Future Forte Conference 2022

UNITE GLOBAL MINDS, ADVANCED GENDER EQUITY FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN VICTORIA

FUTURE FORTE CONFERENCE 2022

Future Female Conference 2022 - the annual event for international students and women in Victoria that enriches your journey in Victoria and beyond. Together, we celebrate the empowerment of international students, promote gender equity and reflect the spirit of Victoria as a welcoming and inclusive community.

Program Highlights

Keynote speeches by prominent, inspirational women from Victoria
Panel sessions featuring outstanding leaders and trailblazers from multicultural and multifaith backgrounds, as well as Victoria’s international student alumni.
Topics including women and youth leadership, visibility of women of colour, diversity and inclusion, global thinking, entrepreneurship, social change and more
Authentic networking event that builds meaningful connections and leads to real opportunities in Victoria
Morning tea at arrival, networking lunch buffet, and afternoon tea delights

This conference is exciting, inspirational, and promotes the talent and potential of all international students studying in Victoria. Thanks to the support from Study Melbourne, Victoria University and other Future Female partners, we are able to subsidize all tickets to this year’s conference to ensure that all students can join us in this premium experience.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR PROGRAM 🌟

Opening Address

Executive Director at Future Forte

Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research Partnerships at Victoria University
Professor Vasso Apostolopoulos is currently the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research Partnerships at Victoria University.
She received her PhD majoring in immunology in 1995 from the University of Melbourne, and the Advanced Certificate in Protein Crystallography from Birkbeck College, University of London.
In response to the current global emergency, Vasso and her team in VU's Immunology & Translational research are focusing their efforts on responding to COVID-19, investigating and working on vaccines and drugs to treat the virus.
Her expertise is multi-disciplinary with extensive expertise in immunology, x-ray crystallography, medicinal chemistry, cellular biology, molecular biology. She has extensive translational research expertise with development of drugs and vaccines.
Vasso was a Chief Scientific Officer for 4Gvaccines, is on the board, and consults for, a number of pharmaceutical companies worldwide, and is the Director of VAConsulting Services. She was the head of the Immunology and Vaccine Unit at the Austin Research Institute and at the Burnet Institute; the Immunology Program Leader in the Centre for Chronic Disease at Victoria University; and is the Mechanisms and Interventions in Health and Disease Program Leader at the Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University.
Professor Vasso Apostolopoulos is a world-renowned researcher who has been recognised with over 100 awards for the outstanding results of her research. Most notable are the Premier’s Award for Medical Research, Young Australian of the Year (Vic), Greek Australian of the Year, Woman of the Year. She was named as one of the most successful Greeks abroad by the prestigious Times magazine.
Vasso was the first in the world to develop the concept of immunotherapy for cancer in the early 1990s, which today is used by hundreds of labs around the world. Immunotherapy aims to boost specific immune cells and program them to kill cancer cells; it was used by Vasso to develop the world’s first breast cancer vaccine with phase I, II and III clinical trials completed. Of note, one of the studies now has long-term follow-up data showing that 20 years later those injected with the vaccine remain cancer free. It has been licensed to an Australian pharmaceutical company.
Using immunotherapy, Vasso has also developed the world’s first ovarian cancer vaccine, which attracted the investment by a pharmaceutical company and has been commercialized in the Middle East. Committed to the wide-ranging benefits of immunotherapy, Vasso has applied this approach to other diseases including a vaccine for multiple sclerosis (which will undergo human clinical trials early in 2019). Vasso’s work has been awarded a research grant to develop a vaccine for type-1 diabetes.

Chief Executive Officer, Global Victoria
Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions – State Government of Victoria, Australia
Gönül Serbest is the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of Global Victoria responsible for leading the Government’s global engagement efforts. As part of this role, she heads the State’s international network of 23 trade and investment offices; leads a team that drives economic growth in Victoria by facilitating exports and promotes the State’s world class industry capabilities and education sector to international audiences.
Over her ten years working in international trade, as both Deputy Secretary and Executive Director, Gönul has led the development and execution of the largest trade missions to leave Australia into emerging markets and the largest inbound trade delegations to visit Victoria. These programs have resulted in several significant collaborations and have generated billions of dollars’ worth of additional exports to the economy and put Victoria’s world-class companies on a global stage.
She has a passion for international engagement and supporting platforms and initiatives that empower young leaders and women to actively engage in areas of trade and culture. In recent years, Gönül has been selected to participate as a young leader for the Australia-ASEAN Emerging Leaders Program designed to build long term, productive linkages with each other and with the region's leading thinkers. Gönül was also chosen as one of 15 young leaders to represent Australia in a similar initiative for the Australia India Youth Dialogue.
In March 2018, Gonul made Smart Company’s Honour Roll for the Top 100 Australian female business leaders and in August 2018, was awarded in the Top 50 Victorian Women in the Public Service. In June 2021, was appointed as a Governor for the AmCham Victorian Council supporting the advancement of two-way trade between United States and Australia.
Gönul has a Bachelor of Social Science (Hons) from RMIT University; and has completed the Harvard Business School Executive Education Course on Building Global Enterprise; and the Australian Institute of Company Directors Course.

