Funding Team
The Lyone Foundation is administered by Lyone family members, who are joined by a small committee of COS employees who drive our annual Charity Selection Program, this committee is made up of representatives from COS branches, Australia wide.
Dominique Lyone, Founder & Chairman
After immigrating to Australia from Egypt with his family in 1967 as a young boy, Dominique soon took a job as an apprentice in the maintenance department at a typewriter company. There was a stationery store in the basement, and it was here that Dominique first fell in love with office supplies. In awe of the sales team, he decided to give sales a try. It didn’t take long for him to realise that this was his true passion, so he sold his beloved red Mazda to use as the capital to start Complete Office Supplies.
Dominque has successfully grown COS to become the national success story that it is today, but he’s always retained a sincere gratitude to the communities and charities who supported his family on arrival in Australia. This is the driving force behind the foundation. Dominique is not only a successful businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, but a proud family man, married to Mara and father to Belinda, Amie, and his teenage son.
Mara Lyone, Board Member
Longstanding COS supporter, and wife to Dominique Lyone, Mara worked closely with Dominique at COS from 1992 to 2002, calling on her background in advertising and administration from Canada to help shape the family business during its most challenging times. With gratitude towards everyday Australians who make it their life’s work to create charities in service of humanity, it is Mara’s personal wish that the Lyone Foundation continues to support and make a difference to them, not only now, but for generations to come.
Mara considers it a privilege to offer support to Australian charities through the Lyone Foundation. “The foundation is totally aligned to my personal values and life’s purpose…” says Mara who now works with marginalised, isolated, & disadvantaged people in the community as an Art Therapist. ”It is a powerful way to make a difference by funding projects for charities that passionately give their lives in service of others”.
Belinda Lyone, Co-CEO
Belinda Lyone is a proud founding member of the Lyone Foundation. Belinda joined COS in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Economics, and a Master of Marketing, and spending over 5 years in a Brand Manager role outside of the family business. In 2016 Belinda received the Family Business Australia Next Generation Achiever Award, recognising an outstanding person who is successfully navigating the path to leadership in the family business.
Belinda has had the privilege of meeting many charity founders who have made giving their life’s purpose and has found that in most cases they understand the need because they have experienced that same need themselves. She believes firmly in mindful giving, working hard to get to know a charity and its projects so that she can feel confident that any support from the Foundation finds its way into the community quickly, and efficiently.
Amie Lyone, Co-CEO
Amie Lyone is also a proud founding member of the Lyone Foundation. Amie joined COS in 2004, after spending the first 5 years of her career in professional services outside of the family business. In 2019 Amie received the Family Business Australia Next Generation Achiever Award, recognising an outstanding person who is successfully navigating the path to leadership in their family business.
Amie finds the connection COS staff have to the foundation incredibly rewarding, saying that it’s a side effect of the foundation that she hadn’t previously considered. While it was always the plan to have staff involved Amie says that for many it is part of why they choose to work for COS, it engages them in a more human way. Amie loves the stories that come from the committee, and finds joy in seeing people connect so meaningfully to charities they care so deeply about. COS staff help the foundation to dig deeply and find the smaller charities run by incredible individuals, each with their own unique story and a real passion to make a difference.
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