Together In Action has drawn together a diverse global team of highly experienced technologists, investors, academics, industry experts and cultural leaders to bring their passions and ideas to the table for our 5 Together in Action panel sessions:
See full profiles below, listed under panel session themes:
Recognising the Pattern of Life, Achieving Exponential Impact, Bridging the Gap, Unlocking Intergenerational Wisdom & Empowering Action.
Mirela is a Brasilian academic and consultant based in Australia. She is passionate about the intersectionality between culture, environment, sustainability, and traditional knowledge. She has a background in Law and a PhD in Anthropology and Social Justice and has spent significant time living and working with traditional communities in the Brazilian Amazon region over the past 15 years. When she’s not in the jungle, she’s either in university classrooms or at the farm on Dja Dja Wurrung country where she lives, grows food, and regenerates Country with her partner and son. For the last 5 years she has been supporting students of the School of Global, Urban, and Social Studies at RMIT, Melbourne, on their journeys of developing further knowledge and critical thinking about the world, including through designing and delivering Undergraduate and Master level courses such as Indigenous Studies, Applied Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples, and Indigenous Peoples and the Environment. In 2018, Mirela was awarded an Endeavour grant by the Australian Federal Government, which allowed her to take 20 students (including 3 Indigenous) to the Brazilian Amazon to explore issues of development, indigeneity, and sustainability in that part of the world. Mirela’s mission is to help develop regenerative cultures and exchanges both within and between Brasil and Australia.
Samantha Nyadbi Martin, is an Aboriginal woman and descendant from the Jaru and Kija people from the North East Kimberley region of Western Australia. Samantha has worked in education, tourism, hospitality and the corporate sector travelling around the world with the Australian Embassy to promote the richness and diversities of her cultures, delivering Aboriginal presentations and producing documentaries for SBS, NITV (National Indigenous TV) ABC, Discovery Channel and National Geographic. Samantha is an Author of the Bush Tukka Guide published by Hardie Grant in 2014 and Television Presenter for SBS/NITV and ABC for a TV show called My Bush Tukka Adventures by Samantha Martin.
The director of Tribal Voice Connections and presenter of Cultural Adventures with Samantha Martin she is an ambassador for cultural protocols, cultural advisor for the Australian Embassy, and an indigenous youth mentor for over 10 Years.
Tyson Yunkaporta is an academic, an arts critic, and a researcher who belongs to the Apalech Clan in far north Queensland. He carves traditional tools and weapons and also works as a senior lecturer in Indigenous Knowledges at Deakin University in Melbourne.
Te Puoho (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Whātua Ngāti Tama) is a Māori Investment Manager for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, assisting indigenous companies to raise capital for international growth, supporting Māori entities to deliver large greenfield projects that mobilize tribal assets and capital.
He is a Trustee for the Ākina Foundation, whose mission is creating a more socially and environmentally impactful economy by working with enterprises, businesses, charities and government.
He is also an Independent Director, Manaaki, with Wakatū Incorporation, working to leverage Wakatū’s resources to generate diverse benefits, grants and programmes for its owners.
Te Puoho is a 2017 Fulbright scholar, a 2018 Stanford GSB Sloan Fellow, and a 2019 Obama Foundation Leader: Asia-Pacific. These experiences have positioned him to leverage global best practice within an indigenous, values-based lens.
Rosie is a passionate advocate for human rights, gender equality and universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene. She has two decades of international development experience, having lived and worked in Indonesia for six years before joining WaterAid Australia at its inception in 2004. She was Director of International Programs prior to becoming Chief Executive in 2016. Rosie’s leadership manifesto focuses on being an authentic, servant leader who always pushes herself beyond her comfort zone; this is where Rosie believes she learns most and performs at her best.
Rosie serves on the Board of the THREE Foundation, ACFID and is a Founder and Committee Member of Not in My Workplace, a group of executive leaders working to address workplace harassment and abuse across all industries in Victoria. Rosie has recently discovered obstacle racing and electric bikes, which keep her sane and healthy. She is a shamelessly proud mother of two boys.
