Our organisation

Miriam
Silva AM

Chair

Miriam has more than 25 years’ experience managing large and geographically diverse teams, across multiple industries including pharmaceuticals, banking and agribusiness and is currently Deputy Managing Director for Crescent. 

Miriam has extensive Board and committee experience including: Chair for inTouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence, Director of AMES, and the Art Gallery of South Australia. Miriam is Patron for the International Women’s Day Committee (SA) and is the Multicultural Patron for The SA Police Training Academy. 

In 2022, Miriam was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).  In 2012 Miriam was named as one of Australia’s inaugural 100 Women of Influence in the Westpac and AFR Awards. Miriam is a member of the SA Women’s Honour Roll (2011) and the recipient of the 2012 Governor’s Multicultural Award for the Private Sector

Uncle Andrew
Gardiner

Deputy Chair

Uncle Andrew is a proud Wurundjeri clansman of the Woi Wurrung people and an Aboriginal Muslim Australian.  Uncle Andrew’s working life has been in the service of Indigenous communities, Indigenous community control and self-determination. 

Uncle Andrew has held numerous positions across a range of organisations, most recently Dandenong and District Aborigines Co-operative (2009 – 2021 CEO), Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Corporation (2021, Traditional Owner Treaty Engagement Officer). Uncle Andrew has held numerous Board and Committee positions including, but not limited to, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Corporation (Board member, 2006, current), Victorian Aboriginal Health Centre  (Board member, 2018 – 2021), Community Advisory Committee of Ambulance Victoria (Member 2016 – 2022), Bubup Wilam Child and Family Services (Board member 2021, current) and was a member of the Whittlesea Reconciliation Group (2018 – 2021). 

In December 2019, Uncle Andrew was elected to the First Peoples Assembly Victoria to develop three Treaty structures with the State to represent the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people in one of the 10 reserved seats allocated for Traditional Owner groups.  In June 2021 he was appointed as Co-Chair of the Interim Elders Voice Committee to support advancing Treaty with Elders.

Fatima
Chaudhry

Treasurer

Fatima Chaudhry is a qualified chartered accountant who brings over 18 years of extensive experience in finance and strategic leadership to the board. With a diverse background spanning public service, industry, and professional services, she has demonstrated her ability to drive organisational success through financial expertise and strategic insight.

Throughout her career, Fatima has held key roles in prominent organisations such as Homes Victoria, National Australia Bank, and PwC Australia. Her roles have encompassed a wide range of responsibilities including business improvement, governance, financial reporting, external audit, and strategic decision-making.

Fatima is actively involved in her community and serves as a member of her children’s school advisory council. This role underscores her commitment to education and community engagement.

Ian
Horne

Director

After becoming a certified Accountant in New Zealand, Ian’s professional career spanned a diverse array of finance and business management positions in numerous industries and across several countries.

During the two decades leading up to his retirement in 2015, Ian directed his career towards positions within non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and welfare entities. These roles included working with Hanover Welfare Services, an organization dedicated to assisting the homeless in Melbourne, S.N.A.I.C.C., an indigenous peak body, and The Brotherhood of St Laurence, where he served as the Business Manager in its Research and Policy Centre.

Ian was appointed the roles of Treasurer on the Board of The Centre for Muslim Wellbeing in mid-2019, and he undertook the same role for CAP in June 2022.

Michael
McMahon

Secretary

Michael McMahon is a Melbourne based lawyer and screen content producer. He was a founder and first Executive Chairman of Matchbox Pictures Pty Ltd.

Michael has held a wide range of management and legal positions as well as board appointments, including Screen Tasmania and Film Victoria. He has been director of the Arts Law Centre of Australia and the National Indigenous Advocacy Association and held academic positions at the University of South Australia and Swinburne University of Technology where he is an Adjunct Professor.

His company Big and Little Films Pty Ltd currently has several projects in development. In 2018 he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Screen Producers Australia

Dan
Hill

Director

Professor Dan Hill is Director of Melbourne School of Design, the graduate school in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne. A recognised designer and urbanist, Dan has previously held design leadership positions at various organizations, including the Swedish government’s innovation agency Vinnova in Stockholm, Arup in both London and Sydney, Fabrica in Treviso, the Finnish Innovation Fund SITRA in Helsinki, and the UK’s Future Cities Catapult and BBC in London.

Dan is also a Visiting Professor at UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Practice and a founder member of the Council on Urban Initiatives, a joint venture between UN HABITAT, LSE and UCL. Dan was one of the inaugural Design Advocates for the Mayor of London and a Trustee of Participatory City Foundation. Dan is the author of the books ‘Dark Matter & Trojan horses: A strategic design playbook’ (Strelka Press, 2012) and ‘Designing missions: Mission-oriented innovation in Sweden (Vinnova, 2022).

Alice
Wells

Director

Alice is a founding partner and the Managing Director of Lempriere Wells, a global, boutique, mid-market investment bank specialising in the consumer space.

Alice established her business with the aim of facilitating Australian brands’ entry into and prosperity in global markets. The company places great importance on cultivating enduring relationships with its clients and has primarily sourced growth capital from international strategic partners across various funding rounds, steering businesses to their eventual founder exits. The firm has since expanded its focus to include identifying European brands seeking expansion into Asian and US markets.

Alice’s clientele boasts renowned brands such as Grown Alchemist, b.box for Kids, Rae Morris, Frank Body, Templa Projects, Supernova, and Bangn Body. Hailing from Melbourne, Alice typically dedicates approximately two-thirds of her year to traveling worldwide for roadshows.