is a strong advocate for sustainable cleaning solutions and uses his industry relationships to help clients understand and adopt practices that align with changing regulations and community expectations.
He is also a dedicated mentor, investing considerable time in developing his team members and fostering knowledge-sharing across Sabco’s business units. Outside of work, Michael coaches junior basketball at the Sutherland Basketball Association and volunteers at Illawong Little Athletics, roles in which, his nominator observes, he teaches the same values he brings to his professional leadership: teamwork, resilience, and a commitment to helping others reach their potential.
Michael Green
Sabco Professional
James Ferdinands, National Sales Manager - PH AU, Essity
James Ferdinands is National Sales Manager for Professional Hygiene at Essity Australasia, where he leads a team of national account managers responsible for the company’s largest client relationships. At 30, he is already enrolled in Essity’s internal Leadership Development Program, a formal recognition of the trajectory his organisation sees for him.
James brings a combination of commercial acumen, collaborative character, and genuine investment in the people around him that his nominator describes as rare. He is not only delivering consistent sales performance, but actively contributing to innovation and sustainability workstreams that are shaping Essity’s strategic direction in the Australian market.
A key part of his role involves managing the company’s longstanding partnership with McDonald’s and its relationship with Ronald McDonald House Charities, a partnership focused on providing support to families of seriously ill children. James is also a vocal internal champion of sustainability initiatives and Essity’s Reconciliation Action Plan. His nominator puts it plainly: James is the person you go to when you need integrity, commercial thinking, and a genuinely collaborative approach to getting things done.
James Ferdinands
Essity
Daniel Farhart, Head of Operations, Clean Plus Chemicals Pty Ltd
Daniel Farhart is Head of Operations and Production at Clean Plus Pty Ltd in Australia, a cleaning chemical manufacturer where he has worked for nine years. At 29, Daniel leads a team of 52 people and is widely regarded within the industry as a rising thought leader in cleaning chemistry, a reputation built on years of early sacrifice, continuous learning, and a genuinely people-centred approach to his work.
Starting from the ground up, Daniel spent years working across production, warehousing, logistics, manufacturing, customer service, and product development, building a practical understanding of how the business operates at every level. The focus was never simply on leadership, but on understanding the operation firsthand and earning the trust of the people around him through consistency and work ethic.
He has initiated a Young Innovators Scheme that invites young people to submit ideas to improve the industry, with viable ideas put into practice. He leads Clean Plus’s Reconciliation Action Plan and works closely with First Nations communities. Through the Widgwah Foundation, he supports reforestation efforts across Victoria, with a portion of every customer’s spend directed toward planting trees.
Daniel Farhart
Clean Plus Chemicals Pty Ltd
Luc Tunbridge, National Cleaning Manager, ISS Facility Services
Luc Tunbridge is National Cleaning Manager at ISS Facility Services in Australia, a role he has grown into through ISS’s graduate program and a consistent record of exceeding expectations. At 26, he is responsible for cleaning operations across a significant national account, and is known within ISS for combining commercial creativity with genuine investment in his team.
Luc’s leadership style is built around three things: finding solutions that work for both the client and the business, developing the people around him, and maintaining a safety-first culture across his frontline workforce. He has brought previously subcontracted services in-house, delivering cost savings and improved service outcomes. He has leveraged ISS’s global network to introduce internationally aligned service models into local contracts. And he has identified and developed a high-potential team member who is now in a more senior role within the organisation.
His involvement in employee resource groups, including Pride and First Nations programs at both ISS and client sites, reflects an understanding of what inclusive leadership looks like in practice, not just in principle.
Luc Tunbridge
ISS Facility Services
Alissa Shida, Regional Manager, Kikkoman Biochemifa Company
Alissa Shida is Regional Manager at Kikkoman Biochemifa Company in Japan, where she specialises in ATP hygiene monitoring technology. At 30, she has built a career focused not just on selling tools, but on helping cleaning, food safety, and healthcare teams understand the science behind what they do and why it matters.
Alissa’s expertise centres on ATP testing technology, including the Kikkoman A3 system, which detects ATP, ADP, and AMP to provide objective data on surface cleanliness. Her work spans healthcare, food manufacturing, education, and public health environments across Japan, Australia, North America, Southeast Asia, and Central America. She runs workshops, delivers hands-on training, and provides one-on-one support to teams moving from traditional cleaning methods toward data-driven hygiene management.
Her voluntary contributions extend this work into resource-limited settings, supporting rural clinics in the Philippines with sanitation protocols and contributing to food safety education in Central America. She also mentors new colleagues within Kikkoman Biochemifa, focused on communicating hygiene best practice across different industries and cultures.
