2023 ELGP Participants revealed

In our 11th year of the program, we are delighted to reveal the participants of the 2023 Emerging Leaders in Governance program (ELGP).  This program exists thanks to the financial and in kind support of Community Partners – thank you to all the organisations below.  Our Community Partners are contributing to a world class aged care and community sector through strengthening governance and diversity on NFP boards. 

2023 ELGP Participants revealed

We would like to warmly welcome this program’s cohort and we look forward to working with you!

Alyce Martin

Alyce has assisted many people with preparing their estate planning over the last 12 years and while most people come to her to make a Will, one of the most important conversations that Alyce believes should be had, is what happens in the event of illness or injury which means that a person isn’t able to manage their affairs during their lifetime.

Alyce has represented persons in the State Administrative Tribunal to gain back their own authority where appropriate and also to help families ensure that the appropriate care and representation in available for those more vulnerable members of their family.

Educating people in this area is a passion for Alyce and she enjoys every opportunity she gets to speak about Enduring Powers of Attorney and Enduring Powers of Guardianship and advocating for older Australian’s to understand these documents and the effect that they have.

Chahat Gupta (She/her)

Chahat is an experienced workforce advisory consultant at EY, with a deep interest in resolving workforce related challenges and managing change through a human centred approach. Her breadth of experience across different industries has equipped her with an understanding of business challenges, risks and the nuances. She has a Masters in Business Administration (distinction) and also possesses a Masters in Education Leadership. She is passionate about making a difference through her contribution which is reflected in her past association with the Australia-India Business Council (AIBC) where she served as the youngest committee member for AIBC’s WA chapter. While in India, she has served as the Rotaract officer, overseeing 83 districts in her role.

Chahat is committed to challenging the status quo, innovating and bringing in new initiatives to create communities that offer equal opportunities, purpose and respect to all.

Jawaria Mahmood (She/her)

Jawaria is an engineer by qualification and a muslim migrant residing in Perth. She has experience working in government and corporate sectors as well as not-for-profit. She is passionate about promoting her culture and works with multiple projects to improve harmony in the society.

She is also a diversity and inclusion advocate for Engineers Australia that is working to promote a positive work culture. She loves to be a change ambassador and a role model for females who want to push boundaries and break the bias.

Jessica Kiekebosch-Fitt (She/her)

Lachie Fahey-Gilmour (He/him)

Lachie is an experienced leader, strategist and innovator with strong governance and strategic experience; with a passion for making a tangible difference and inspiring others to make an impact.   With professional experience in the Not-For-Profit sector with Football West and Football Futures Foundation, he has developed practical and technical skills across the sector.  Currently, he holds a Business Transformation Coordinator role at Perth Airport. 

A growth-mindset leader and strategist who embraces change and complex issues to design clear and focused strategies for organisations, communities, and their environments, with the use of technology to drive transformation and innovation. Lachie has proven success in the development of community-based programs and the procurement of commercial and government funds to make a difference within priority community groups.

With a driven agenda to make a difference and influence and engage others to make an impact, Lachie is excited to be joining the Emerging Leaders Program to upskill, network and commence the journey further in the Aged Care and Community sectors.

Michael Elwan (He/him)

Working with people is Michael’s passion and what drives and motivates him in the workplace. He started his career working with the world’s largest manufacturer of packaging materials “Amcor Flexibles”.

For six years, he was solely responsible for the contract management of twelve Fortune 500 multinationals, and leading high performing teams across three countries. He is resilient, creative, goal-oriented, ambitious, and genuinely enjoys learning new languages, concepts, and techniques.

His leadership style and philosophy are being a transformational and authentic leader; whereby he motivates, encourages, and inspires his team to create and innovate change.

Michael’s work experiences range from contracts management; strategy formulation and implementation; marketing operations; program development and evaluation; mental health; case management; youth work; child protection; key account management; business development; and project management.

He is a current member of the United Nations Association (WA); The Refugee Council of Australia; the Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association; and a mentor at the Kaleidoscope Mentoring Program (WA). In addition to successfully completing courses in Contracts Management, program strategy and evaluation, and other NFP related courses from elite institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, and Yale, Michael is a recipient of the University of New England Award.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting; Master of Business Administration (Distinction); Master of Social Work – Counselling for Loss and Grief elective (Distinction); Micro Masters in Business Leadership (High Distinction); and he is currently studying a Graduate Diploma in Mental Health.

Michael Pendlebury

Michael has a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics and a master’s degree in mining engineering. He has worked for the past 15 years in mining consulting and on operating mines across the world. Michael is looking to grow professionally as a leader and is excited about giving back to the community.

