Meet the Winners!

Annie Wang

Director of Health and Women's Safety Programs

Opportunity International Australia

As India grappled with an unprecedented COVID-19 humanitarian crisis in 2021, those living in poverty were among the most affected. In response, Annie established innovative public-private partnerships between established community microfinance networks and Indian state governments to deliver mass vaccination camps, serving rural, remote and marginalised communities. Annie collaborated with the Opportunity International Network raising over $2 million for relief work. So far, close to 4 million people have received vaccines through these camps.

Annie is passionate about addressing ‘medical impoverishment’ and has made a significant contribution in protecting the lives of those in poverty.

Asha Bhat

Chief Executive Officer

Southern Aboriginal Corporation

Asha Bhat is the CEO of the Southern Aboriginal Corporation (SAC). She spends every day ensuring that critical services are provided seamlessly to some of Australia’s most vulnerable communities. Her vision, dedication and commitment to helping 'close the gap’ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians drives her activities every day. From a strong cultural background in India, Asha uses her knowledge and wisdom to assist the community in merging the 60,000 year Aboriginal culture with the modern day western way of life. Asha is selfless in her actions. She leads with integrity and provides an example that is both inspiring and motivating to her people.

Carly Grubb

Founder and Managing Director

Little Sparklers

A fierce consumer advocate for families and babies, Carly challenges dominant paradigms relating to perinatal mental health and infant sleep, promoting progressive, evidence-based changes through charity Little Sparklers. She works to educate parents on the biological, physiological and social needs of the whole family and to shift parenting approaches to align with the needs of infants and children. This is underpinned by a free online community, The Beyond Sleep Training Project, with over 150,000 members. This unique peer-based approach aims to prevent perinatal mental illness by providing high quality information and social connections to support parental resilience.

Catherine Barrett

Founder and Director

Celebrate Ageing Ltd

Catherine is an inspiration and the powerhouse behind challenging ageism and building respect for older people. She’s a changemaker - working not only at the legislative and education level but also using art and narrative approaches to influence cultural change. She has a terrific body of work across 7 programs. Each addresses biases and current perceptions. She has worked in raising awareness of sexual abuse in aged care, dementia and LGBTQI+ inclusivity. Her work is more important now than ever as our ageing population starts to experience the very discrimination she’s addressing.

David Hetherington

Executive Director

Public Education Foundation

David has led a small team at PEF to deliver dramatic growth in scholarship support to disadvantaged public school students. The program has grown almost threefold under his leadership and now supports almost 700 scholars with over $1 million in distributions. David has worked to expand the scholarship package to include laptops, tutoring and mentoring. At the outset of the pandemic, David oversaw a rapid response to emerging needs among students facing hardship, with PEF delivering laptops, phones, printers, desks and chairs to hundreds of households. His leadership and decisiveness allows the organisation to move quickly to respond to such needs.

Delia Donovan

CEO

Domestic Violence NSW

Delia has turned around Domestic violence NSW. She continues to work tirelessly to raise awareness of all the issues within the DV Sector, putting them on the agenda of those that need to be informed, such as those within Government. She has led the peak body through the most trying of times, including two lockdowns due to COVID-19 while making the DVNSW members feel heard.

Delia has been a part of the social work sector for over 21 years, spending the last 11 working towards creating positive and tangible change across the domestic and family violence landscape. Delia received this nomination from a DVNSW member for her unwavering hard work at our peak body, driving change and supporting the sector.

Diana Olmos

Community Organiser

Sydney Alliance

Diana Olmos is a community organiser working with diverse communities. International students in Australia were excluded from Federal government support but this did not stop them from banding together to advocate for themselves. Diana Olmos is a powerhouse woman behind the Oz International Students Hub. Successfully with the Sydney Alliance, Diana and international students lobbied for caseworkers and services to be available for international students. Now there are hundreds of students being connected, recognised, uplifted and their voices are amplified. No one left behind means no international student left behind.

Dr Simon Bradshaw

Research Director

Climate Council

Dr Simon Bradshaw has immense experience in climate research and advocacy, which has taken him to the Torres Strait Islands, Tibet, India, throughout the Pacific, and to many rounds of international climate negotiations. He attended the COP26 in Glasgow, reporting daily on the latest goings-on for the Australian public and media. He works towards holding the Australian Government accountable and accelerating Australia's response to the climate crisis.

