Meet The Team

As a social and cultural anthropologist, Therese strives to partner with as many people as she can to create inclusive communities that celebrate our diversity. Therese’s passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion – and her commitment to authentic co-creation – is what drives the Collaborative Culture team to achieve excellent outcomes for our clients, their customers, and the wider community. Coupled with extensive senior leadership experience in a multitude of sectors (including disability, aged care, employment services, mental health, family violence, and child protection), Therese is an all-rounder and our principal consultant.

She strives to deliver bespoke solutions for her clients, ranging from strategic planning and service design to co-design facilitation and project management. She always keeps the magnitude of change and the cultural embeddedness of any project at the forefront of her approach. Therese also serves as a non-executive director for multiple boards in the not-for-profit sector, ensuring she gives back to the communities she aims to serve.She thrives to deliver bespoke solutions for her clients ranging from strategic overview and planning, service design, co-design, and project management. She ensures the magnitude of change management and cultural embeddedness of any project is at the forefront of her expertise. Therese also serves as non-executive director for multiple boards in the not-for-profit sector to ensure that she gives back to the communities she aims to serve.

Originally from New Zealand, Katherine migrated to Australia with her family as an adolescent and has built an impressive career leading people and culture teams across multiple sectors (including health, disability, aged care, migrant resources, and settlement services). Katherine’s knowledge and capability in building high-performing teams are second to none. Her focus on leadership development, empowered team culture, meaningful professional development, and talent acquisition and retention shows her commitment to sustainable, co-created and inclusive policy and practice.

Katherine also has the distinction of being our subject matter expert on all things people and culture – including Industrial Relations. She provides invaluable insights to every project we undertake to ensure we deliver the right outcomes for the whole team. Katherine also has the distinction of being our subject matter expert on all things people and culture including Industrial Relations. Katherine provides invaluable insights to every project we undertake to ensure that we deliver the right outcomes for the whole team.

In the DEI space, the difference between token efforts and truly embedded inclusive values comes down to effective change management. Karen is an expert in guiding organisations through this process. She has worked with specialist consulting firms internationally and delivered complex projects in a variety of sectors. Having partnered with state and federal governments, financial services companies, telecommunication firms, multi-national charities, FMCG corporations, and niche small businesses in Australia, the UK, Europe, and the US, Karen has encountered change-management challenges at every stage of a project or program lifecycle. She has an extraordinary ability to rapidly assess the health of change initiatives and deliver a responsive, right-fit approach. Co-creating change by bringing your team along for the journey and constantly reinforcing the “why” behind everything is the magic that Karen performs.

Ankush is a senior practicing allied health professional and clinical lead. He has experience in community health, Indigenous health, disability services (including neurorehabilitation), and supporting the ageing community. He has lived the journey of being a migrant in the Australian landscape, giving him first-hand insight into the do’s and don’ts of diversity and inclusion in practice. Ankush champions the client’s voice and is our subject matter expert on clinical governance – a valuable asset in this post-pandemic world. He ensures that our clients who require a clinical lens are supported in an ever-changing and complex environment.

Aarti is an experienced leader in business analysis, administration, and team management at the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). With a strong background in finance and workflow optimisation, she has successfully led process improvements to enhance efficiency and service delivery.  Originally from India, Aarti has firsthand experience of the migrant journey and understands the complexities of building a life in a new country. This perspective fuels her commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equitable access to services, particularly for migrant and multicultural communities.  As a double amputee, Aarti is a passionate advocate for accessibility and inclusion, ensuring lived experience is central to decision-making. Aarti’s resilience, insight, and leadership make her a strong voice in the disability and inclusion space.

With over 18 years of experience as an executive leader for a not-for-profit NDIS provider specialising in custom Assistive Technology, Rosemary is a passionate advocate for the rights of people with disabilities and the creation of an inclusive society where individuals can achieve their goals.  A results-driven leader with a strong foundation in operations and process improvement, Rosemary consistently champions strategic innovation and operational excellence. Her leadership fosters ethical practices, customer focus, high performance, and continuous quality improvement. Rosemary’s deep knowledge of the NDIS and commitment to a sustainable and ethical sector is demonstrated through her successful collaborations with providers, peak bodies, and state and federal governments. Known for building strong partnerships and navigating complex frameworks, she is an invaluable asset in projects requiring sector expertise.