Comedian and Presenter
Annie Louey is multi-talented comedian and presenter who moves seamlessly between television, radio and stage. Her fan base is growing rapidly, as Annie’s comedy brings together people from all walks of life. Her charisma on-screen earned her a nomination for ‘Personality of the Year’ at the 2021 Antenna Awards for community television. She is also a recipient of the Moosehead Award to support her new Comedy Festival show in 2022. Annie first discovered the power of comedy as a teenager while recovering from an injury. While her peers were busy getting an education, Annie was at home watching every stand-up DVD she could get her hands on at the local Blockbuster store. What started as a way to kill time catapulted her into the world of stand-up. She entered the Class Clowns competition that year and became a national finalist. Since then, Annie’s developed a formidable stage presence and confidence beyond her years. She naturally finds humour in her Chinese-Australian identity and her extensive life experience. Annie’s known for her blunt delivery but also the special, cheeky charm that allows her to get away with it. Whether it’s hosting a comedy night, interviewing a celebrity or facilitating a panel, Annie’s warm energy shines through in everything she does. It’s no wonder she’s been selected to work on shows like Channel 10’s The Project, ABC’s China Tonight, Channel 31’s Rediscover Victoria and as a writer on the final season of Rosehaven (ABC and Amazon Prime). She also takes great pride in her regular guest spots on ABC Melbourne Breakfast with Sammy J and RRR Breakfasters. Annie is always up for a challenge. She’s eaten almost 150 unique potato chip flavours, ventured down a mine and spent five days out at sea pretending to be a pirate, proving she will honestly do anything for comedy.

Keynote Speech

Founder & Director | Indian Film Festival of Melbourne | Founder & CEO, Mind Blowing Films
Mitu Bhowmick Lange is one of the most renowned names contributing to the global outreach of Indian cinema in the past decade.
She is the Festival Director of the much loved, multi award winning Indian Film Festival of Melbourne and the Indian Film Festival - Bollywood and Beyond.
She is the Director & Founder of Mind Blowing Films, a leading distribution company specialising in the theatrical distribution of Indian films in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, and Mind-Blowing World, which specialises in the distribution of quality Australian content to Australian, New Zealand and Fiji audiences.
Lange was awarded Jill Robb Screen Leadership Award for 2017 from Film Victoria. Mitu was appointed to the Board of Film Victoria in 2018, Natalie Miller Foundation in 2019 and WIFT (Women in Film and Television) Australia in Feb 2022.
She is a passionate advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and sits on various boards pushing for meaningful, impactful change.

Visibility in Stories

Stories create community and human connections; they enable us to see through the eyes of other people. Women and people from diverse cultures are often erased or forgotten in popular culture and history. In this panel, writers, journalists and activists share why they believe in the importance of raising visibility in stories and how we can harness our power through storytelling.

Cross Cultural Consultant
Tasneem is an experienced Cross-Cultural Consultant and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) trainer helping businesses, not-for-profits and governments understand and navigate diversity and inclusion using an intersectional lens.
She helps your workforce and leadership become progressive in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusivity, so they can communicate, work and lead across different cultures for better innovation and profitability.
As a media presenter, she provides an expert perspective on topics related to diversity, gender-based violence female and women of colour representation, social cohesion, social justice issues and equity.
As a keynote speaker, Tasneem has spoken at national and international events including International Women’s Day, Harmony Day, conferences, festivals, panels and at schools.
She’s an engaging panel moderator and MC having led many significant events in Australia and overseas.
Her work has been widely published in journals, anthologies, print and online.
She’s passionate about female representation, especially Women of Colour (WoC) representation for which she was recently appointed Women of Colour Australia (WoCA) Ambassador.
In 2018 the Australian Human Rights Commission named her as an Anti-Racism Champion.
In 2020 she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for her work in championing diversity.
Tasneem has a background in Psychology and Sociology from Swinburne University, and a Masters in International Development from La Trobe University.