Works at the intersection of social innovation/impact + tech at Salesforce.org (the social impact center of Salesforce). Samira has worked across corporations, governments, and the social sector for over thirteen years on innovative solutions to solving some of society’s greatest challenges. She is especially interested in corporate venturing and business model innovations for good. Her work spans the Americas, the Middle East, and Asia. She is a former strategy / management consultant; and while at A.T. Kearney in Southeast Asia, she played a lead role in starting and building its social impact organization. She is also passionate about topics related to gender and youth empowerment toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Federico is the Head of Business Development at Global Evergreening Alliance with a focus on climate change and the renewable energy sector. Previously head of Strategic Partnerships and Philanthropy at WaterAid Australia and has also covered senior management positions with World Vision, Plan International and the Australian Red Cross. Prior to moving to Australia, Federico worked for the European Commission and various United Nations agencies, managing multi-country programs on child labour and trafficking, sexual exploitation, primary education and vocational training, labour market policies, economic development and micro-finance, human resources development and public welfare policies in Guyana, Gabon, Timor-Leste, Brazil, Northern Africa and the Middle East.
Holder of a blog on international policy for the Italian newspaper “Il Fatto Quotidiano”, Federico is a lecturer on Results-Based Management, Project Cycle Management, Monitoring and Evaluation at RMIT (Melbourne) and Bocconi University (Milan), as well as a Member of the Scientific Committee IMPACT for the “European Observatory of social innovation trends in the Not-For-Profit Sector”. He is also the co-author of the publication “Social Innovation and Social Business”, that has collected and analysed the most successful business models in the European social sector under the framework of the Millennium Development Goals.
Trina Leberer is the Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Pacific Division, overseeing TNC’s work in the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Marshall Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands, including improving management of coastal and marine areas, adjacent watersheds, and tropical forests, conserving the region’s exceptional biodiversity and benefitting local communities in terms of livelihoods and ecosystem services.
She has lived on the island of Guam since 1994, and prior to joining the Conservancy, worked for the Guam Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources for seven years as a Biologist, Fisheries Supervisor and Acting Chief. Trina has an MSc in Biology from the University of Guam Marine Laboratory and a BA in Environmental, Populational and Organismic Biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
MB BAO BCh (Hons) FACEM DTM DIH MRSCI
Dr Ian Norton, founder and Managing Director of Respond Global, is a specialist emergency physician and an expert in coordinating emergency health responses to disease outbreaks and disasters.
Ian was head of the WHO’s Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Initiative in Geneva from 2014-20. During this time, he led responses to Ebola, Diphtheria and Measles outbreaks as well as to earthquakes, cyclones, and war zones.
Previous to the WHO, Ian led the creation of disaster response teams in Australia and was the Director of Disaster Preparedness and Response at the National Critical Care & Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC) in Darwin. Ian established the Australian Medical Assistance Teams (AUSMAT) framework and designed the field hospitals that are today used for international disaster and infectious disease responses.
Ian established Respond Global as a social enterprise in early 2020 with the aim of empowering others to be able to plan, prepare and respond to health emergencies in their own countries. He and his team are currently assisting numerous organisations during the COVID pandemic, providing strategic and practical operational support about how to be COVID-Safe now and into the future.
Clarissa is an Electrical Engineer with a master’s degree from LSE (London School of Economics) in Business Strategy and Information Systems. She is an internationally certified ESG practitioner with diplomas from the HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL in Corporate Social Responsibility, and from INSEAD in Social Entrepreneurship. Clarissa is a senior ESG consultant and impact investment advisor with over 15 years of international experience in a variety of sectors such as: Banking, Telecom, Pharmaceuticals, Management Consulting, NGOs and Private Equity. She has a wide international academic and professional experience in Brazil, Argentina, USA, Mexico, Australia, South Korea, India, Qatar, Poland, Spain and the UK. Clarissa is passionate about helping companies develop a robust ESG strategy to achieve their optimal social and environmental impact in alignment with the UN SDGs, while mitigating potential risks. She is currently based in London working for LIVOGO, an advisory firm focused on Impact Investment & Sustainability, she co-founded in 2016. She is also the Head of ESG for IFFACC, a European PE Fund. Clarissa serves as a Non-Executive Director for YouCanFreeUs, an international humanitarian organization that combats modern slavery and is on the Advisory Board of Earthtech, an Australian impact investment incubator.
Is the Head of Impact Investment at Save the Children and is responsible for the organisation’s first Impact Investment Fund which launched in 2020. Laura is responsible for management and administration of the Fund, the investment pipeline and portfolio of investments. Prior to this, Laura worked in Kenya as a Principal at Open Capital Advisors where she worked with investors and early-stage businesses across a number of countries in Africa and Asia. Her work included screening investment opportunities, helping businesses become investment ready, conducting due diligence and supporting transactions. Laura started her career at Accenture and spent six years in management consulting, primarily in the energy, financial services and not-for-profit sectors.
