Our Staff

Carla is the founding CEO of MCA. She has a background in public policy development and impact strategy, corporate governance, and tertiary research. Before establishing MCA, Carla worked in senior roles in the public service and as an advisor to the Government, principally in migration and settlement, including as Chief of Staff to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. She also held academic and consulting positions in Australia and abroad. Carla is the Deputy Chair of Football Australia and a Board Director of The Australian Centre for Social Innovation. She is the co-founder and Deputy Chair of the Migrant and Refugee Health Partnership and the Judicial Council on Cultural Diversity, as well as a member of the Council of Harmony Alliance, the national migrant and refugee women's alliance.

Gulnara has a significant track record in civil society leadership and strategy across social policy, gender equality and human rights nationally and internationally. In addition to her strategy-focused role with MCA, Gulnara serves as Executive Officer of the Migrant and Refugee Health Partnership and Harmony Alliance. Previously, Gulnara was executive director of the national peak body representing Australia's migrant and refugee communities and led programs on the rights and issues of Indigenous Peoples and ethnic minorities at two United Nations agencies. She also worked extensively in international human rights advocacy. Gulnara serves on several boards and committees focusing on women's leadership and safety, and public health.

Brad is the former Executive Director of White Ribbon Australia, a movement to end men’s violence against women and advance gender equality, leading the movement through the 2020 relaunch and transformational rebuild under the custodianship of Communicare. He is the founder of Welcoming Australia, a national movement cultivating a culture of welcome for people seeking asylum, refugees, and other new arrivals to Australia. He is now Co-Chair of the Advisory Panel and a Board Director. Brad has worked for over a decade to create diverse, collaborative stakeholder coalitions with the ability to drive systemic change and achieve meaningful outcomes for vulnerable people in a range of roles and sectors, including migration, multiculturalism, settlement, Australian Aid, education, mental health, social housing, LGBTIQ+ inclusion and inter-faith engagement. He has a reputation for taking on difficult issues and delivering outcomes through a partnership approach with people with lived experience, practitioners, experts, and decision-makers. In addition to these advocacy roles, Brad has worked as a Ministerial Adviser at the State and Federal levels and coordinates Australian support for a school for stateless children and a kinship foster program for Khmer children in Cambodia. Brad writes regularly for The Guardian.

Ine focuses on supporting migrant and refugee communities in Australia through developing multilingual digital solutions and promoting access to social infrastructure that supports community resilience and social cohesion. Previously, she has worked at UNHCR and in the diplomatic space across multiple countries, including Australia. Ine has a keen interest in sports, especially its potential to unite and strengthen communities and is the president of the ANU Australian Football Club. Ine holds a Master of Arts in History (2016) from the University of Ghent and a Master in International Relations and Diplomacy (2019) from the University of Antwerp.

Anna is a passionate advocate for settlement, having spent over ten years in the sector across various roles. Anna manages the MCA-facilitated Community of Practice for the organisations delivering the Australian Government’s Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) program. Anna also facilitates the administration of the Afghan-Australian Community and Settlement Support grant program. Previously, Anna was a manager at Access Community Services, working across settlement programs, including SETS. Before that, she worked in the Humanitarian Settlement Program—and earlier the Humanitarian Settlement Services program—developing resources, delivering orientation, and coordinating education enrolments for new arrivals. Anna started her career as a teacher and has a background in pedagogy, adult education, and development studies, including teaching the Deaf in schools and English as a Second Language programs. Anna’s overseas development experience, including in Uganda and Cambodia, focused on gender empowerment and support for trafficked or exploited young girls. A supporter of strength-based practice, Anna brings to the role strong teaching and capacity building credentials. Anna is based in Brisbane.

Alicia has over 20 years of experience working in the Government, private and community sectors in Australia and the United Kingdom in social policy design, implementation, and program management. She has worked within the Government and as a consultant. She holds a Bachelor of Business (University of Queensland). Alicia is passionate about creating opportunities for Indigenous Australians and supporting women in leadership roles. She also has a particular interest in the role of employment in empowering individuals and communities, particularly for people in marginalised communities. She oversees the work of the Centre of Settlement Innovation and works across other MCA projects. She also founded and is a chair of Women in Employment Services. This membership-based organisation promotes women's connection and professional development in the employment and training sectors. Alicia is based in Brisbane.

