Our Board - MDA 2019

Our Board

Giri Sivaraman - Chair

Giri Sivaraman

Chair

Giri joined the board in 2018 and was appointed as Chair of the Board in 2021. Giri is a principal and head of Maurice Blackburn’s Queensland employment law department. He regularly advises trade unions and non-government organisations on governance, has acted for refugees in pro bono matters, and ran the firm’s pro bono scheme for underpaid 7-Eleven workers. Giri is a member of the Queensland Multicultural Advisory Council.

Jade Demnar - Deputy Chair

Jade Demnar

Deputy Chair

Jade joined the Board in 2018 and was appointed as Deputy Chair of the Board in 2021. Jade is a member of the senior executive service in the Federal Government and previously spent many years as a management consultant in global professional services firm, Accenture. Jade is a member of the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation Board.

Peter Forday - Director

Peter Forday

Director

Peter Forday joined the Board in 2011 and held the position of Chair from 2016 to 2021. He owns and operates a management consultancy specialising in organisational change, stakeholder engagement and leadership. Peter is also a Director of Mercy Community Services South East Queensland and Mercy Health and Aged Care Central Queensland and is the inaugural Chair of Mental Health Lived Experience Peak Queensland.

Ed Box - Director

Ed Box

Director

Ed has held senior executive roles across banking, most recently as the General Manager of Retail Distribution with Bank of Queensland and in General Manager Roles with CBA. Ed brings to the Board more than 30 years’ experience in financial services and a proven track record in business transformation and building high-performing businesses. Ed has been a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Council and Chair of the Multicultural Council for the BoQ Group and, at CBA, he oversaw Migrant Financial Services and also established their Multicultural Council.

Jessica Gallagher - Director

Jessica Gallagher

Director

Jessica is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (External Engagement) at The University of Adelaide. She brings extensive experience in strategy development, delivery of innovative engagement programs, and building highly effective global partnerships across sectors to the Board. Jessica is also a Director on the Board of the Kokoda Track Foundation, an organisation working to improve the lives and futures of Papua New Guineans.

Diaswati Mardiasmo - Director

Diaswati Mardiasmo

Director

Dr Diaswati (Asti) Mardiasmo is the Chief Economist of PRD Real Estate (PRD), leading a nation-wide research team. Diaswati is also an industry co-lecturer and research supervisor for QUT’s Bachelor of Property Economics. Diaswati is a member of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Legacy Committee, Residential Committee 2021-2022 for the Property Council of Australia, the Reserve Bank of Australia Liaison Program, and sits in the Board of Directors for UPLIFT Affordable Housing company.

Mellissa Naidoo - Director

Mellissa Naidoo

Director

Mellissa joined the board in 2022 and brings extensive experience in healthcare and governance. She has held several senior executive roles across the health and insurance industries, including Director of Medical Services with Ramsay Healthcare and UnitingCare Health and Chief Medical Officer for nib. Mellissa is passionate about improving health outcomes in disadvantaged communities and holds a diverse non-executive portfolio spanning the arts, health and education sectors as social determinants of health and wellbeing. She is a director with Metro Arts and on the UQ Senate.

Ben Bolt - Director

Ben Bolt

Director

Ben has spent more than 10 years in leadership and management roles within Diversity, Talent, and Human Resources. He is currently the acting Head of Human Resources at Relationships Australia where he helped revitalise its talent pool by introducing inclusive practices. After working in the aviation sector, Ben found his interests lay in contributing his skills and experience to values-led organisations that provide important social services, at scale. Prior to joining MA’s Board of Directors, Ben was appointed as its Board Observer. As a proud Bundjalung Man, he is committed to amplifying diverse voices to promote social cohesion and equity.

Join us

Stand with other Queenslanders welcoming new arrivals

By signing up you agree to receive emails. We promise not to spam you. Read our privacy policy here.

Connect with us

Acknowledgement of country
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of all the lands on which we meet, work and live and recognise that this land has always been and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land.

Multicultural Australia respects and values Australia’s First Nation peoples’ enormous resilience, courage, determination and often unrecognized contributions to this country’s social and economic development. We walk together in solidarity in the shared pain of the past and with shared hope for the future.