MEET OUR PEOPLE

David joined the Board in February 2018. He has operated his own human resource management and industrial relations consultancy since 2005. Prior to this, David held similar roles in the arts and entertainment industry, primarily involved in the area of venue management operations. As well as his involvement with AIG, David is the Secretary of the WA Branch of The Lord’s Taverners Australia. He is also an active member of the ANA Rowing Club.

David is heavily committed to creating welcoming communities for everyone.

We asked David what social inclusion means to him and this is what he said…

Social inclusion means everyone in our community having access to the places they want to go, the services that are available and the things they wish to experience. I believe that it’s important to provide the foundations to enable everyone in our community to reach their full potential.  Whether they take up the opportunities is immaterial – it’s having the choice that’s important.

Paul joined the Board of AIG in Feb 2024 and accepted the role of Treasurer in April 2024. Working with the team at AIG has provided Paul with an opportunity to contribute to the community through the pursuit of social inclusion.

Paul has spent more than 17 years in the mining and resource industries, travelling nationally and internationally for various operational and governance roles. He holds a Bachelor of Business from Murdoch University in Perth and a Bachelor of Laws from Deakin University in Victoria, and is admitted to practice law in Western Australia.

Paul is supported by an amazing partner and is a proud father of two young children, all of whom bring him endless happiness, love, and laughter.

In his spare time, Paul loves to spend time with his family and to read.

Reece has personal and professional experience in the disability industry. Having a life long physical disability, he has also had 13 years experience with direct care including a role at inclusion WA before being involved with supporting people moving onto the NDIS from their state funded plans.

Reece has a strong ambition to empower people with disabilities, helping and encouraging them to take control of their lives.

Reece is also a proud father and enjoys playing footy and golf in his spare time.

Claire is a Registered Psychologist with a Masters in Industrial and Organisational Psychology and a passion for inclusion and diversity. She has over 20 years experience working across a cross-section of internal and consulting roles in organisational development and behaviour change management.

Claire spent the first decade of her career in a consulting environment, helping client organisations across industry sectors with their organisational development, coaching and psychometric assessment needs. After extensive experience assisting organisations optimise their performance and manage change projects, Claire advanced to a General Manager position, leading a profitable consulting business. She then broadened her exposure via appointment to an internal, strategic leadership role in Learning and Organisational Development, with Monadelphous Group, before moving into a Culture, Inclusion and Diversity lead position with Woodside Energy and HR Business Partner leadership positions with the Finance, Engineering, Sustainability and Climate divisions at Woodside. Claire is a well-respected professional in the areas of organisational development, culture and inclusion with a strong commitment to positive progress in social inclusion and a drive to help individuals, teams and organisations operate to their fullest potential.

Jo has had a long and varied career in senior executive roles within the Banking Industry, focusing on delivering strategic, cultural, process, productivity, and cost-improvement initiatives and programs. Jo has extensive experience leading large processing, operations, change, risk, capability, and sales teams. She specialises in transformational and cultural change, implementing significant operating models and organisational design changes.

Jo is a hands-on leader who loves helping solve complex problems and helping people reach their potential. Jo holds degrees in Human Resources, Social Science, and Counselling and recently moved into a senior people role within the WA Government.

Being new to the AIG board Jo has a desire to help make a difference in the community as we aim for a socially inclusive future for all. Personally, Jo relishes spending time with her friends and family while enjoying the outdoor lifestyle.

Blake is an Accounting and Tax professional with over 15 years’ experience having worked in the construction, mining, telecommunications and education industries as well as Public Practice. He is a Fellow of the Insititute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) and recently established his own Accounting and Advisory business.

Blake has two young children and is heavily involved with their school, where he has been a Board Member and Treasurer of the P&C Committee since 2019. He is also the 2024 Chair of the Corporate Advisory Panel for the WA branch of CAANZ and has been a member of the Panel since 2021.

Blake is pleased to have joined the Australian Inclusion Group Board in March 2024 and to support social inclusion in our communities.

Patrick Ky is a lawyer with over fifteen years of experience providing legal, policy, and strategic advice to government and corporate organisations.

Patrick has worked in the public sector in Western Australia and Victoria and in large international law firms in Melbourne and London. He holds a Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Science from Monash University as well as a postgraduate law degree from the University of Oxford.

Patrick has three young children, and his experiences supporting a neurodivergent child drives his passion for creating more accessible and inclusive communities.

Marita has worked in the disability sector for over 35 years in state government, the NGO sector where she was CEO of Perth Home Care Services (now Avivo) for 14 years and from 2014 – 2021 in the National Disability Insurance Agency. She was an early advocate for the NDIS and then involved in local implementation as the Trial Site Manager of Perth Hills and later in the policy area of NDIA.   Governance experience includes membership of various peak bodies in disability, mental health and aged care and Chairperson of WAiS . Marita also has personal experience as the Guardian of a woman with disability who moved from a group home to an individualised arrangement 13 years ago.

Leanne has been involved in the lives of people with disability and their families for more than 30 years.

This has created in Leanne a deep understanding and commitment to people – focussing on human rights, citizenship, inclusion, and building strong communities. Leanne has been instrumental in promoting and advancing the importance of individualised supports locally, nationally and internationally, with extensive experience providing strategic, governance, operational and practical advice across the disability sector.

Jess grew up on a farm in the Wheatbelt before attending boarding school in Perth. She still enjoys getting out of Perth for regular weekends at the farm and in Margaret River. Having studied Art & Design, a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) and a Diploma of Youth Work, she has been lucky enough to find unique roles that combine her passions for working with young people, education and art.

Jess joined Inclusion WA as a Youth Development Officer (or Mentor) in 2011 and a few roles later stepped into the role of General Manager of Inclusion WA. In 2021, Jess took some much-deserved time off after she and her partner welcomed their second child. In 2022 she returned and took up the role of General Manager – People and Culture with Australian Inclusion Group.

Jess is passionate about social justice and everyone having the same opportunities in life. In particular, she has used her role to ensure that young people with a disability have their own voice and are treated in a way that allows them to have an authentic teenage experience growing up, mistakes and all.

Kristy commenced working in the disability sector in her early 20’s because of the impact that her experiences with people living with disability had on her growing up. These experiences led her to seek out a career in the disability field where she initially started working for the Disability Services Commission in 2000. This helped shape Kristy’s values. She firmly believes that people living with disabilities needed to be supported to live their own life in a way that made sense to them.

Over the last 13 years Kristy has worked for Inclusion WA and Plan Navigators assisting with the development of services that reflect people living with disability to take more control over their funded supports and services.

We asked Kristy what social inclusion means to her and this is what she said…

Social inclusion is a human right. To me, this means that people have access to a community where they feel safe, are known by others and who are defined by their valued role instead of their disability label.