Patrick Tsang is Chairman of Tsangs Group, a fourth-generation China-focused Single Family Office from Hong Kong. Patrick invests in various companies with a positive influence and positive impact. Born and raised in the United Kingdom with deeply-rooted Chinese heritage, he has a robust global network as a seasoned investor.
He has worked on numerous IPO and M&A transactions globally and has successfully made investments in Asia, mainly in Hong Kong and China, North America, and Europe. Patrick holds several prestigious appointments, including the Trade Commissioner of Grenada in Macau, to promote international business and investment.
A graduate from the College of Law in England, Patrick is a qualified solicitor in Hong Kong, England, and Wales. As a philanthropic advocate, he is a Young Fellow of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award World Fellowship and past President of the Rotary E-Club of Hong Kong. Notable acknowledgments include being awarded the China Economic Person of the Year during the China Economic Development Forum in 2014. Patrick is an international keynote speaker on China, finance, technology, fintech, blockchain, AI, and leadership.
Has over 15 years’ experience in Corporate Relations from different industries including Telecoms, Digital Marketing and Financial Services. He is currently the Lead for Vodafone Ghana Foundation after his time at Groupe Nduom Limited where he was the Head of Social Media and Digital Marketing. Prior to that he was with the Foundation and Communications team at MTN Ghana for over 12 years where he is credited with novel Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives such as the MTN Teacher Improvement Award Programme, the Nelson Mandela Day Legacy Projects, Literacy & Numeracy projects, Read 100 Reading Clubs and Scholarship programmes among others.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Studies from Central University and candidate – MSc. Business Decision Management, Coventry University – England. He also has a Diploma in Shipping and Port Operations Management from School of Aviation and other programmes such as Digital Marketing and Social Media Management from INFORMA in United Arab Emirates and Koforidua Technical University.
RevPERBI loves to sing and play the piano. He also enjoys a good game of chess, tennis and soccer. Rev Perbi has the interest of women and the youth at heart and fully support and contribute to women in STEM across the African continent.
Douglas is an experienced innovator and impact investment professional.
As Executive Chairman of Future Planet Capital, he holds the firm belief that investing for good can also be good investing. With a background of senior positions at leading asset management firms, Douglas founded Future Planet to advise the Future Planet Fund on investment in to hard-to-access opportunities in growth stage companies from top universities across the globe. The Fund’s ambitious vision is to link the world’s largest investors to its brightest minds to profitably address the world’s challenges.
Is a leading voice for Climate Action, Equality and Inclusion in Australia. She challenges others to be vocal on the impact of climate change, she encourages women to achieve their career aspirations, and challenges men to examine their assumptions about women.
In 2002, Diana founded Xplore for Success, a consultancy that specialises in equity and inclusion. More than 16,000 women and men have benefited from Xplore’s services. Diana is a member of the Chief Executive Women’s Group and sat on the Industry Advisory Group for Victorian Police in their work to reduce internal Sexual Harassment and Bullying. Diana is committed to a number of charitable and philanthropic causes including Women for Election, Honour a Woman, Dress for Success and EarthTech.
From 1997 to 2001, Diana was Managing Director of Apple Australia and, while at the helm, won the Hewitt Associates annual ‘Employer of the Year’ Award. From 2006 to 2009, Diana was the Vice President of Chief Executive Women (CEW) and developed and led CEW Leadership Program.
In January 2010, Diana became a Member of the Order of Australia, AM, for her significant contribution to the education community, her commitment and support to the advancement of women, and her ongoing charitable work. In 2018, Diana was named as one of the 100 Women of Influence in the Diversity and Inclusion category. Diana is also a passionate advocate for action on Climate Change.
Diana lives in Sydney with her husband Bill, has two sons, two daughters-in-law and six grandchildren.
Is a public policy specialist and youth advocate. As a Social Policy Specialist in UNICEF, he leads and coordinates the advocacy and programs in mainstreaming social policy programs at the national and subnational levels in Indonesia, including the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He previously worked as the Youth Adviser on SDGs Implementation, acting as an interface between the government and the United Nations country team as well as coordinating and mobilizing youth around awareness and implementation of the SDGs. He initiated Ngrobrolin Indonesia, a movement focused on the intergenerational and cross-sectoral discussion on tolerance and diversity in Indonesia. Angga has a Master’s in Law and Diplomacy and Sustainable Development from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Indonesia.
Angga’s work is focused on ensuring that young people are not just checkboxes, but rather key stakeholders and active participants shaping future development.
Dean Delia is a social entrepreneur, strategist and storyteller with a passion for connecting our global community through education and inspiring others into action.
