iSelect Authors & Contributors

Mel Basta is a writer and editor with a decade of experience writing copy and content. She believes complex information should be accessible and digestible – much like a delicious sandwich.

Adrian, our General Manager for General Insurance, Life & Loans, is a numbers guru and big picture who thinker who is passionate about making life simpler for our customers. When he’s not working on spreadsheets, you’ll likely find him surfing or riding his motorbike.

Hudson Brown is a freelance copywriter and journalist with nearly a decade of experience in marketing and editorial content. Focused on travel-related topics, he enjoys breaking down intricate concepts into relatable insights.

He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Monash University and has written for numerous local and international publications and brands.

Canna is a qualified financial planner, the founder and director of SASS Financial Services, a boutique financial planning firm, and the founder of SugarMamma TV. She is Channel 9’s exclusive ‘money expert’, and best-selling author of The $1000 Project & Mindful Money.

Luke is a writer with eight years of full-time freelance experience across a range of industries and nearly twenty years of writing about the music industry. He is currently working on his first book about the Australian music scene and regularly performs with his many musical acts.

His professional writing has spanned everything from watchmaking to plastic surgery, meaning his research requirements have made his Google search history very confusing and, ironically, hard for digital advertisers to market to.

Since joining iSelect in 2015, Laura has been extensively quoted in the media on how to save on a range of household bills and expenses and now leads our in-house Editorial Team.
As our Managing Editor, Laura loves a good money-saving hack and when she’s not reviewing website copy, she enjoys reading and G&Ts.

Natasha Etschmann is the host of the popular Get Rich Slow Club podcast, and author of How To Not Work Forever. She has a background in occupational therapy, previously working in disability support and as a positive behaviour support practitioner.  More recently, she has become authorised to provide general financial advice and credit advice.  

Tash also loves to travel and stay active with lots of bouldering, snowboarding, Pilates and diving.

Dr. Jill Gamberg is a GP, lifestyle medicine physician and coach.  She is passionate about prevention and utilises an evidence-based approach to behaviour change, health, longevity, physical and mental wellbeing.

She holds Bachelors degrees in Biology (Dalhousie University), Exercise Science/Athletic Therapy (Concordia University), and Medicine/Surgery (UNSW – Honours) and a Master’s Degree in Coaching Psychology (Sydney University). She also currently lectures at James Cook University’s School of Medicine.    She enjoys travelling the world and chasing adventure with her family, and spending time with their dog, Lincoln.

Ellie has spent more than a decade writing and editing for just about every sector you can think of, including health, lifestyle, travel, science and government. They also love knitting and sewing, especially with recycled materials, so you’ll probably find them in the iSelect office wearing a dress made out of a sheet. 

They have a Bachelor of Arts from La Trobe University, a Graduate Diploma in Publishing and Communications from the University of Melbourne, and a Master of Fine Art in Poetry from the University of Minnesota.

Before joining iSelect in 2017, Andres held many senior roles within our Finance team before taking on the role of General Manager- Health in 2023.

Andres enjoys working with numbers, data, models and people to ensure big questions are translated into simple answers that are easy for everyone to understand.

Toby Hagon is a writer, editor and author with decades of experience covering cars and the automotive industry. He has a knack for stripping away the jargon and marketing hype and distilling it into information car owners need and can easily digest.

Toby’s passion for cars began when he was a toddler and has grown along with his love of writing. His university studies included courses specialising in science and electronics, something that has positioned him well for the boom in electric vehicles.

David Hyman is the CEO of Lendi Group, the leading branded distributor of home loans in the market, housing both the Lendi, Aussie and Domain Home Loans brands.

Dean Ipaviz is a qualified builder, project manager and carpenter who’s passionate about the environment, permaculture, and regenerative agriculture. He’s committed to promoting sustainability in his field by creating awareness around responsible building practices. His mission is to educate clients, fellow tradesmen, and readers alike to make green building principles and practices more accessible and the go-to choice for the average renovation or new build.

Dean lives in Byron Bay with his partner, their daughter, and their dog, Fred.

The iSelect Editorial Team is comprised of a bunch of seasoned writers, editors, industry professionals and data analysts who are dedicated to helping Aussies improve their financial literacy.

Natasha Janssens is a Certified Money Coach (CMC)^® and founder of Women with Cents. She is an award-winning finance expert with a passion for supporting women to transform their relationship with money.

Gemma Kaczerepa is a freelance writer who’s worked in editorial, marketing and PR for over 10 years. She writes across numerous topics but particularly loves delving into subjects like property, money and insurance and untangling them for readers.

She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Communications (Journalism) from the University of Technology Sydney (as well as a commercial cookery qualification, but that’s a story for another day).

Alex Kidman is an award-winning journalist and writer with over 25 years experience writing about just about every facet of consumer technology, from internet plans to mobile phones, laptops to TVs, EVs to printers.