Founder of 'Kate's List'
Dhanya Mani holds a Bachelor of Arts/Laws (Honours) degree. She worked for 4 years as an adviser to NSW Parliamentarians, including then-Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, The Hon Shelley Hancock MP. She has worked across the law and government - including as a tipstaff in the Equity Division in the Supreme Court of NSW, and recently as an analyst in Treasury's Foreign Investment Division. Dhanya is passionate about preventing inequity and injustice through innovative policy and law reform. She is also a freelance writer, and a feminist advocate focused on issues impacting political minorities - particularly women and people of colour. She is the Wentworth organiser for the Australian Republic Movement and is the founder of 'Kate's List' (formerly 'Changing Our Headline') - a non-partisan campaign to create a safe, healthy and intersectional feminist culture in Australian political life, workplaces, and beyond. She is a member of the Liberal Party, focused on improving the culture of major political parties. She is also a national ambassador for the Full Stop Foundation, a founding director of the Independent Collective of Survivors, and a core group member of IWDA'S Australian feminist foreign policy coalition.

Founder of South Asian Today
Born and raised in India, Dilpreet is an independent journalist. She primarily works on anti-caste, progressive and feminist ways of storytelling. In 2020 she launched South Asian Today, Australia's first media start-up for South Asian women and non-binary peoples. She focuses on creating financial and industry level opportunities for South Asian creatives. Find her work @southasiantoday across all social media channels or visit southasiantoday.com.au for more.

Director at Latin Stories Australia
Cristina Abela is Senior Policy Adviser at Essential Services Commission and Director at Latin Stories Australia.
She has worked for the Victorian state government for 9 years, with previous roles at the largest cement company worldwide CEMEX.
She moved to Australia 10 years ago to do a Master of Science in Environment at the University of Melbourne.
Although she is a chemical engineer, her current roles have a strong focus on customer and stakeholder engagement.
Passionate about helping migrants of Latin American background feel supported in their new lives in Australia.
She is a mum of a 3-year-old boy, She also loves sushi & tiramisu Every Sunday she is at the family business at Swallowfield Vineyards in the Yarra Valley.

How She Built This

In the age of digitalization and disruption, the tools of change are more accessible to the masses than ever. This panel is made up of courageous young women who are driven by passion and innovation benefiting their communities. They will share how they built their initiatives, the impact they brought and how you can define your purpose and take the first step in realizing it.

Co-Founder of Scientists without labels
Shaz is an experienced PhD researcher with a history of working in various roles in the higher education industry. She is passionate about medical and scientific education with strong research credentials with multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Shaz is an excellent communicator, delivering numerous scientific presentations at national and international levels as well as being a teaching associate and Freelancing as a facilitator.
Co-founder of Scientists without Labels, an initiative that aims to break down stereotypes and amplify the voices of the underrepresented voices in STEM. Aspires to make meaningful contributions to global public health, science communication, education and employability.

Senior Clinical Psychologist at Pola Psychology
Nasalifya Namugala Namwinga is a Zambian, Naarm (Melbourne)-based clinical psychologist. She is passionate about working from an inter-sectional perspective to support clients, with a particular interest in culturally responsive practice. She trained as a clinical psychologist in Aotearoa (New Zealand) before moving to Melbourne and founding Pola Psychology.

CEO and Co-Founder of Mr Yum
CEO and CO-FOUNDER, Born in Singapore, spending her teens and 20s in Australia (Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne) and now a global citizen sharing her time between LA, London and Melbourne, Kim Teo has spent her life embracing the unknown and being comfortable feeling uncomfortable.
Success at school and university (a self-described textbook Asian kid) translated into a graduate position in investment banking and a quick climb up the corporate ladder but the call of independence - forged around the family dinner table where talk revolved around her parents’ various businesses - saw Kim embrace the life of an entrepreneur. A side hustle e-commerce business planted the startup seed but it was meeting fellow founders Adrian Osman and Kerry Osborn in 2015 that cemented the drive, with the trio starting Neighbour Flavour - a platform connecting home cooks with their neighbours - before founding startup consultancy, Pitchblak, which has helped hundreds of early-stage founders.
Out of Pitchblak came Mr Yum, with Kim appointed CEO in Dec 2018. Mr Yum is a mobile payment and growth platform that has revolutionised the way people order food and drinks at hospitality and entertainment venues and now has more than 13 million global users. A passionate advocate for women taking leadership roles in technology and business, bringing big ideas to life and creating a dynamic company culture is the energy that drives Kim and turns work into play. Having recently closed the company’s record-breaking funding round, which was Australia’s largest Series A for a female-led company, Kim is now focused on the next chapter of the company’s explosive global growth.
When not working on Mr Yum you’ll find Kim watching AFL, at the gym or visiting the latest Mr Yum hotspot, while the first sip of an icy cold beer on a hot afternoon will always bring a smile. Secret skill: executing the perfect handstand.

