The Women of Extolla: Susan Ealey – Finding Clarity at Altitude
At Extolla, we’re proud to work alongside a team of brilliant, bold, and deeply talented women. In this series, we spotlight and celebrate the individuals who bring extraordinary expertise, and extraordinary lives, to our business and our customers.
As one of Extolla’s Senior Consultants, Susan Ealey combines deep commercial expertise with a love for adventure and a calm, grounded approach to problem-solving.
This year, Susan Ealey hiked over 120km in the Italian Dolomites with a group of like-minded women. She says:
“I love being in nature. It’s a reminder there’s more than one way to live life. You solve problems creatively, you choose what’s essential. I love a physical challenge that takes me out of my comfort zone and pushes me mentally.”
Her sense of perspective, both literal and figurative, is shaped by a life spent outdoors. She’s a keen skier, camps in remote parts of Australia, abseils and climbs rock walls for fun, and being an unapologetic gear and gadget junkie, never travels without a perfectly optimised kit bag.
“I love seeing how people develop products that solve a problem or make something safer or easier,” she adds. “It’s the same mindset I bring to my work.”
Following her alpine adventure, Susan headed to France to follow the Tour de France (a long-time dream), and last year ticked off another bucket-list moment travelling to watch the Monaco F1 Grand Prix and cycling the Canal du Midi route. She also finds time to swim, run and explore remote corners of Australia, often far from city life.
So yes, adventure is kind of her thing.
But back in the office, Susan brings that same energy, precision and perspective to every client engagement. She draws on decades of commercial experience in multinational FMCG manufacturing and supply chain. She’s led finance functions across APAC, and the Americas, with a career steeped in performance improvement, organisational change, and strategic transformation.
An accomplished finance professional, she’s equally confident navigating supply chain finance, financial control, restructuring, and tax. Before joining Extolla, she held senior roles at Kimberly-Clark, where she led major reviews of the manufacturing and logistics footprint in ANZ and implemented integrated business planning across APAC.
For all her technical expertise, what clients appreciate most, is Susan’s ability to bring calm clarity to complex situations, and to make people feel supported and heard along the way.
“Being in nature helps me reset. You’re solving problems creatively and figuring out what really matters.”
That same curiosity and pragmatism show up in her work—designing finance solutions that cut through complexity and deliver measurable value. Her experience in global strategy, manufacturing footprint reviews and IBP implementation is invaluable to clients looking to transform their operations and unlock value.
Whether she’s tackling a challenging client brief or chasing the Tour de France across the French countryside, Susan brings a unique blend of grit, intelligence and steady leadership.
At Extolla, she’s a force behind the scenes, driving results, mentoring teams, and reminding us all that there’s strength in staying curious, pushing boundaries, and sometimes, just heading for the mountains.