A proud product of Melbourne’s Western Suburbs, Dean believes that the key to creating innovative, socially minded leaders is access to quality education, regardless of place of birth or social status. This belief has driven him to create action-focused learning opportunities through schools, non-profits and independent organisations in Australia and throughout the world.
His dynamic speaking style and unique approach to facilitation has connected and inspired thousands of people across four continents. A talented trainer, program developer and strategist, Dean has led national and international organisations such as We, High Resolves and The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) and is currently the Director for Young People at The Prince’s Trust Australia. He has founded several start-ups and built relationships and partnerships across the corporate, private, and philanthropic sectors.
He is the Nexus Australia committee member and in his spare time, leads international volunteer trips that promote sustainable community development and connect people from different countries and cultures.”
Her Excellency, Dr Justina Mutale is the Convenor of the World Summit on Women & Girls. She is the Founder & President of the Justina Mutale Foundation and its Scholarship Programme for underprivileged young women and girls, as well as boys from Africa to access tertiary education around the world. Dr Mutale has for years, consistently advocated for gender equality, empowerment of women and girls, diversity and inclusion in all spheres of life. In the process, she has won global acclaim as one of the most influential women of African origin having in 2012 been named “African Woman of the Year”, sharing a platform with many African Heads of State. Dr Mutale sits on the Board of the World Leaders Forum Dubai and serves as Global Envoy for Gender Equality and Spokesperson of the International Women’s Think Tank. She leads and serves on several other Boards in various parts of the world. Featured in the 100 Most Reputable People on Earth and 100 Most Influential Women, Dr Mutale has been honoured with numerous international awards, honours and accolades and is featured on various WHOs WHO Lists, Powerlists, Influential lists, and Halls of Fame. She capped her accolades with an induction into the World Book of Greatness in 2020. Dr Mutale is author and co-author of the highly cerebral books: “The Art of Iconic Leadership: Power Secrets of Female World Leaders” and “Women on Corporate Boards: An International Perspective”.
Jacqueline (Jac) is a Strategist, Collaborator & a Design-Led Innovator. Jac has been driving strategy, innovation, and sustainable transformations in since 1995 when she switched from being an EY accountant into a design-led innovator holding global roles with McCormick, Gourmet Garden, Mondelez, Constellation & Hardy Wine Company. In 2019, Jac founded the Sustainable Innovation Company on a mission to catalyse impactful innovation. Jac works glovally (global, local, and virtual) and aspires to be known as a pioneer of collaborative leadership, capable of mobilising people, teams, communities, and organisations to create better & radically change for good.
In addition, Jac is Co-Founder and past immediate Chair of Food Agribusiness Network (FAN) and a Non-Executive Director and Advisor on a number of boards, panels, and committees including Food Agility, Traveller’s Choice, Agrifutures’ Rural Women’s Award Alumni, Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation’s Circularity Group and QLD’s Manufacturing Ministerial Committee. In 2017 Jac was the QLD AgriFutures’ Rural Women’s Award recipient.
Tim’s childhood love of the outdoors has led to his career as an environmental scientist and in leading expeditions to some of the world’s most remote places. With more than 25 years of experience in both disciplines, Tim has a wealth of knowledge about what it takes to lead teams to perform at the highest level – knowledge he regularly shares with corporate and academic audiences around the world.
Tim’s sustainability beliefs, like his approach to expeditions, are based around a pragmatic optimism – understanding the scale of the task ahead and prevailing through a combination of outcome-focused goal-setting, adaptability, resilience and good teamwork.
He also understands that there is no single solution to achieving sustainability outcomes. This is reflected in the wide range of initiatives he supports and works on, including environmental advocacy work with conservation charities WWF and FFI, his recent four years of patronage of Nature Play SA whose goal is to encourage children to spend more time in nature, and five years’ service on the board of Zoos SA – leaders in endangered species conservation.
Tim’s roles with partner organisations include advising on technological and social solutions to sustainability issues for global engineering firm Arup, provision of climate change and sustainability advice to Australia’s largest insurance broker Steadfast, his position as Global Brand Ambassador for leading outdoor apparel manufacturer Kathmandu for whom sustainability and brand quality are top priorities, and head of the adventure advisory panel and on the advisory board of the Australian Geographic Society.
Tim holds Masters degrees in environmental science and environmental law. He was conferred a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to environment, community and exploration in the 2010 Australian honours list and was voted Conservationist of the Year in 2016 by the Australian Geographic Society.