Tarina manages MCA’s health and mental health portfolios, aiming to improve health and mental health system access for migrant and refugee communities. This involves providing Secretariat support to the Migrant and Refugee Health Partnership and engaging with stakeholders across the health and community sector, both nationally and internationally. Tarina’s career has focused on supporting the rights and wellbeing of migrants and refugees. She has worked across federal and local government and in the non government sector in the fields of multilateral engagement, humanitarian and protection response to displacement and in community capacity building. Tarina holds a Master of Development Studies in Refugee and Forced Migration from the University of New South Wales. Based in Sydney, she has worked in Jordan and Thailand as well as Geneva and Canberra.

Daisy manages the Justice portfolio, which includes working with, and providing Secretariat support to, the Judicial Council on Cultural Diversity and the Cultural Diversity Justice Network. Daisy also works across other MCA policy areas, such as digital wellbeing. Daisy has a strong background in social policy, the community legal sector, and community development. Before her role at MCA, Daisy worked at the Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet, Northern Territory Government, including in the Office of Aboriginal Affairs. She has also worked as a volunteer solicitor at several community legal centres. She is passionate about human rights law and social justice. Daisy holds a Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Arts (Development Studies and International Relations), and Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences (Hons) from the University of New South Wales and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Australian National University. She is a solicitor admitted by the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

Monica’s work is to develop and deliver training programs that build the capacity and skills of participants. She has been working in the community services sector for the past 11 years, specifically with CALD communities. With a master’s degree in social work, and a background in TESOL and Training and Assessment, Monica has been able to utilise her expertise in working with refugees and migrants to design and develop culturally responsive training programs. Monica is passionate about delivering training programs that are self-reflective, innovative, and practical. Arriving in Australia as a refugee, Monica is interested in promoting and advocating for refugees through her training. Monica is based in Brisbane.

Nuria supports the work of Harmony Alliance and facilitates MCA’s work to support the COVID-19 Vaccination Program rollout to migrant and refugee communities in Australia. She is passionate about women’s rights and the rights of migrants and refugees. Nuria migrated to Australia from Spain and actively participates in the Spanish-speaking community in Canberra. She also volunteered as a co-presenter on the Spanish community radio program. Nuria holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Policy from Miguel Hernandez Universidad of Elche in Spain. She also completed a one-year exchange program in Cracow, Poland. Before joining MCA, she worked in the legal, aged care, education and diplomatic fields in Australia and Europe.

Jade works as a policy analyst supporting the work of Harmony Alliance. Jade has a strong background in women’s rights. She has been working in human rights-based development since 2002 for local and international NGOs in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, South Africa, and Hong Kong and with the UNHCR in Australia. For the past seven years her work has been in research and policy, with a focus on migrant women. She is currently undertaking a PhD in in Anthropology at the Australian National University examining migration management in Hong Kong through the asylum claims of migrant domestic workers in the city. She holds a Master’s degree in Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development and a Master’s in International Development.

Tezcan works as a policy analyst with MCA-auspiced Centre for Digital Wellbeing, focusing specifically on social cohesion in Australia. His current work centres on how technology impacts trust in institutions, formulating policy responses to counter challenges posed by digital platforms to social cohesion and democracy. Tezcan has a strong track record in research and analysis in academia. His previous work promoting sound governance principles and practices, focusing specifically on responsible political leadership, causes of societal polarisation and violence, multiculturalism and inclusivity, and factors that undermine democracy. This is reflected with an award-winning Ph.D. dissertation in 2020, along with over seven years of experience as a lecturer in Politics and International Relations and research roles across several high-profile projects.

Minandi works as a Program Coordinator in the Settlement portfolio, including with the Afghan-Australian Community and Settlement Support (AACASS) program. She is particularly passionate about this role as it supports organisations to deliver positive settlement outcomes through effective, innovative, and needs-based practice. Minandi brings a wealth of settlement knowledge and experience to her role at MCA, having worked in the sector for ten years at Access Community Services. She started her career in settlement working as a team leader for the Status Resolution Support Services program before managing the Youth Transitions program. Minandi also worked within the corporate area of settlement as an Executive Officer, providing input and support to the organisation's operations. She holds a Diploma of Community Service, Bachelor of Ministries and is currently completing her Master of Education and Learning. Minandi is based in Brisbane.

Walid has extensive experience in the provision of community capacity building through his work with international organisations such as the Australian Red Cross and UNHCR. Walid is passionate about humanitarian programs and international aid, which has fuelled his work with refugees and migrants for many years. A graduate in government and international affairs, he has also worked as a policy advisor for the previous government of Afghanistan, where he coordinated several projects working to promote gender-empowerment with NGOs in Afghanistan.