Founder of The Creative Co-Operative
Priyanka is an ex-lawyer turned technologist who has worked across technology strategy and startups, leading a range of functions across growth marketing and sales. She’s a migrant of Bangladeshi heritage who has called Australia home for the last 20 years and has also lived in Singapore, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Japan.
She is the founder of #ShareThePlatform – a world-first initiative that successfully catalysed a conversation about systemic racism in the Australian startup ecosystem, for the first time in history. Household names like Malcolm Turnbull, Janine Allis, Daniel Flynn, Guy Kawasaki, Seth Godin and Mark Bouris interviewed and amplified the voices of First Nations and People of African Descent founders. re, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Japan.
Priyanka is also an Entrepreneur in Residence at Tech Ready Women, taking 100 female founders from idea to launch in 2021.

Value and Employment of International Graduates

This panel focuses on the value international graduates can bring to Victorian businesses, and how we can foster meaningful relationships between local and international communities. It is followed by a networking lunch session allowing international students to expand their professional network and providing opportunities for Victorian businesses to connect with skilled students.

International Manager at Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority
Lisa Hayman has contributed to the international education sector for the past fifteen years. As International Manager at Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority, she leads the delivery of the Victorian Certificate of Education across China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Timor Leste and Vietnam. Since the program commenced over 7200 students have completed their VCE offshore with 94% coming to Australia for their tertiary studies. Prior to this role, Lisa was Director, Asia Education Foundation, the University of Melbourne where she led the design and implementation of the school leader and teacher professional learning programs and resources to build intercultural capability.

Vice President, Regional Head - Delivery & Operations at Infosys
Ashok Mysore has over 30 years of industry experience across Telecommunications, Financial Services, Logistics, Energy, Utilities and Services industries. Ashok as Vice-President and Regional Head for Australia and New Zealand is responsible for developing a performance driven culture among a group of diverse and talented individuals to achieve accelerated profitable growth in challenging markets by delivering value while continuously improving internal efficiencies.
Ashok joined Infosys in 2004 to lead the Telecommunications business and since has held numerous roles before taking up the Regional COO role in 2014 to lead delivery and operations across Australia and New Zealand. Ashok has wide experience in strategy, sales leadership, general management and consulting across Australia, New Zealand, the United States, India and South-East Asia.
Ashok is recipient of IABCA Business Leader of the Year 2019 Award that recognizes outstanding achievements of a business leader.
Ashok sits on multiple advisory boards, customer steering committees and program boards, has been actively involved with the Australian Computer Society and is a regular speaker amongst industry, academia and partner ecosystem.
Ashok completed his Executive Leadership Program from the Stanford Graduate School of Management, has an MBA in Strategy & Leadership from the Mt Eliza Business School (University of Melbourne), and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science & Engineering.
Ashok is based in Melbourne.
Advisory, Honours & Awards
- IABCA Business Leader of the Year – 2019
- Adjunct Professor (Honorary) – School of Information Technology, Deakin University
- Member of School of IT Advisory Board, Deakin University
- Member of Industry Advisory Board, IIT Kanpur & La Trobe University Research Academy
- External Advisor to Australia India Institute (AII) – Education Body under University of Melbourne
- External Advisor & Member of Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA) Scientific Advisory Committee
- Industry Chapter Chair - Information and Communication Technology (ICT) – Australia India Business Council
- Member of Global Infosys Blockchain Steering Committee