Cheryl Chen is the Director of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability for Asia Pacific at S&P Global. She leads the efforts in the region with S&P Global Foundation grant programs and partnerships, employee volunteerism and corporate ESG practices. She was previously Vice President, Head of Corporate Citizenship for Citi Singapore and has more than 10 years of experience in corporate responsibility and cross-sector partnerships.
She serves as a District Councilor with the South East Community Development Council since 2014 and is currently an advisory committee member of the National Youth Fund of Singapore and management committee member of the Lien Centre for Social Innovation. Cheryl is part of the pioneer cohort of Obama Foundation Leaders: Asia-Pacific program, a one-year leadership development and community engagement program that seeks to inspire, empower, and connect leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region.
Cheryl graduated with a Double Degree in Bachelor of Science (Economics) and Bachelor of Business Management (Major in Finance) from Singapore Management University (SMU), and obtained the Master of Social Science at SMU in 2015. She lives with her husband and two sons in Singapore.
Eddie is the Lead Scientist for The Nature Conservancy’s Asia Pacific region, responsible for ensuring that the Conservancy remains a world leader in making science-based conservation decisions. Eddie has had the privilege of working on conservation in over 20 countries, helping to apply innovative methods to projects as diverse as community protected areas in Melanesia, grazing management in northern Kenya, snow leopard conservation in Mongolia, forestry in Indonesia, and catchment restoration in Colombia. Eddie’s work also focuses on how we measure and report on the impact of our work, and the role technology can play in helping do so. Eddie and his team have been enthusiastic adopters of ecoacoustics, developing partnerships that bring together cutting-edge academic research with real-world applications in countries including, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Myanmar, Australia, and Gabon.
He has published more than 75 papers on aspects of conservation science and climate change, and his first book, Conservation Planning: Informed Decisions for a Healthier Planet, co-authored with Craig Groves, was published in 2015. Eddie is currently Editor-in-Chief of the leading conservation journal Conservation Letters. For his work on how climate change data can be used in decision making he was the recipient of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s inaugural prize for innovative concepts to conserve the reef in the face of climate change. Eddie received his PhD in marine conservation and decision science from the University of Queensland, and holds an adjunct faculty position there.
Damien is an Iraq war veteran who served as a Naval clearance diver and special operations sniper for the Australian Defense Force. In 2009 while travelling through Africa, he was inspired by the work of rangers and the plight of wildlife. Liquidating his life savings, the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF) was established to be the last line of defence for nature. Founder and CEO, over the past decade the IAPF has scaled to train and support rangers which now help protect over 20 million acres of African wilderness.
In 2017 Damien founded ‘Akashinga – Nature Protected by Women’, an IAPF program that has already grown to over 170 employees, becoming the only group of nature reserves in the world to be protected by women. Their goal is to employ 1000 women by 2025, protecting a network of 20 nature reserves, all managed by the IAPF.
He is the winner of the 2019 Winsome Constance Kindness Gold Medal, a prestigious international recognition for services to animals and humanity. Past recipients include Sir David Attenborough and Dr Jane Goodall. He was featured in the newly released James Cameron documentary The Game Changers, and has now released another documentary with James Cameron and National Geographic about his work with the women of Akashinga.
His TEDx talk at the Sydney Oprah House has been seen over 7 million times and translated into 27 languages. He has spoken at the United Nations, featured in June 2019’s National Geographic Magazine, three times on 60 Minutes and recently recognised by the Dutch Government as a Gender Champion for 2019.
An environmentalist. Damien lives in Zimbabwe and has just returned from a sell-out tour across North America as a resident speaker for National Geographic Live.
Will is a songsmith, gatherer of hearts and minds, MC and presenter with a passion for inspiring wonder and revealing the hidden potential in situations and gatherings. He has 17 years experience as an educational presenter in the sustainability sector, and is the lead singer of 8Foot Felix, a theatrical multi-genre festival band. He is motivated by the idea that our modern global culture is reaching out for a new story about the workings of the world, a story of potential and abundance in which we see ourselves as integrally connected to each other and our universe. Through music, theatre, whole-heartedness and humour he creates moments of sharing, inspiration and joy that give this new story a meaningful, tangible presence in our everyday lives. Will is Musical Philosopher on the Future Crunch team and a core member of RCE Gippsland, an organization dedicated to generating partnerships that fuel the implementation of the UN SDGs in the Gippsland region.
TiA believes in equal opportunity and we place great significance on teamwork, gender equality, and respect for diversity. As an international organisation, we value the importance of an enriching and productive co working environment, and believe that the people we engage with play a vital role in working towards our vision for a better world.
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