Claire's work focuses on the development of culturally and linguistically responsive resources for migrants and refugees, as well as resources that facilitate culturally responsive practice across sectors. Claire supports the MyAusLearning platform and identifies opportunities for the development of new and engaging e-learning courses. Claire is particularly interested in culturally responsive health care and health literacy of migrant and refugee populations. Claire holds a Bachelor of International Relations (2012) from the Australian National University (ANU) and a Master of Equality Studies (2014) from University College Dublin. She is now pursuing a Master of Culture, Health and Medicine at ANU. Her academic work has focused on diverse topics, from refugee health to cultural considerations in the context of organ donation. Previously Claire worked in fundraising roles at Oxfam Great Britain, Australia for UNHCR, UN Women Australia, and within the corporate sector.

Varsha is passionate about how digital content can create a socio-environmental impact. At MCA, she works to promote the successful settlement of migrants and refugees in Australia. She is interested in designing content on crisis communication based on informed policy adapted to the needs of migrants and refugees. Outside MCA, she has produced educational content that helps build an Asian literate Australia. She previously worked for the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, where she raised awareness around the diversifying needs of a globalising Japanese society. Varsha was a Japanese Government Scholar at Sophia University (Japan) and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Japanese from Jawaharlal Nehru University (India) and a Master of Arts in Asian and Pacific Studies from the Australian National University.

Olga facilitates strategic communications and outreach and applies her extensive knowledge of analytical tools to strengthen the impact of MCA's work. Olga also contributes to a range of policy research projects. She holds a Bachelor of International Economics and Management (2016) from Kyiv National Economic University in Ukraine and a Master of Science in Economic Behaviour and Governance (2020) from the University of Kassel in Germany. Olga also studied in the People's Republic of China for three years and participated in an academic exchange program in Poland. She is passionate about the human rights of migrants and refugees. She applies her extensive international professional experience to promote better outcomes for migrant and refugee communities in Australia.

Cara's work focuses on creating and executing communication strategies across MCA’s programs, including fostering collaborations and conducting outreach to relevant stakeholders. She is currently supporting the promotion of the MyAus mobile app and communications for SETSCoP (the MCA-facilitated Community of Practice for the organisations delivering the Australian Government’s Settlement Engagement and Transition Support program) and the Judicial Council on Cultural Diversity, among other initiatives. She enjoys learning about the dynamic nature of communications. Much of her time is devoted to ensuring continuous dialogue between MCA and the community. Cara migrated from Hong Kong to pursue higher education. She recently graduated from the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Science (Psychology). She is passionate about issues related to equity, especially for migrants and refugees, and its intersections with mental health, gender, queer identity, and disability. Cara is also a member of the community advisory committee of Growing Minds Australia—a child and youth mental health clinical trials network.

Sala works across MCA programs—and particularly supports Harmony Alliance—to facilitate digital and online outreach to members, stakeholders, and relevant audiences. Sala is passionate about supporting new migrants and refugees to settle in Australia and is motivated to contribute creating positive change. Sala holds a Bachelor of Communication in Journalism and International Relations from the University of Canberra. Her participation in student advocacy focused on promoting the principles of equal opportunity, equity, and social justice both on and off-campus, and included holding a leadership role with the Student Housing Co-operative. In addition to her work at MCA, Sala coordinates numerous events focusing on the safety and inclusion of LGBTIQ+ community. Sala has worked with various values-based not-for-profit organisations, including Lifeline and Out For Australia.

Annie works primarily with the Secretariats of the Judicial Council on Cultural Diversity and the Cultural Diversity Justice Network, providing administrative and research assistance. She has worked on developing the Legal Literate app, a plain English legal glossary app. She has also supported the implementation and promotion of the JCCD's Recommended National Standards for Working with Interpreters in Australian Courts and Tribunals, among other projects. Annie is currently studying a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) at the Australian National University.

Chloe brings to MCA five years of experience as the manager of a health service organisation. She holds a Master of Accounting from the University of Canberra. Chloe provides executive and accounting support to MCA CEO and senior management team. As a migrant from China, Chloe is passionate about the experiences and voices of migrant communities.

Innes is Chief Executive (appointed in 2012) of the Australian Industry Group, a leading industry organisation representing businesses in a broad range of sectors including manufacturing, construction, transport, defence, ICT and labour hire. He also serves as Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Skilled Migration, Deputy Chair of Australian Super, Director of Innovative Manufacturing Co-operative Research Centre and Australian American Leadership Dialogue, Convenor of Industry 4.0 Advanced Manufacturing Forum, and Chair of RMIT College of Business Industry Advisory Board. Innes served as the Australian Consul General to Los Angeles (2006-2008), was Chief of Staff to the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs from (2004-2006), and earlier held a number of private sectors and government positions including Manager of Global Public Affairs for Singapore Airlines based in Singapore (2000-2004). Innes began his career as a journalist. His positions included Chief of Staff at The Age in Melbourne and Chief Political Correspondent for The Age in the Canberra Parliamentary Press Gallery. Innes was educated at Melbourne High School, Monash University (BA History and Politics), and Edinburgh Business School. He is based in Melbourne and is a lifetime supporter of the Collingwood Football Club.

