Our Board

Elizabeth is a human resources executive with 25 years experience in the private, public and non-for-profit sectors, currently the Chief People Officer at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. Elizabeth is passionate about helping organisations create positive and safe workplaces to attract and retain people from diverse backgrounds. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts and postgraduate qualifications in Industrial Relations, from the University of Melbourne.

Nayanisha is the Head of Policy & Advocacy at the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA). Nayanisha is a former lawyer with extensive federal public sector experience in governance, corporate compliance and regulation. She is also a non-executive director at Fitted For Word, a charity which helps women, non-binary, and gender-diverse jobseekers to become job-ready and find meaningful employment. Nayanisha has a keen interest in good governance and regulation, sustainability and sustainable finance as well as experience in overseeing complex policy projects.

Holly is a Chartered Accountant with over seven years of professional experience in the SME and non-profit sectors. Her expertise spans tax and business services across diverse industries. Holly is passionate about helping businesses and organisations operate more efficiently, allowing business owners and Directors to focus on what truly matters. She is passionate in promoting gender equality and striving to eliminate violence against women and marginalised groups. She holds a Bachelor of Law and Commerce from Deakin University and has earned postgraduate qualifications as a Chartered Accountant.

Briana brings over 20 years of experience spanning government, private sector and community organisations, with a strong focus on complex, large-scale infrastructure, renewable energy and transport projects. Throughout her career, she has held senior leadership roles in communication and stakeholder engagement, people and culture, social inclusion and procurement, and change management. Passionate about driving positive impact, Briana specialises in helping high-risk, complex organisations and projects maximise social outcomes through innovative procurement practices, workforce development strategies, meaningful engagement, and compelling storytelling. Briana holds a Bachelor of Business and Commerce, a Master’s in Construction Management, and is currently enrolled in the Australian Institute of Company Directors course.

Laura is an AAICD, a CA and a CPA. She holds a BA in Women’s Studies and Chinese Language (Mandarin) and a BCom in Accounting and Finance. She worked for 17 years in finance starting out in consulting, and moving to Industry as a leader inside small high growth business and digital/technology corporate teams. In 2019 Laura co-founded social enterprise bedding brand, #GoKindly. She is an experienced NFP Treasurer and NED in grassroots women-led organisations. She is passionate about profit-for-purpose and BCorp brands which support and lead social change. She is a feminist activist, writer and storyteller with lived experience of leaving a fundamentalist and cultic group. She supports (often rural, regional and remote) women, children and LGBTIQA+ people leaving high control families and communities. Her writing and work has been published in Mamamia, SBS, ABC, Marie Claire AU, Take 5, Women’s Day. She has appeared on SBS Insight, Let’s Talk About Sects, Hughesy, Ed & Erin Show, and Mamamia True Crime.

Jo is an evaluation and policy consultant, who has worked in the Victorian community services for over ten years. Their work focuses on building the capability and capacity of organisations to put the person back into the system, and restore individuals’ and communities’ autonomy and empowerment. Her work prioritises those who have been marginalised, including people with significant trauma and mental distress, LGBTQIA+ people, and communities impacted by structural violence. As a consultant, Jo directly supports organisations to undertake evaluations, and also to build their capacity in trauma-informed and lived experience-led research and evaluation. Jo has a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics from the University of Oxford, a Graduate Certificate of Evaluation from the University of Melbourne, and is currently undertaking a PhD exploring opportunities to improve research with young people who have experienced trauma.

Cerrita is a public servant with over 15 years’ experience in evidence-based policy design and project delivery in state and federal government agencies. She has expertise in diverse social policy contexts including family violence, children and families, workplace rights, and social housing. She has led teams and projects spanning research and evaluation, outcomes and performance measurement, policy development, and strategic planning. Cerrita holds a Master of Public Policy with a specialisation in Social Policy from ANU’s Crawford School and is currently completing a Master of Evaluation at Melbourne University.

Sasha is a people and culture executive with experience in growth, transformation and change in the social services sector. With qualifications in HR and leadership, she has worked across mental health, disability, and family violence for more than 15 years, leading corporate functions including comms and marketing, quality and risk management, and the full spectrum of HR functions. Driven by social justice values, she is passionate about advancing gender equality and working to end violence against women and marginalized communities.

Nacha is a program portfolio and risk leader with extensive experience in across infrastructure and retail, setting up complex businesses and programs of work to deliver against strategy and outcomes whilst managing risk. She is currently a Senior Manager, Commercial Operations at Woolworths Group in their e-commerce marketplace business and previously worked at KPMG as an Associate Director in their Infrastructure advisory team, with a role setting up the program and risk management to deliver Victoria's Big Housing Build social and affordable housing program. Nacha is driven by being able to contribute meaningfully to a cause providing support for women and non-binary people experiencing violence and homelessness having lived experience of domestic and relationship violence in her younger years. Nacha holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Arts (Communication Studies) from the University of Western Australia and holds program management qualifications as a Management of Portfolios (MoP) and PRINCE2 Practitioner.