Viv has an extensive track record as a business executive and a community leader in the corporate, community and government settings. She has held roles at AMP Asset Management and ANZ Banking Group where she was the Head of Risk Management for the ANZ Margin Lending portfolio and their diversity strategy.

Viv became a member of the Order of Australia for significant service to Victoria’s multicultural community and has played a critical role in the Victorian government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She is on the Victorian government’s Anti-Racism Taskforce to help inform and drive the state’s Anti-Racism Strategy, amongst many other interdepartmental committees and ministerial advisory taskforces and councils.

Along with her corporate career, Viv is a tireless advocate for grassroots participation and representation, in civic engagement and participation.  

She is a recipient of the Centenary Medal, Victorian Women’s Honour Roll and Rotary International’s Paul Harris Fellow.

Mariam Veiszadeh, CEO, Media Diversity Australia, is an award-winning human rights advocate, lawyer, diversity and inclusion practitioner, contributing author and media commentator. In late 2023, she was named overall winner of the 2023 Asian-Australian Leadership Awards.

Her Ted Talk on privilege has been viewed over half a million times. Mariam was appointed the inaugural CEO of Media Diversity Australia in late 2021, an organisation that seeks to ensure that the Australian media looks and sounds like Australia. She is also the founder and Chair of the Islamophobia Register Australia and has been involved in the anti-racism space for over a decade. As a former Afghan refugee from Afghanistan, Mariam has been a spokesperson for the Afghan Australian Advocacy Network and was at the forefront of advocating for Australia to increase its humanitarian intake when Kabul fell to the Taliban. She has also worked as radio commentator for the ABC radio and columnist for Fairfax media, and held multiple board positions including formerly as Co-Chair of Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights and Our Watch. Mariam was named Fairfax Daily Life 2016 Woman of the year, the 2015 Westpac Woman of Influence and Woman of the Year and Role Model of the Year in 2015 in the Australian Muslim Achievement Awards.

Rajitha (Raj) Srikhanta is a Deputy Chief Tax Counsel (DCTC) in the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).  As DCTC, Raj is responsible for leading the resolution of significant and complex tax matters with a focus on indirect taxes, and issues across remuneration, schemes, and tax administration.

Raj joined the ATO’s graduate program in 1997.  Her previous leadership roles include Deputy Commissioner for Service Delivery Strategy and Support where she was responsible for the overarching service strategy for the ATO and shaping the way the ATO and its clients interact.  Raj has a wealth of experience in the ATO’s Client Engagement Groups, leading the Domestic Risk and Top 1000 Next Actions Programs, and the Advice and Guidance branch for public and multinational businesses as Assistant Commissioner in Public Groups and International business line, and responsible for the end-to-end administration of the $30 billion Excise product as Assistant Commissioner in Private Wealth.

In addition to this, Raj is the SES sponsor of the ATO’s Women in Melbourne Network.  The Network is aligned with the ATO’s commitment to achieving gender equality at leadership levels.  Raj is also co-champion of the ATO’s Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (CALD) network, which aims to increase cultural awareness and visibility within the workplace. 

Raj is proud to work for the ATO – an organisation that embraces all the aspects of diversity and inclusion and is committed to the meaningful engagement with our culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Florine is passionate about contributing to a safe, inclusive and diverse workforce and society. She is the newly appointed Co-Chair of the Victorian Public Service (VPS) Women of Colour Network, a collective of over 800 members and allies across the VPS.
Florine is also the Co-Founder of the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA)’s Women of Colour Network, which she chaired from its inception in 2020 until stepping back in mid-2023 to focus on the VPS Women of Colour Network. In her function as Co-Chair of the DEECA Women of Colour Network, she grew the network by 700%, wrote the first strategic plan and co-lead the development and delivery of the first VPS departmental Women of Colour mentoring program. The pilot for this program concluded in April 2023 with much success. Florine is also a member of the City of Monash Gender Equity Advisory Committee where she contributes her experience and knowledge on a local community level.

Jane Chen is the daughter of Chinese immigrants, born and raised as a settler on unceded Wurundjeri lands. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, where she is exploring how intersectionality is being understood and applied in policymaking by public servants in Victoria. Professionally, she is herself a public servant working in social policy, with expertise in gender equality, multicultural affairs, and strategic planning. She is also a writer, public speaker and non-executive director, and has held various advocacy and advisory roles across the youth and multicultural sectors.

Vanya Kumar is the Executive Director, Innovation, Commercial and Investment Attraction in the Energy Group at the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action. Vanya is an experienced executive with expertise in commercial transactions, infrastructure development and project management. A lawyer by training, Vanya also brings strong commercial, negotiation, governance, stakeholder management and policy experience to her role. She has worked across a range of industries including energy and utilities, banking and finance, construction, oil and gas, and transport in Australia and overseas.