Carmel is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Centre for Multicultural Youth, the first and largest organisation in Australia to work exclusively with migrant and refugee young people. Carmel is widely recognised for her knowledge and advocacy on multicultural youth issues. Carmel has served on numerous boards and committees and is currently the Chairperson of the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network Australia, the national peak body representing the rights and interests of young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. She is also a member of the Youth Parole Board of Victoria and the SBS Community Advisory Committee. Carmel was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2016 for services to multicultural youth in Victoria and the Victorian Premier’s Award for Community Harmony in 2015.

Born in Hong Kong, Eamonn Fitzpatrick migrated to Sydney in the early 90s and has spent nearly three decades working in Australian government, media and politics. He currently heads his own public affairs firm and has advised some of the world’s biggest brands and top 100 ASX companies on effectively engaging governments, stakeholders and the media. Eamonn was senior press secretary to Prime Ministers Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd and ran government communications for Premiers Anna Bligh in Queensland and Morris Iemma in New South Wales. More recently he was Asia Pacific Partner at Consulum, an international advisory firm providing special counsel to governments and national leaders on global engagement, economic development and trade promotion. His experience in the not-for-profit sector includes leading global communications for the iconic global eye health charity, The Fred Hollows Foundation, and previously serving on the board of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, Australia’s leading child safety charity. A former Sydney Morning Herald journalist, Eamonn began his career with Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post. He currently appears weekly on Sky News Australia.

Peter spent his executive career at KPMG where he was admitted as a partner in 1993, and served as National Chairman from 2011 to 2017, during which he was responsible for the overall governance and strategic positioning of the firm. His positions with KPMG included member of the Global Board of KPMG, Regional Head of Audit for Asia Pacific, National Managing Partner for Audit in Australia, and Head of KPMG Financial Services. Peter has worked in geographically diverse and complex operating environments providing advice on a range of topics including strategy, risk management, internal controls, business processes, and regulatory change. Peter is Non-Executive Chairman of the Johns Lyng Group Limited and a Non-Executive Director of Westpac Group, ASX and Mirvac. He also serves on the Board of not-for-profit organisations, including The General Sir John Monash Foundation, Golf Victoria, and The Koorie Heritage Trust.

Catherine is the Chief Executive Officer of AMES Australia, an organisation providing a wide range of interconnected settlement, education, vocational training and employment services in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania. Catherine’s career has focussed on the design and implementation of innovative social programs and enterprises in Australia and the United Kingdom. She has achieved this through the creation of partnerships with government, employers and the community sector to deliver programs designed to increase the economic and social participation for newly arrived migrants and refugees. Catherine is a Board Member of Thrive Refugee Enterprises.

Remo Nogarotto was born in Sydney of Italian immigrant parents who arrived in Australia in the immediate years following the second world war. Remo grew up in Fairfield in Western Sydney and was educated at Patrician Brothers College, Fairfield. Remo completed an economics degree at Sydney University and has also undertaken post graduate studies at the London School of Economics.

Professionally Remo has navigated the diverse worlds of business, investment banking, politics and sports administration. Remo is the former Head of Business Development at Boral Ltd; the former State Director of the NSW Liberal Party and spent five years with Macquarie Bank in Europe serving on Macquarie Capitals European Advisory board. Currently Remo is Executive Chairman of C|T Corporate Advisory which is part of the global research, campaigning and strategic advisory firm, C|T Group. Remo has also served as Chairman of Soccer Australia and recently stepped down as a board member of Football Australia. He was a member of the bid committee that recently procured joint hosting rights for Australia and New Zealand for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Remo is a periodic contributor to opinion editorials in Australian, European and Asian journals and newspapers.

Daniel Walton is the National and NSW Secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union. Since 2008, he has held the positions of Assistant National Secretary, National Vice President and National Campaigns and Organising Coordinator at the AWU. Daniel is Vice President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions and is an Executive Committee member of the global union federation, IndustriALL. Daniel is a director of AustralianSuper, Chifley Services and Migration Council Australia.He also serves on a number of Government bodies, including the EU & UK Ministerial Trade Advisory Committee.