"Being born in NZ but having grown up living between Australia and NZ I got the best of both worlds. At 18 I was lucky enough to get a soccer scholarship to go play and study in America.
It was an amazing and unique experience that I would recommend to anyone. After 4 years split between Buffalo, New York and Norfolk, Virgina and a whole lot of travel in between I graduated with a degree in Finance.
After getting sick of American’s asking where NZ was and thinking it’s the same thing as Australia, I thought I better move back here anyway. After doing the typical year living abroad in London, I took up my sister on her offer to come back to paradise and work for her amazing company White Whale Coffee Roasters.
Here at White Whale Coffee, we are trying to create a brand synonymous with Cairns and Far North Queensland. Not only fantastic coffee from the most ethical and sustainable relationships but going above and beyond to give back to the community, partnering with the Reef Restoration Foundation to help their efforts to regrow coral on the reef.
I have been lucky enough to join the Cairns Young Chamber's Emerging Leaders program and through that met some amazing people around our region. The program has been influential in my growth personally and professionally, including having the privilege of being mentored by one of the best leaders in Cairns, Luckbir Singh.
Outside of work you’ll find me lacing up the boots for Leichardt FC in the men’s soccer premier league or doing the rounds of all the local coffee spots around Cairns. I am loving being back living in paradise and look forward to continuing with the emerging leader's program and everything else the Cairns Young Chamber has to offer."
Fox Slotemaker is one of our ambitious Emerging Leaders from our 2021 cohort, and just one of the many exciting stories we hope to share over the next few months. We believe Cairns is filled with a number of hardworking young leaders, and we hope to highlight their passion and impact on Far North Queensland.