Victorian Multicultural Commission Chairperson
Being a passionate advocate for genuine community engagement and diversity is Viv Nguyen’s greatest talent. This is something Viv was involved in not long after arriving in Australia as a 12 year old refugee.
For over 25 years Viv has worked as a business executive and a community leader in corporate, community and government settings agencies applying her business knowledge, leadership and technical expertise to help organisations with funding, governance, risk management, stakeholder relationships and to advance their social objectives. Viv has held roles at the AustChoice Financial Services, AMP Asset Management and ANZ Banking Group where she led the global organisation’s diversity strategy.
Viv’s contribution was recognised and as a result she was recorded on the Victorian Honour Roll in 2002 for advocating for women in leadership and work with Vietnamese young people. In 2003 she was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal.
Along with her corporate career, Viv’s community activities span across many different cultures to provide input into public policy on asylum seekers, civic engagement, participation, anti-racism and human rights.
During her time with the Vietnamese Community in Australia – Victorian Chapter, Viv founded the Dual Identity Leadership Program which is now in its 9th year, designed to young Australians of Vietnamese background to embrace their identity to be great Australians. She also played a key role in advocating for Australia’s first Vietnamese cultural museum during her time as President.
In her first year as the Chairperson of the VMC, Viv has sought to provide a platform for communities to voice their opinions despite the challenges that 2020 presented and now hopes to partner with the community to promote and inspire Victorians to continue embracing and celebrating our diversity and differences.

Chief Executive at Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Paul is an internationally experienced leader and businessman having held CEO/ Managing Director and Chairman level roles across Asia Pacific, spanning several key industries.
Paul was previously the Chief Executive of the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV), best known for producing the Royal Melbourne Show (attracting half a million people annually), world class food and beverage award programs and venue management and activation of the Melbourne Showgrounds.
Prior to his work with RASV, Paul was Managing Director Asia Pacific for Optum International, a subsidiary of the United Health Group, one of the world’s leading providers of health services.
Before joining Optum International, Paul was the Victorian State Director for Vodafone, and prior this appointment, he held an extensive 17-year career with Motorola, finishing as the Director and Vice President for Motorola Asia Pacific.
Paul holds an Honours Degree in Electronic Engineering from Swinburne University, a Post Graduate Diploma in Management with a major in Marketing and has completed several short management courses in the USA.
Paul is involved in a number of boards, not-for-profits and start-ups, and is also an Australia Day Ambassador and a proud Victorian.

Special Message

Greens Senator for NSW
Dr Mehreen Faruqi is the Greens Senator for NSW and Spokesperson for Anti-racism, Education, Housing, Industry, International Aid, and Animal Welfare. She is a civil and environmental engineer and a life-long activist for social and environmental justice.
She became the first Muslim woman to sit in any Australian parliament when she joined the NSW Parliament in 2013. In 2018, she took her proudly feminist and anti-racist approach to challenging the status quo to federal parliament when she joined the Senate.
Mehreen’s memoir and manifesto “Too Migrant, Too Muslim, Too Loud” was published in July 2021 and is a no-holds-barred account of a political ‘outsider’ fighting for her rights and the rights of others like her to be let inside on our terms, and what happens when you confront a system steeped in power and patriarchy.

Women and Youth Leadership

Meet inspiring women that freed themselves from traditional social and cultural roles of women. What does it take to show courage and take risks in our individual journeys? What does career or personal success look like, and how do we create it on our own terms? Hear our speakers shine a light on the challenges and breakthroughs they’ve had. Together with three women leaders, we are making our success visible, and showcasing how to lead with impact.

Plan International’s National Ambassador
Yasmin is an award-winning speaker, board director and youth advocate. She is Plan International’s National Ambassador and champions the importance of young women being heard in Australia’s political conversations. She has also appeared on prominent television programs such as Q+A, The Drum and The Project.
Yasmin is the Non-Executive Board Director of OzHarvest, Australia’s leading food rescue charity and YWCA, a national feminist organisation that has supported women and girls for 140 years. Yasmin’s other advocacy work includes being the former Chair of the Victorian Government’s Youth Congress, representing over 1 million Australians, and speaking at forums like APEC and the G20.
In 2019, Yasmin was the youngest member of the Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence and Top 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian Australians. In 2021 she was named The Martin Luther King Jr Center’s Youth Influencer of the Year and became the youngest ever inductee into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.