Alissa Shida
Kikkoman Biochemifa Company
Ayman Girgis, Cleaning Manager – NSW DCs , City Facilities Management
Ayman Girgis is Cleaning Manager for NSW Distribution Centres at City Facilities Management in Australia, where he oversees cleaning operations across major logistics facilities. At 38, Ayman has built a decade-long reputation in the industry for operational resilience, team development, and a forward-thinking approach to integrating automation and smarter cleaning strategies into large-scale environments.
Under his leadership, his team has maintained a zero-injury record over the past two years, a result of sustained, practical safety training and a culture of accountability he has built deliberately. His nominator describes him as someone who sees challenges as opportunities, who leads through transformation without sacrificing team morale or performance standards.
Ayman is actively involved in his local church community and regularly volunteers at charity events within the distribution centres he manages. His nominator frames his personal story, including his commitment to reuniting his family in Australia, as central to understanding the determination and purpose he brings to his work. He is regarded within City Facilities Management as someone who leads with compassion, purpose, and genuine care for the people around him.
Ayman Girgis
City Facilities Management
Fulori Kawau, Supervisor, Eagle Cleaning Services
Fulori Kawau is a Supervisor at Eagle Cleaning Services in Fiji, and one of the most experienced frontline cleaners in the inaugural ISSA Emerging Leaders Oceania class. Over her seven years with Eagle Cleaning, Fulori has worked across healthcare, commercial, residential, food service, and restoration environments, a breadth of hands-on expertise that few in any market can match.
Her most significant contribution came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Fulori was stationed at Lautoka Hospital, Fiji’s second largest hospital, as part of the on-call WASH team responsible for the safe transfer and disinfection of COVID-19 patients. She responded to callouts in the early hours of the morning, often without prior notice, for the duration of the lockdown period and beyond. Her company held a traditional Fijian ceremony to acknowledge the sacrifice of the cleaning staff who served through that time.
Outside of work, Fulori and her colleagues regularly prepare hot meals for homeless people in Nadi and Lautoka, a voluntary effort born from what they witnessed during their early morning commutes to the hospital.
Fulori Kawau
Eagle Cleaning Services
Hugo Wiffen, Operations Consultant, Re Vera Group
Hugo Wiffen is an Operations Consultant at Re Vera Group in Australia and, at 19, the youngest member of the inaugural ISSA Emerging Leaders Oceania class. What makes Hugo’s recognition remarkable is not just his age, but the scale of responsibility he has already held and the impact he has had across multiple businesses.
At 17, Hugo took operational leadership of Swifty Clean, overseeing staff, managing client relationships, and leading the business with a precision that impressed colleagues significantly older and more experienced. He subsequently led the migration of sister company McEwans Cleaning to Jobber, improving reporting capabilities and operational efficiency across the group. He also provided strategic guidance on labour cost structures, insight that helped another business in the group align more closely with industry best practice.
Hugo’s approach is grounded in humility and genuine curiosity. Widely regarded by colleagues as the person to consult on sales and operations, he brings considered, multi-perspective thinking to discussions and consistently earns trust across teams. He is currently focused on improving lead generation and marketing strategies across the Re Vera Group.
Hugo Wiffen
Re Vera Group
William Spiers, Director, Cleantech Pty Ltd
William Spiers is a Director at Cleantech Pty Ltd in Australia, a manufacturer of vacuum cleaners and accessories with more than 50 years of history. At 34, William is preparing to take over the business from his father, a transition he has spent years preparing for deliberately and methodically, including qualifying as an accountant to understand the financial foundations of the company from the inside out.
William’s approach to leadership is hands-on by design. He travels to the company’s overseas factory to understand the manufacturing process directly, and has been a driving force behind the development of battery-powered machines and time-and-motion studies on cleaning accessories, work that reflects a clear sense of where the industry is heading.
His community contribution is equally notable. In 2020 and 2021, William spent time in Beirut following the port explosion, helping to organise food and water relief for 350,000 people and assisting with building repairs. He is known within his industry for training and advising people without expectation of reward, described by his nominator as someone for whom it has never been all about the money.
William Spiers
Cleantech Pty Ltd
Vote for the ISSA Rising Star Award in Honor of Jimmy Core
As part of the Emerging Leaders Program, one individual will be honored with the ISSA Rising Star Award in Honor of Jimmy Core. Industry professionals can vote below to select a winner from this impressive group to receive the prestigious title. One vote per person. Voting ends Tuesday, September 30 at 11:59PM ET
The recipient of the Rising Star Award will be recognized at ISSA Show North America on November 11, highlighting their exemplary leadership and influence in the industry.
