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THE FACES BEHIND THE MAGIC
We bring a wealth of industry knowledge, networks, and passion to this initiative.
AGNES KANG
Chief Executive Officer
Agnes has worked in Australia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe and is currently with the Sydney office of the Boston Consulting Group. Prior to that, she was a solicitor with a leading Australian law firm and a policy advisor for NSW Government. Agnes holds a Masters in Business Administration with Distinction at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School where she studied under a University bursary and received the Tim Lee prize for first in Strategy. She also holds a BCom; LLB (Hons) from the University of Sydney. Agnes is passionate about ethical leadership, innovative thinking, and mentorship. Agnes is taking The Orbispace Initiative forward into the next phase of its development, ensuring the delivery of scalable services that maximise impact. Agnes has always recognised the important role that mentors have played in her life and career, and is passionate about mentoring the next generation.
ANNA GRACE
Founder and Board Director
Anna Grace is a software entrepreneur who founded her first business at the age of 17. Today, Anna is the CEO of a Silicon Valley based startup. Anna has been a frequent speaker at technology conferences around the world, and represented Australia at the UN Commission on the Status of Women as a digital policy scholar. Anna is one of the highest ranking Speech and Drama teachers in the state of NSW, and has spent the last decade leading and advising educational teams in the design and implementation of learning extension programs in both STEM and The Arts. Anna has been the driving force behind the vision for TOI's charitable mission, and ensures that the resources and networks she has established in her career can be effectively leveraged by The Orbispace Initiative to support the next generation.
SAM MILLER
Board Director
Sam is a senior executive, strategist and advisor. Sam has a corporate, commercial, governance and board background (local and international) with experience in sustainability, social and environmental outcomes. Sam is a chartered accountant and has served as an executive and non executive board director and advisor for leading corporates and not-for-profits. As a founding board director for the renowned Sydney International Piano Competition, Sam has a lifetime of experience building effective networks and strategies to support impactful charitable projects. At TOI, Sam identifies new partnership opportunities, crafts strategy approaches to grow and evolve the organisation, and drives collaboration with leaders across a wide range of innovation industries.
JULIE DEMSEY
Board Director
Julie spent 20 years in the Silicon Valley as an executive and leader at various technology companies and startups. When she moved to Sydney 5 years ago she was warmly welcomed into the startup community and led SBE Australia, an accelerator program for female entrepreneurs for two years before stepping out on her own as a Hypnotherapist/Coach/Startup advisor. Julie works individually with clients and runs group sessions supporting startup founders as well. She is a highly sought after speaker, facilitator and mentor and a firm supporter of women in STEM.
SUE HOGAN
Board Director
For the last 10 years Sue has worked with early-stage startups, designing and running programs to help entrepreneurs scale their businesses and has continued her support as an active angel investor. With a strong social conscience, Sue’s passion for the not-for-profit sector started when she developed and ran an early-intervention program for youth, which she grew nationally over six years. She currently sits on the Board of Prisoners’ Aid Association, creating a positive impact to people who’ve experienced the Justice system. Sue has also run her own events and conferences business, having worked in this field for over 15 years. It’s this unique combination of skills, experience and passion that Sue brings to TOI’s board.
BRIAN JONES
Treasurer and Board Director
Brian is a qualified Chartered Accountant with over 30 years experience in Accounting and Financial Services. He commenced his career with Deloitte in South Africa, specialising in Auditing and since then has gained experience inside and outside the Chartered Accounting profession. In the last 10 years Brian has specialised in Company Secretarial and CFO services for both publicly listed and private companies. Brian acts as Treasurer for The Orbispace Initiative. When Brian speaks about TOI he considers his own daughters and how, as a Father, he hopes all young women can be empowered to reach their full potential.
AUDREY GAN
Director of Fundraising and Sponsorships
Audrey is the Regional Manager for Social Impact at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Audrey began her career in STEM, completing her Honours in chemical engineering and then working as an engineer in Malaysia. Audrey holds a Chemical Engineering degree from Monash University and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Applied Finance. As the Director of Fundraising and Sponsorships, Audrey works to identify and nurture opportunities for TOI to partner with corporate brands and philanthropic donors. As a Mother, and as a women in STEM, Audrey is passionate about female empowerment, STEM education, climate and sustainability.