Economist and Data Analyst at Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA)
Gabriela D'Souza is an accomplished data analyst, writer, economist and media commentator. As an international student, Gabriela developed a passion for making migration better, and her research now covers a wide range of policy areas including immigration, multidimensional disadvantage in education and labour markets. As a Senior Economist at CEDA, she runs the migration research program. Prior to this role, Gabriela worked at some of Australia's most well-known and respected think tanks and economics research centres, including Grattan Institute and The National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling. She has a master's degree in economics from Monash University and was an appointed board member of the International Education Association of Australia. She is also a data nerd at heart and is an adjunct researcher at the Monash University Faculty of Business Statistics and Econometrics.

ARC Future Fellow at Monash University
Dr Victoria Blair is an ARC Future Fellow at Monash University working in the field of organometallic chemistry. She has worked in both academic and industrial sectors developing innovative methods to synthesise molecules relevant to the medicinal, catalytic and pharmaceutical sectors. She is a passionate advocate for women and girls in STEM running outreach shows to engage interest in kindergarten to high school age students in science for which she was recently awarded the 2021 Young Tall Poppy Vic award. She is the chair of the Equity Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee at Monash University where she has initiated parent rooms, intersectionality walks and most recently period positivity at Monash.

CEO and Co-Founder of MindTribes Pty Ltd
Div Pillay has supported and advised Austrade, International Education and various Study locations across Australia across 2020 and continuing into 2021 to transform messaging to be culturally responsive and humanistic, with the ultimate aim of caring for students well-being. Div draws on her behavioural psychology, economics background, cross cultural intelligence expertise and over 25 years of qualitative research leveraging lived experience from a diversity and inclusion perspective. She is one of the 100 Women of Influence, named by the Australian Financial Review in 2018 and was recognized as one of two Australians in a list of 25 Global Influencers, by AACSB, the world’s largest business education alliance. Div is the CEO of MindTribes, Co-Founder of Culturally Diverse Women (both award winning D&I firms), she is Chair of the D&I committee at the American Chamber of Commerce and is a Board Director at VicHealth. Div is an ardent champion of Future Female, as it aligns with her gender equality advocacy work and she has witnessed first hand the impact and growth of young women attendees year on year.

Mayor of Brimbank City Council
Jasmine Nguyen is a progressive Vietnamese-Australian woman who was born and raised in Melbourne’s North-Western suburbs. Jasmine is very passionate about the community and is driven by innovation, collaboration and actively looks for opportunities to grab hold of.
She graduated from Monash University with a Bachelors of Commerce and Bachelors of Economics; majoring in Economics, Marketing, Philosophy and Politics. With a double degree in Commerce and Economics, having worked as a Business Enablement Specialist at NBN and as a Councilor for Brimbank, Jasmine has a desire to lead change to improve how Council operates to deliver more responsive, efficient and effective services.
As a young person of colour and as Brimbank’s youngest councilor and first Vietnamese-Australian Mayor, Jasmine is passionate about empowering young people and helping the most disadvantaged communities. She is an Advisory Board member of the Dual Identity Leadership Program and a committee member of Emerging Marketers Victoria.
Jasmine strives to be a role model for future generations. Through her leadership she aims to demonstrate what can be achieved with a willingness to have a go, take every opportunity as a learning opportunity and collaborate with others who are passionate about building resilient and sustainable communities.

Cultural Competence and Inclusion

Every year, more than 50,000 international students come to Victoria in pursuit of their education, future and dreams. International education develops talent and brings skills into Melbourne, a global city that is home to vibrant arts, business and STEM sectors. In this panel, successful international alumni share their experiences of carving out a career in Australia and why international graduates are an untapped valuable human resource for local firms and industries.

Education Analyst at The Lygon Group
Varsha Devi Balakrishnan is an Education Analyst at The Lygon Group. Varsha is a vocal advocate for international students in Australia and has previously held roles with the Council for International Students Australia (CISA), Study Melbourne and Monash University.
“Any positive change is better than no change”. Living by that motto, Varsha serves as both a vocal advocate and a changemaker in a diversity of social causes. From championing the rights of international students across Australia, to supporting asylum seekers and people seeking refugees and counseling at-risk youth at headspace, Varsha is heavily invested in building up various communities. With service at the heart of each cause, she believes that even the smallest changes count towards progress. Varsha taps into her personal, educational, and professional experiences to highlight the societal gaps that demand greater awareness.
Coming from Singapore, a cultural and racial melting pot, Varsha’s passion and drive are framed by her own identity as a female that is part of a minority race. She hopes to continue tapping on her personal, educational and professional experiences to highlight the societal gaps that demand greater awareness and action.
With the strong belief of education and research as a gateway to reducing social inequality, Varsha’s educational background is one that is multidisciplinary. From doing a double major in international relations and communications studies, to her honors thesis analyzing terrorist recruitment via social media, a Master of International Development focusing on Gender, Peace and Security and a Master of Counselling. Varsha understands how having a multidisciplinary approach provides a breath of perspective and ideas to enact social change.
Varsha is a firm believer in the domino effect of positive change.