Fauve Kurnadi

Legal Adviser, International Humanitarian Law

Australian Red Cross

Australian companies continue to expand into new international territories, including countries affected by, or prone to, armed conflict. Whilst corporates have strong human rights frameworks in place, international humanitarian law (the laws of war) has remained largely unknown. Fauve has been quietly, determinedly and expertly shifted the global and domestic landscape to ensure corporates play their part in creating better humanitarian outcomes for communities experiencing war. She has influenced domestic regulatory frameworks, international reporting standards and produced practical guidance, tools and training to support Australian corporates with operations in conflict affected areas to embed respect for international humanitarian law into their organisations.

Fiona Armstrong

Founder and Executive Director

Climate and Health Alliance

Fiona's tireless, dedicated, and often unseen work has seen the climate change implications for health put on the agendas of multiple governments. Her work at the helm of the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) was instrumental in spreading wide community understanding of these impacts. Through her guidance, CAHA has come to include almost all of the health peak bodies, and their work is helping the health sector not only raise awareness of the public health emergency but of what the sector itself can do to reduce its carbon footprint.

Gary Thorpe OAM

General Manager

Silver Memories

Gary Thorpe started a dedicated 24 hours a day, every day, nostalgia broadcasting service 15 years ago to address social isolation in the aged. The service has now expanded to 160 aged care homes across Australia via satellite and has now been developed as an app for people living at home. Three university research projects on the impact of Silver Memories as a reminiscence therapy service have shown a significant reduction in depression, anxiety and agitation in the aged. Silver Memories has been particularly helpful to people living with dementia especially during lockdowns as it has become a 24/7 companion.

Georgie Dent

Executive Director

The Parenthood

Georgie Dent is a journalist, author, lawyer and leading advocate for women’s empowerment, gender equality and families. She is executive director of The Parenthood, a NFP advocacy organisation representing 72,000 parents and carers around Australia, and a contributing editor at Women’s Agenda.

In 2020 she co-instigated the viral hashtag #CredibleWomen after the Prime Minister's office criticised her view that the Federal Budget ignored women. She was told "no one credible" agreed – Georgie’s call out saw 15,000 tweets posted within hours and kept #CredibleWomen trending for days.

Jennifer Gurry

CEO and Founder

Diamond Women

Jennifer Gurry is an exemplar of a founder that remains focused on the clients her organisation Diamond Women supports; vulnerable women facing unplanned pregnancy. Witnessing the negative impact fragmented health plans had on these women, she launched Diamond Women to provide continuity of care for clients throughout the perinatal period.

This holistic approach supports women (and families) through counselling, mentoring, peer-to-peer activities and one-on-one client support when accessing the health system, to reduce clients negative experiences and increase their trust in the system.

15 years later, Diamond Women has assisted over 3,500 clients, through 375,570 contact hours, in seven NSW LGA’s, all at no cost to clients.

Mandy Dante

CEO and Founder

Flourish Girl

Flourish Girl is solving the problems that exist currently for teenage girls with regard to their mental health. Flourish Girls has been aware for years that teenage girls are feeling disconnected from themselves and their loved ones, and may not have access to role models to show them what a healthy journey to womanhood looks like. Flourish Girl has worked with over 6500 teenage girls to increase self awareness, self confidence and social connectedness between these girls. Girls are craving a safe space to be heard and be given the tools to flourish in today's world. Flourish Girl believes that it's time for the voices of young women to be heard.

Mandy Richards

CEO and Founder

Global Sisters

Mandy has dedicated her life to eradicating poverty and empowering people and especially women. Holding a Master of Human Rights Law, she is a leader, innovator and collaborator and that is why she has made visions into reality via Global Sisters, RSPCA, Sydney Community Foundation and other initiatives locally and internationally including the Hamlin Fistula Hospitals in Ethiopia. In particular, Global Sisters exists to make business possible for all women across Australia, to unlock the potential of women to own their economic future. To date, more than 5,500 women have been supported with $3million+ in external support facilitated from the corporate sector to emerging women-led micro businesses. Each of these women represent a new business, a new job created or a new pathway to employment and a real difference to Australian women’s economic participation and security.

Marcus Godinho

CEO

FareShare

Marcus’s vision is that everybody in Australia that can’t cook for themselves has one healthy meal a day. After joining FareShare as a volunteer in 2004, shortly after the charity started, Marcus gave up his day job in 2007 and has taken FareShare from a chef and a driver cooking 1,000 meals per week to now running Australian’s two largest charity kitchens - in Melbourne and Brisbane – cooking 3 million highly nutritious meals p.a. for local charities supporting vulnerable people. Marcus also is the Co-founder of the Feed Appeal which has raised and awarded $10 million to 410 charities.

