Leah Mercier
Marketing Consultant City: Sydney, Australia Course List:
Leah’s journey with public speaking began in the same way it does for many of our students - with a great deal of trepidation. In Year 5, she won her first public speaking competition after building confidence as a speaker by becoming involved in competitive debating. It is this experience that has motivated her to help our students achieve a similar transformation; she went from someone unable to speak in front of an audience to a speaker who thrives in front of a crowd. Alongside being awarded dux every year of high school, Leah represented her school, Vincentia High, in the NSW Legislative Assembly, winning the Award for Excellence in Public Speaking in 2013, 2014 and 2016.
Moving to Sydney to attend university Leah became a force on the Intervarsity Debating Circuit. Leah has amassed an impressive resume of debating achievements including being the 16th ranked team at the World Championships in 2021, a Grand Finalist at the Australasian Championships in 2021, and in 2022 was named the Best Speaker at the Australian National Championships. Alongside these prestigious achievements Leah has also competed in, and won, many other intervarsity competitions, as well as holding positions on the UNSW and Macquarie Debating Society executives.
Leah is undertaking a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Marketing Management and Economic at Macquarie University. She also holds the position of Coordinator of Oratory Programs at Knox Grammar School, having worked her way up from being the only female debating coach at the school. Leah’s wealth of experience in public speaking and debating, as well as her innovative marketing ideas make her an asset to the Management Team.