MEET OUR PEOPLE

Gemma is a specialist contract lawyer who founded her own commercial and contract law practice, SoundLegal, in 2019. Prior to this, Gemma was corporate counsel to a global engineering and design consultant for many years. Gemma has taught commercial and corporate law at Curtin Law School. She also played a key role developing a legal advisory service for NFPs at the John Curtin Law Clinic. Gemma holds degrees in law and psychology, completed a Master of Business Administration in 2013 and will complete her Master of Laws in 2022.

Gemma has been on the board at AIG since 2015 and is so proud to be a part of the work that AIG does. The Board and Management team always bring their best selves to their roles and she finds the opportunities for personal connection with AIG team members and clients very rewarding.

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

For me, social inclusion means that everyone has equal and equitable opportunity to share and live in the ‘ordinary places’ within our community. It is when groups of people are not made to feel excluded because they are deemed to require ‘special places’. I’m passionate about bringing our community together by sharing and educating. I envision a time when we can all share the same places and experiences. While my values have always been aligned with the organisation, there were nuances to inclusion that I hadn’t considered before I joined the Board. My knowledge and views about inclusion have evolved so much and continue to mature as a result of my involvement with AIG. I now enjoy having conversations about inclusion within my own networks. I think most people in the community are open to the idea of social inclusion but lack understanding about what it means. So, I’m passionate about sharing more thoughtful ideas.

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.

Michael joined the board as an observer in 2019, and has since been nominated to the role of Treasurer in November 2020.  Currently, he is the Commercial Finance Manager at Boral Construction. Michael has previously held roles in a broad range of industries from Mining and Engineering to grassroot start-ups. In his spare time, Michael enjoys spending as much time with his two young boys and keeping physically active, whether it’s long distance ocean swimming or hiking new places in the state.

Scott joined the Board in late 2019. Scott has worked as the Government Affairs Manager for Alcoa of Australia since 2018. Prior to this, Scott was deployed overseas with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to represent Australia at the United Nations in New York City. He is a lawyer by training and started his career in corporate law before working as Associate to former Justice of the High Court William Gummow AC. He holds a Bachelors of Law/Arts from the University of Western Australia. Scott enjoys cooking, spending time in Vienna with his Austrian wife and time at the beach with their Labrador, Pippa.

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.

Catherine has over 15 years’ experience working in management and engineering consulting in Australia and the UK. She is passionate about helping people and organisations reach their potential, through good governance and great working dynamics. Catherine is pleased to have joined the Australian Inclusion Group Board in 2022 and support social inclusion in our communities.

Catherine’s expertise is in advising organisations of all types and sizes on strategy, governance, program management and operations as they navigate significant change or implement challenging projects. She brings together analytical thinking and broad industry experience to filter and process complex data, identify key issues, develop innovative strategies, and navigate challenging stakeholder environments to drive outcomes. She has worked across a wide range of industries, with not-for-profit, government, community, education, health care, engineering, construction, defence, utilities, resources, manufacturing and financial services organisations.

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.

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.

Olivia has embarked on an unconventional career path, transitioning from a background in hairdressing to her current role as a Business Information and Technology Manager at Australian Inclusion Group (AIG). Her journey reflects a deep-rooted passion for organisation, management, IT, and creative thinking.

As an Executive Assistant at Australian Inclusion Group, she played a pivotal role in project managing the organisation’s shift to a Cloud-based infrastructure, and in her current role, she oversees significant system changes and redesigns of business information processes to improve data management and efficiency.  Motivated and with a unique skill set, she has pursued a career in IT and is advancing the organisation’s strategic IT vision.

With a diverse background, Olivia can adeptly support people, systems, and data. Her mission is to bridge the Digital Divide, empower women in IT, and create a positive social impact. Outside of work, she enjoys DIY projects, such as renovating her house, all while pursuing a Master of Management Information Systems at Edith Cowan University.

In the role of Chair of the Emerging Professionals Committee within the Western Australia Charter of the Australian Computer Society (ACS), Olivia advocates for women in IT and champions diversity and inclusion. She is also dedicated to understanding and promoting accessibility and empowerment within the IT industry, especially for people with disabilities.

Yuhan is a finance professional who embarked on a journey with the Australian Inclusion Group (AIG) in 2022, where she assumed a pivotal role in overseeing all aspects of financial management. Her primary mission has been to revamp and modernise the organisation’s financial systems and practices, driving enhanced efficiency across the board.

Before joining AIG, Yuhan’s career spanned various sectors, including not-for-profit organisations, engineering, manufacturing, and real estate. This diverse experience equipped her with a robust foundation in financial management and analysis. She is an experienced senior manager passionate about the not-for-profit sector and dedicated to delivering high-quality, culturally aligned business solutions that support AIG’s overarching vision and mission.

Yuhan holds a master’s degree in accounting and is a Certified Practicing Accountant. Outside of professional commitments, she cherishes the precious moments spent with her two young daughters. Additionally, she is an enthusiast of culinary adventures, relishing the company of friends while exploring a diverse range of delectable dishes and flavours from around the world.

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.