Marie Carvolth

Chairperson and Co-founder

Australian Parents for Climate Action

Marie has dedicated herself to Australian Parents for Climate Action for three years. As a Co-founder and hands-on volunteer director, she is a true leader who has worked tirelessly on building a powerful, accessible movement that empowers busy parents to positively influence climate action in Australia. The organisation has gone from strength to strength under her collaborative leadership, gaining widespread respect and rapid growth. Her passion and vision has inspired thousands of everyday people from across society and politics to get involved in climate action for the first time, for the safety of all children.

Mx Giancarlo de Vera

Senior Manager of Policy (PWDA), President (AGMC), Treasurer (ACDL) and Secretary (DALA)

People with Disability Aust., Aust. GLBTIQ+ Multicultural Council, Aust. Centre for Disability Law and Disabled Aust. Lawyers Association

Giancarlo (they/he) is a proud non-binary and queer disability, racial justice and LGBTIQ+ advocate. They currently head up policy and advocacy at People with Disability Australia and is president of the Australian GLBTI Multicultural Council, the two national peak bodies that represent people with disability and LGBTIQ+ people from multicultural and multi-faith backgrounds. They are also treasurer and inaugural secretary of the Australian Centre for Disability Law and Disabled Australian Lawyers Association respectively. They were listed as one of the 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians for 2021.

Narelle Clay

CEO

Southern Youth and Family Services

Narelle Clay has been a force for continual growth and innovation in the community and youth homelessness sector. She has grown her organisation from a small youth refuge in the early 80's to a large multi faceted organisation. She has participated on advisory committees and constantly advocates and advises government on program and policy. Although operating at a high level, she remains a youth worker with a close relationship with clients throughout SYFS, in particular with local Dharawal indigenous community. Narelle continues to have a significant influence on the development of the community and youth homelessness sector.

Sandeep Varma

Founder and CEO, SAARI Collective, and Chair, 100 Story Building

SAARI Collective and 100 Story Building

Sandeep is the founder and CEO of SAARI Collective, a media startup and community for South Asian Australians. In under a year, SAARI has published over 75 stories by over 35 emerging South Asian Australian writers, and was recognised as a top emerging media startup in Asia by the School of Spice media accelerator. Sandeep is chair of 100 Story Building, a social enterprise for young writers in Melbourne’s west that has helped over 30,000 children. He is an innovative and collaborative community builder. He creates positive change through the leadership of two outstanding initiatives that grow the voices of others.

Simone Eley

Chair

Impact100 WA

Simone was one of the founding members behind Impact100 WA, Australia's first collaborative giving circle. Over the past 10 years Impact100 WA has awarded over $2 million in grants to charities making transformational change in the WA community. She been a driving force in the organisations since its creation in 2012 and is now the chairperson. Under her leadership, donors have increased and three major grants of $100 thousand were awarded in 2021.

Sophie Chamberlain

Founding committee member

Impact100 WA

Sophie was a founding committee member of Impact100 WA ten years ago and has worked continuously and tirelessly for it in a volunteer capacity ever since. She is the primary communications person, is heavily involved in the grants activity and is a constant advocate for the organisation and its purpose. She is also a director of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, as well as running her family foundation. She makes a real difference to the energy and achievements of both collective giving and philanthropy in Western Australia.

Sue Hedley OAM

Founder and Chairperson

Saving Animals From Euthanasia Inc

Sue started SAFE Inc. in 2003 in Karratha. The organisation utilises the foster care model as the primary source of care for homeless, abandoned or abused dogs and cats, whilst finding an adoptive home and works with the many lonely and isolated people in regional areas who seek companionship. Sue is a volunteer who has never drawn a wage. As there is no RSPCA presence north of Geraldton, SAFE is the only animal rescue group in the far north regions. SAFE now have 11 branches throughout WA from Broome down to Perth and 32,000 animals have been saved and rehomed since it's inception.

Suzie Brown

Founder and Non-executive Director

Australian Parents for Climate Action

Suzie started a movement of parents calling for climate action and shifting the politics right across the country. With just a small group of volunteer mums, she turned this idea into a powerful force for change, with over 15,000 supporters, volunteers in every state and already over $71 million in public funding committed to climate solutions in schools. She continues to give her all as a volunteer director. She's an unsung hero of the climate movement, making positive action accessible to the busiest mums and dads from all walks of life.

Tarang Chawla

Founder

Not One More Niki

Tarang has been an influential male figure in the prevention of violence against women this year. From running Not One More Niki on social media which humanises the victims of men's violence, to his work as an Ambassador for multiple organisations, it's heartwarming and inspiring to see a man do what he does. He has inspired others by opening up about his own mental health issues and he aims to amplify these important social messages within the South Asian community.