Nicola Cuthbert (She/her)

Nicola has worked in the aged care sector since the age of 16. Qualifying as a registered nurse in Scotland in 2005 Nicola worked for NHS in an acute hospital. After immigrating to Australia in 2009 she became a clinical nurse at SJOG Subiaco. During this time, she won a scholarship to Notre Dame University to gain post-grad qualifications in clinical nursing. Nicola went on to become a clinical facilitator at ECU and Curtin University and worked within the learning and innovation health space. After becoming a parent Nicola moved into the aged care sector as a clinical nurse manager and later a dementia consultant with Dementia Support Australia. In 2021 Nicola won a scholarship into the Curtin Ignition program and developed her business which launched in November 2021. Still Me now has a team of nurses working in the aged care and NDIS space delivering nursing support to over 500 clients and training many support workers in the community care sector.

Rachel Turner (She/her)

Rachel Turner is a finance manager in the State Government sector, and has over 15 years’ experience in the industry as a chartered accountant and governance professional. With a background in public practice, Rachel has worked with clients in the corporate, government, and not-for-profit sectors to support them in achieving their business objectives. She enjoys seeing how decisions made by organisations can impact on community wellbeing and aspires to one day develop Australia’s first Living Standard’s Framework.

Simran Malhi (She/her)

Simran Malhi is a Technology consultant. She was born in New Delhi, India and moved to Australia with her family at the age of nine. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from UWA double majoring in Human Biology/Anatomy and Economics.

She started her career as a Customer Experience Graduate in Banking and worked across Product Management, Digital Production and Digital Marketing. She worked in Product and Process Governance advocating for vulnerable customers before moving to a Technology Consulting Firm. She’s currently working in Agile Project Management at a leading mining firm.

Simran has always been interested in the Not-for-profit sector and volunteering, gaining a community service award for over 200 hours of volunteering at the Salvation Army in school to organizing bank-wide fundraisers and workplace events for Wear it Purple Day, CoderDojo and Foodbank at Bankwest.

Suzanne Malone (She/her)

Suzie is an experienced strategic marketer across physical products, services and software, predominantly in private sector with CSBP, Wesfarmers, and more recently in not-for-profit sector with Southcare Inc.

Suzie is a planner and driver recognised for her ability to see the bigger picture, the different components and bringing people along on the journey. She has been instrumental in delivering successful strategic initiatives for brands, business improvement and transformation.

Suzie enjoys volunteering to support purpose driven groups that are driving for better communities. She has volunteered with Soroptomist International South Perth and 100 Women, who support women and girls to meet their full potential, and Bibra Lake Primary School board, focus on the growth and development of children. Currently volunteer at Bibra Lake Junior Football Club as Club Secretary and Team Manager, creating a sense of belonging to build strong, connected and happier children and families.

Wendy Ugarte (She/her)

Wendy has been involved with and directed the development and implementation of various health-related projects, programs, and initiatives for the Department of Health, the Minister of Health, the Director-General, and the Mental Health Commission. Wendy’s initiatives have aided in the advancement of health policy, planning, and administration of health services. In the Office of Mental Health, Wendy initiated and supervised various health and information system-related committees. The leadership focus Wendy brings to the teams she works with is to enhance communication, information sharing, creativity, and innovation.

Through participation in the Diverse Women’s Leadership Program, Wendy has identified her natural ability, a sense of purpose and desire to be of service to others and lead with intention and from a place of compassion. As a result of this Wendy is now currently volunteering with 2 non-profit-organisations, Multilingual Australia as a community-liaison and 100x Women as a support for the board members in planning. This is a new chapter for Wendy as she looks to take on leadership opportunities in communities.

Zena Ferguson (She/her)

Zena is an experienced facilitator of welcoming, diverse spaces in Australia and Japan. Strongly believing in the power of volunteering to create connected communities, she lives and realises this passion at Befriend as Development Facilitator. With four years’ experience in this self-managing environment, Zena has coordinated and contributed to key pieces of organisational development and developed extensive facilitation and community building experience. This includes delivering workshops to Neighbourhood Centres and Support Workers on community inclusion and participation, hosting conversations with groups of volunteers and 1:1 support to people seeking deeper connections in their lives. With an interest in social research from her first-class honours in Sociology and Anthropology, Zena leads the review, delivery, and analysis of Befriend’s impact evaluation. Her volunteer experiences include President of the JET Alumni Association of WA and committee membership of Perth Swing Dance Society, TEDxPerth, Big Help Mob and roles in community arts organisations.