Internal Accountant- The Lab Strategy I Visual Artist- Art by Priyanka | Founder- Mahala (Gift Box) Social Enterprise
Eight years ago, Priyanka Kaur arrived in Australia as an international student. Since then, Priyanka has volunteered extensively with the City of Melbourne, Centre of Multicultural Youth, and Council of International Students Australia to help international students integrate with the local community and feel a sense of connection and belonging far away from home. Currently, Priyanka is the Treasure of the Australian South Asian Centre is a volunteer-led, charity organisation dedicated to nurturing a deeply connected and thriving community of South Asian Women who lead with purpose.
At university, Priyanka began her leadership journey. She found a sense of purpose being an active student mentor, founding creative student clubs, being part of student leadership teams, executive committees and taking on ambassador roles.
Professionally, Priyanka works as an accountant. Her interest in finance is also what inspires her passion for supporting more South Asian women to begin their entrepreneurial journeys, start their own businesses, and improve their financial literacy. Last year, Priyanka brought this vision to life by creating a social enterprise, Mahala, a gift box service of carefully curated items made by South Asian women and allies. It now supports 12 small business and have sold 50+ box in just 4 months.
Outside of her accounting work, Priyanka is known as an artist for her floral abstract paintings and resin creations. Four years ago, she commenced her creative and entrepreneurial journey by starting her small business, Art by Priyanka. In addition to the many other hats she wears, Priyanka facilitates and teaches creative workshops, sharing her skills and knowledge with the public. Through Priyanka’s volunteering, art business and social enterprise its easy to see how her interests have merged into collaborative ventures and her desire to improve the lack of representation for South Asian artists in Australia’s creative landscape.
Recently, Priyanka was awarded gallery space by the City of Greater Dandenong at the Walker Street Gallery and Arts Centre, where she’s currently exhibiting her floral and botanical collection, and has invited two other South Asian artists to share their work in the exhibition. The Jasla exhibition is Priyanka’s way of celebrating South Asian women, their art and creativity.

Founder of Professional Migrant Women
Fabiola Campbell is a corporate trainer, facilitator, speaker and the founder of Professional Migrant Women. As a community leader with a Venezuelan background, Fabiola represents the North-West as a Regional Advisory Council for the Victorian Multicultural Commission.
She works at the intersection of gender equality, leadership and diversity. Through her organisation, her mission is to maximise the potential and contribution of professional migrant women in Australia through meaningful contribution, visibility and intersectional representation.
Fabiola’s vision is to have equality of opportunities for all in our society and empower professional migrant women to be represented everywhere decisions are made.
She is also a mother of a 10 y/o boy, and loves food, chats with friends and quality time with her partner. People who know her would say that she is compassionate, determined, hardworking, likes to hustle and to get things done, fast!

CEO at Welcoming Australia
Aleem has spent more than 20 years seeding and mentoring the development of leading initiatives and social enterprises that advance welcoming and inclusive communities.
He is a mentor and advisor to various startups, community enterprises and government agencies; including, Australian Human Rights Commission, Our Race, and Regional Opportunities Australia. He is also the Deputy Chair of Oxfam Australia.
As the CEO of Welcoming Australia, Aleem is working with leaders and organisations across the country to cultivate a culture of welcome and advance communities where people of all backgrounds can belong, contribute and thrive.

Closing Address

Director of International Education at Global Victoria
Fiona has 18 years’ experience delivering internationally focused projects, programs and initiatives for state and federal governments. Fiona is Director International Education in Global Victoria, where her work currently focuses on supporting international student welfare through COVID-19, and economic recovery efforts for the international education sector. In her previous roles in Global Victoria, Fiona oversaw the management of the Victorian Government Trade and Investment (VGTI) international network and led number of international policy, program and strategic initiatives that support the VGTI network to achieve its economic objectives for Victoria, and enable whole-of- government coordination on international engagement. Fiona led the delivery of key initiatives such as International Chamber House and Victoria’s suite of Asia Capability Programs, including the Hamer Scholarships and Asia Gateway Program.