He is a former editor at CNET Australia, Gizmodo Australia, ZDNet Australia, APC, and PC Mag Australia, as well as being a regular contributor to many technology publications and newspapers in Australia and abroad. While he appreciates a shiny new device or new approach, Alex believes that at the end of the day it’s all about what technology can actually do to make our lives better.

Hannah Lovegrove is a seasoned content writer, having produced a range of informative blogs across the insurance, energy, budgeting and finance space.

When it comes to numbers and insurance, Hannah understands that these concepts are often complicated, confusing and at times… a little boring. So, she’s made it her mission to turn tricky topics into information that’s fun to read and easy to digest.

Paul Maric is a highly acclaimed motoring journalist and the co-founder and managing editor of CarExpert.com.au. With over 15 years of experience in the automotive industry, Paul’s knowledge is bolstered by a degree in mechanical engineering.

https://www.carexpert.com.au/author/paul-maric

Jane Mason’s the Head of Product, Channels & Risk with BizCover and has an insurance career spanning 20 years. Jane is committed to building sustainable portfolios and partnerships in order to provide outstanding insurance solutions to a range of organisations across Australia.

Dr Sarah McKay is a neuroscientist, speaker, author, and media personality. She is the founder of Think Brain and the Neuroscience Academy suite of training programs, which provide professional development training in applied neuroscience and developing a healthy brain.

Molly McLaughlin is a freelance writer with a decade of experience in digital media.

Molly started her career at HerCanberra, a local lifestyle publication, before spending most of her twenties writing her way through Latin America and Southeast Asia. Her work has been published by outlets including Lonely Planet, Refinery29 and Junkee.

Mark is the Executive – Commercial at iSelect, having joined the team back in 2018. With a career spanning 20 years, Mark brings with him a breadth of commercial experience.

Our General Manager for Utilities & Credit Cards, Julia is passionate about debunking energy comparisons and saving customers money on their household bills. An avid reader, she’s also a great asset to any trivia team.

As Brand Manager for iSelect, Jessie understands how to simplify otherwise complicated topics to help Aussies improve their financial literacy and better manage their household bills.

With over a decade of experience writing on just about every topic imaginable, Madeline loves nothing more than taking tricky technical information and transforming it into clear accessible content. Originally starting at iSelect in the Energy space, she’s taken this passion for clarity from solar panels to solar plexuses. 

She’s keen to help customers take care of themselves and their families, and live their best lives, even on a budget.

As the Content Manager, Angela shapes the content strategy at iSelect, making sure it’s designed to help Aussies save time, effort and money. With over a decade of experience as an editor, writer and publisher, Angela has years of experience simplifying complex information and sometimes, even making it fun!

Mr Taxman, Dr Adrian Raftery is the best-selling author of 101 Ways to Save Money on Your Tax – Legally! (now in its 11th edition) and is widely sought by the media for his views on tax, superannuation and financial issues. He runs a COVID-19 proof award-winning tax & accounting practice remotely in the Mornington Peninsula down in Melbourne.

With years of experience in health insurance and marketing content, David joined iSelect in 2023 as Digital Editor to turn complex topics into clear and fun guidance for our customers. 

Writing like a human being and finding ways to make our content shine is what David is passionate about so iSelect can be, and remain, personal and relatable.

Sophie Ryan is an experienced journalist and iSelect spokesperson. She’s passionate about helping Australians to save time, effort and money.

Sophie is regularly quoted in the media, including Seven News, Nine News and Sunrise. She’s also contributed articles for popular websites and publications including Kidspot and Money Magazine.

With her experience in content, SEO and digital marketing, Tina believes writing is much like storytelling and solving puzzles – piecing together ideas creatively and deliberately so they flow like silk (and rank on search engines).

Tina holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Engineering with a Minor Program in French from the Ateneo de Manila University.

Debbie Shankar is Group Content Manager at Lendi, the leading branded distributor of home loans in the market, including the Lendi, Aussie and Domain Home Loans brands.

With almost a decade of experience leading and writing content across the finance and journalism sector, Debbie believes complex information should be accessible and digestible for all.

Liv Steigrad is a brand strategist and copywriter with almost a decade of experience working with words. She believes that any topic is fascinating if you look closely enough, and enjoys doing her part in making information more accessible to anyone who comes looking.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Psychology and Spanish from the University of Sydney.

Francis is an experienced content writer with a knack for simplifying complex information and understands the issues and difficulties many Aussies face when it comes to insurance. As such, he’s made it his mission to help improve the customer experience.

Janina Waldmann is a freelance writer living and working on Gadigal Country. As a millennial in Sydney, she’s well aware of the value of financial literacy and enjoys writing about personal finance.

She holds a Bachelor of Communication from the University of Technology and is currently completing a Bachelor of Political Science at the Goethe Universität, Frankfurt.