Poh is a multi-talented artist known for her diverse creative pursuits, including painting, cooking and television presenting.

Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Poh’s early years were influenced by a rich tapestry of cultures – a theme often woven into her artistic expression. At the age of nine, Poh’s family migrated to South Australia where she still lives and works. Poh studied a Bachelor of Design (Illustration) at the University of South Australia, then freelanced as a graphic designer and illustrator. She is a celebrated artist with over 20 successful exhibitions under her belt.

As a fifth-generation Chinese Malaysian, Poh’s interest in food came from her wanting to reconcile her heritage with Western culture. In 2009 she shot to stardom when she was runner-up in the first ever series of MasterChef Australia. Her unique culinary creations and warm, affable personality endeared her to viewers, catapulting her into the public eye as a household name.

Since her breakthrough on MasterChef Australia, Poh has emerged as a prominent figure in the Australian culinary landscape and has regularly appeared on our television screens. She has authored five cookbooks, hosted her own television series, and collaborated with various renowned chefs. In 2019, Poh returned to the MasterChef Australia family as a mentor and in 2020, she was a contestant on MasterChef Australia: Back to Win, placing sixth overall.

From 2021, she hosted two series of Snack Masters Australia, in 2022 she competed in Nine’s LEGO Masters Bricksmas Special and Network 10’s eighth season of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! In 2023 she teamed up with fellow MasterChef Australia contestant Adam Liaw to host SBS cooking show Adam & Poh’s Great Australian Bites. And in a full circle moment, Poh has now joined MasterChef Australia as a judge beginning in 2024.

Coming from a huge family of proud Chinese Malaysian home cooks, Poh prefers to be called a cook than a chef. She hopes to get Aussies excited about exploring a variety of cuisines and become mindful of food wastage.

Dr Varina Michaels is all about people. Leading people, learning about people and advocating for people. She is an experienced Strategy, Leadership and Human Resource Management professional with deep expertise in Global Diversity and Inclusion, Intercultural Management, Neurodiversity and Leadership Development. Dr Michaels is Founder and Director of Paisley Group, sits on the Board of Women of Colour Australia and is an inclusive leader, international speaker and published academic.

Brenda Gaddi (she/her) is a Filipina settler living, working, and playing on sovereign land of the Wallumattagal clan of the Darug nation. She is a first-generation migrant born and raised during the Martial Law era in the Philippines. She and her young family arrived in Australia in the late 90s to join her mum.

Brenda is an entrepreneur with a deep curiosity for discovering new opportunities that will take her out of her comfort zone. She is an avid trail runner and calls running a moving meditation.
She was part of the inaugural Changemakers Program. Changemakers is a campaign shining a spotlight on individuals using LinkedIn to drive genuine change in the world of work. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations. She is currently completing her Master of Public and Social Policy at Macquarie University.

Brenda has been building women-focused communities and championing women’s voices for over a decade. She established one of the first community platforms in Australia where content creators were fairly remunerated for their work and time. She got involved in the not-for-profit space in 2015. She is passionate about racial, economic & social justice, gender equity, and intersectionality.

Starting Women of Colour Australia is Brenda’s most important and biggest initiative so far. She is equal parts excited and terrified. Creating change is not meant to be easy. Growth and comfort do not co-exist.

As we stand in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, the first and original matriarchs of this land, we humbly ask for your help in creating a fairer and more equitable for all Women of Colour
Let’s get things done.

Lama Tiavo was born in Samoa and hails from the villages of Solosolo and Matautu Lefaga. As a proud Pacific Islander, Lama’s indomitable commitment to the advancement of marginalised, underrepresented, and migrant communities stands as a beacon of inspiration.Lama is an Associate Director in the Commercial Office at Deloitte Australia. This is where she co-founded and leads Deloitte’s Pacific Community Australia and Papua New Guinea. Delivering firm-wide quarterly Talanoa (discussions) events and connect on a weekly Fono (meeting). A platform dedicated to inspiring, elevating, and having impact in the Pacific region.

As a trailblazer, Lama was the first Pacific Islander to graduate from the Victorian Government Women of Colour Australia Executive Leadership Program Nov-23. She was selected as the one of six Unspoken storytellers in Deloitte’s Race and Culture Action Plan, lending her voice to those whose narratives have yet to be heard. She is also an active member of the Race and Culture working group in targeting real and measurable change each year across the firm. Her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is not just rhetoric; it’s a guiding principle. Lama’s career spans over a decade, across diverse sectors including Healthcare, Accounting, Banking, Government, and Not-for-Profit, where her leadership has been synonymous with innovation and excellence. Within each industry, Lama has cultivated elite teams, each a testament to her exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to achieving unparalleled results. From devising strategic plans to navigating P&L analysis, forecasting, and continuous improvement, Lama’s influence permeates every facet of the business landscape.