JENNIFER NICHOLAS
STEM Education Advisor
Jennifer has worked as an educator in Australia, designing, teaching and implementing programs. Jennifer has experience teaching the Australian Curriculum including both the HSC and International Baccelaureate. Jennifer holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and Bachelor’s Degree in Science (University of Sydney), Majoring in Mathematics & Minoring in Chemistry. Jennifer has a special interest in providing opportunities and mentorship to assist young women to unlock their potential. In her previous role at Ravenswood School for Girls, Jennifer Co-founded the Welcome Jewellery Club, allowing students to create handcrafted pieces and donate profits to the Asylum Seekers Centre in Newtown. Jennifer was also a TOI Mentor in her school, and is today working with us to shape the vision and delivery of educational experiences and curriculum.
GIORGIA CARUSO
Community and Operations Manager
Giorgia is a skilled administrator with experience in maintaining and managing enterprise Learning Management Systems. She was part of the team that developed and launched Australia's first national apprenticeship program in the flooring industry and was the driving force behind the program's industry-defining classroom and in-field workshop experience. She has a Bachelor in International Relations, certifications in Administration, fluently speaks three languages and spent a year as an English teacher for disadvantaged children in Spain. At TOI Giorgia is the first point of contact for any enquiries and plays an important role in managing and supporting the TOI community.
MARIA MILLWARD
Program Director
Maria has been an educator for more than four decades, with experience as a leader in both curriculum and pastoral care. Her career has also encompassed writing, editing and composing, with the co-writing of Under Southern Skies for the Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony in 2000 being a highlight of her accomplishments. She has a special interest in designing and leading gifted education programs, and is passionate about providing opportunities and mentorship to assist girls and young women to achieve their dreams. This alignment with the goals of TOI ensures that she brings passion and enthusiasm to role as Program Director.
ANANDA VASUDEVAN
UX/UI Design Advisor
Ananda is a UX/UI designer with a passion for solving problems that have a meaningful impact on our world. Ananda has experience using end-to-end UX/UI methodologies to help shape how products and services touch people across multiple industries. Currently, she is at WooliesX, working to create a better shopping experience for ecommerce customers. Ananda's Masters research in Interaction Design focused on how to create meaningful virtual reality experiences that support symptom management for palliative care patients. Ananda also holds a Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours), Psychology. In her role at TOI, Ananda contributes to the design focused areas of learning in TOI’s curriculum. Ananda is also working on TOI's digital product roadmap and offering.
LILLIAN CHAN
Strategic Product Advisor
Lillian is a Service and Strategic Designer with a background in education, retail, telco, and fashion industries. She believes in coupling technology with CX to design experiences that create value and solve real customer problems. Lillian enjoys sharing her expertise in research and Design best practice with others, and taking a human-centred approach to achieve customer-centric outcomes. Lillian was a mentor for previous TOI 'Future of Female Leadership' events before joining the team. Working in the technology sector, she is particularly passionate about mentorship and leadership, and ensuring women have a seat at the table when it comes to design.
HELEN DEVINE
Public Relations Advisor
Helen Devine is a Public Relations specialist with a wealth of media and journalist connections across Australia. Helen works individually with clients across Australia to identify and secure media opportunities, build on relations with press and promote positive public awareness through communication strategies. At 24 Helen founded and is the CEO of an Australian based startup that is reshaping the way people approach human connections and relationships worldwide with specific attention on Women's safety. Helen is helping TOI to amplify the incredible accomplishments of the women and girls in our program - through positive and powerful media we are better able to celebrate their stories.
RACHEL AMIN
Assistant Researcher and Designer
Rachel is a passionate User Experience Designer and Researcher, motivated to advocate for users and design impactful experiences. Fresh to her career in design, Rachel recently graduated with a Bachelor of Design Computing, and has since completed an internship with a start-up organisation currently building towards product launch, where she undertook user research and created design blueprints to align team values. Rachel has worked on multiple end-to-end projects, and is familiar with design processes and principles for each stage of a project cycle. Rachel hopes to be a part of the digital expansion of TOI's offering, helping to make our resources, mentorship, and teaching, accessible and scalable.
SAGARIKA BHATNAGAR
EDUCATION ADVISOR
Sagarika is a Research & Content Lead at a space education startup and is currently working on increasing access to the space industry. With a background in computational biology and having worked in the technology industry for several years, she has a keen interest in making STEM more accessible and inclusive. She led the creation of a nationwide program to democratize access and concepts in technology, alongside mentoring students from minority backgrounds. In her role, she has collaborated with healthcare, commerce, and government organizations to create technological impact for diverse sectors of society. Benefiting from wonderful female mentorship and leadership, she's now paying it forward through her work.
