When Michelle Hutchison reflects on her career, she doesn’t point to a five-year plan or a neat set of steps that led her to become Chief of Staff at Finder. Instead, she describes a series of leaps, some accidental and some instinctive, which were always underpinned by curiosity and a willingness to dive into the unknown. 

“I’ve always looked for opportunities to help in random areas,” she says. “Sometimes it didn’t fall into PR, but I’d see something that needed to be done and just start working on it.” 

It’s a pattern that has defined her career, from her early days as a journalist, to running PR teams, to being the person who launches new company policies or designs entire internship programs. Today, Michelle is at the heart of Finder, helping steer its people, projects, and future-facing ventures in crypto and emerging tech. But, as we discovered on our podcast, behind every career is a story you’ve never heard. 

From art dreams to media reality 

Long before leadership roles and innovation projects, Michelle’s sights were set on a creative path. 

“I wanted to open an art gallery and be an artist,” she recalls. “But my parents discouraged me and wanted me to have a fallback plan. So I studied media and put my art on hold.” 

And journalism was her way into storytelling. Internships at newspapers, radio stations, and magazines (including a stint at Dolly!) gave her an insider’s view of how the media machine worked. Eventually she landed in radio news, filing bulletins for two stations on the Central Coast, before moving back to Sydney for a role at Property Council Australia magazine. 

When the editor suddenly departed, Michelle was thrust into the role. “I had to pick up the pieces and work out how to do it. But that’s how you learn when you’re thrown in the deep end.” 

That hunger to learn soon pulled her beyond journalism. PR caught her attention, then the fast-growing world of comparison sites. “I fell into it, and I haven’t looked back.” 

A career built on curiosity 

At Finder, Michelle helped establish the PR function, but she rarely limited herself to her job description. She built analytics support teams, scaled strategies into new markets, and even drafted the company’s first parental leave policy. 

“I organised our first offsite, one of our first Christmas parties. I’d see something that wasn’t being done and think, ‘What about this? I’ll go do it.’ That’s how I fell into the Chief of Staff role.” 

Her remit only grew. She was part of Finder Ventures, the innovation arm experimenting with new ideas, launching apps and crypto projects. When the company began trading large amounts of crypto, she stepped in as compliance officer. “I thought, let’s work out how to build a compliance program and deal with Austrac. I just figured it out.” 

Again and again, her career has been defined not by a pre-set ladder but by saying yes to challenges and then working out the rest. 

The human side of leadership 

For all the ventures into crypto and compliance, what comes through most strongly is Michelle’s approach to people. 

“I’ve been told I’m very nurturing, like a mother goose,” she says with a smile. “I always look after my team, and really anyone near me. Having kids probably amplified that.” 

That empathy has shaped her impact on Finder’s culture. She benchmarked policies against global tech giants but also made them uniquely suited to Finder. “I asked a colleague for examples from big tech companies, but when I put it forward, Frank [co-founder of Finder] said: ‘Don’t worry about what they’re doing. What’s the best thing we can do?’” 

She’s also passionate about opening doors for the next generation. Partnering with Macquarie University, she built structured internship programs in PR and social media. “We get these fresh, digital-native perspectives, and they get real workplace experience. It’s a win-win.” 

Crypto, AI, and the future of work 

For Michelle, emerging technology isn’t abstract, it’s something she works with daily. She’s been immersed in crypto projects since 2018 and sees enormous potential, especially for global money transfers. 

“You’ve got millions of people sending money overseas every week, losing so much to fees. Then bitcoin came along and you can send it instantly for a fraction of the cost. That was the first use case that really clicked.” 

And she’s just as enthusiastic about AI: “I love ChatGPT. I use it when I’m overwhelmed or need to get my creative juices flowing. Some people like to draft first then refine with it, but I start with it—it helps me think.” 

At Finder, she’s part of weaving AI into workflows, from search and comparison to creative production. For her, it’s about efficiency and possibility: “What did we do without it?” 

Not just a Chief of Staff 

Despite her achievements, Michelle doesn’t separate her professional and personal selves. “I feel like I am the same person outside of work,” she says. At home, she’s a mum of two, chasing kids and balancing family life. On the side, she still nurtures her art roots though one half-finished painting has been waiting two years for her to return to it. 

“If I could be known for something completely different, it would be as an artist. Painting brings so much joy and freedom.” 

And this creativity runs through her leadership too. Whether drafting policies, launching experimental projects, or mentoring interns, Michelle treats every challenge as a blank canvas. She brings care, curiosity, and a readiness to experiment; qualities that have shaped her career far more than any job title ever could. 

As she puts it: “I’ve made so many mistakes, but that’s how you learn. You jump in, you figure it out, and you keep moving forward.” 

Want to hear more of Michelle’s story? Watch the full podcast episode on our YouTube channel.