In our multicultural society, why don’t we see more diversity among our leaders? 
 
Asia Society Australia in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria will examine the current cultural diversity across the leadership of our public and private companies and institutions with Race Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Tim Soutphommasane and a panel of industry experts. The focus comes off the back of the Leading for Change: A Blueprint for Cultural Diversity and Inclusive Leadership Revisited report, which examines the cultural backgrounds of chief executive officers of ASX200 companies, federal ministers and shadows, heads of federal and state government departments and vice-chancellors of universities. The report highlighted the rich cultural diversity in Australia’s society is significantly under-represented among senior leaders in Australian organisations and institutions.

Leading for Change challenges us to start conversations and think deeply about cultural diversity and to act as a blueprint for action.

This is a public event. Registration is essential. Doors open 5:30. Panel from 6:00 pm. 

About our Speakers:

Dr Tim Soutphommasane has been Race Discrimination Commissioner since August 2013. Prior to joining the Australian Human Rights Commission, Tim was a political philosopher and held posts at The University of Sydney and Monash University. His thinking on multiculturalism, patriotism and national identity has been influential in shaping debates in Australia and Britain. 

Tim is the author of four books: I’m Not Racist But … (2015), The Virtuous Citizen (2012), Don't Go Back To Where You Came From (2012), and Reclaiming Patriotism (2009). He was co-editor (with Nick Dyrenfurth) of All That's Left (2010). He has been an opinion columnist with The Age and The Weekend Australian newspapers, and presented the documentary series Mongrel Nation on ABC Radio National (2013). Tim is an adjunct professor at the School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University and chairs the Leadership Council on Cultural Diversity.

Born in France and raised in southwest Sydney, Tim holds a Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Philosophy (with Distinction) from the University of Oxford, and is a first-class honours graduate of The University of Sydney.

Alice Wong is a Board Member, Asia Society Australia. She has over 38 years experience in banking.  She recently retired as Head of Asian Leadership at the Westpac Group, where she developed strategies to improve how Westpac attracts, develops and retains Asian Leaders in order to increase the Asia capability of the organisation and the diversity of its leadership core. At Westpac, she was also the inaugural Chair of the Asian Leadership Employee Action group, which grew to over 1,000 members in less than 9 months and pioneered initiatives within Westpac such as Targeted Mentoring and Thought Leadership events. The Employee Action Group not only provided a bank-wide networking forum for those employees interested in both Asia Capability and diversity in leadership, but broadened opportunities and awareness for staff across the bank to put their leadership skills into practice. In addition Alice also launched a program to increase engagement between Westpac and the community through an e-mentoring program with postgraduate students.

This has been part of Alice’s longstanding passion to build a greater cultural knowledge base and forum for exchange as part of an evolving and expanding the modern Australian identity.

Most recently, Alice has advised the Premier of Victoria on China-related matters, including accompanying him on his first official visit to China. She is also the Strategic Advisor to the University of Sydney on their Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Leadership Strategy.

A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Alice is a Council Member of the National Library of Australia and of International House at the University of Melbourne, where she is Chair of their Advancement Advisory Committee. Alice is the Special Adviser to the Bangarra Group Board, Board Member of the La Trobe University Business School as well as on the Asia Century Advisory Committee of the Institute of Public Administration Australia and the Course Advisory Committee of the Swinburne University of Technology. She is also Patron of the Chinese Cancer Society of Victoria, and a judge for the Indian Executive Club Awards.

Vik Bansal is the CEO & Managing Director of Cleanaway. Vik has over 20 years experience in a range of executive roles in Australia, Asia and the United States and a proven track record of leading organisations through business growth, transition and improvement.

Previously, he was President and Chief Operating Officer for Valmont Industries Inc., a US$3.3 billion NYSE listed global engineering and manufacturing company based out of Omaha, Nebraska USA. Prior to that, he held senior roles with OneSteel Ltd and Eaton Corporation in Australia. He holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering with Honours and an MBA. Vik currently volunteers as a Non‑Executive Director of Disability Services Australia.

Vik has completed the Advanced Management Program from INSEAD and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers Australia.

Sam Almaliki is a Commissioner of the Victorian Multicultural Commission. He is an experienced and strategically-focused business leader and board director with expertise in leading and advising on strategy, change and growth in sport, corporate, not-for-profit, NGO and government sectors.

With an industry-proven combination of skills in strategic planning, operational execution and relationship building, Sam is at his best when he is motivating and enabling high-performing teams, collaborating with clients to achieve business outcomes and supporting them to implement organisational change.

Prior to founding Activate Global, a consulting firm focused on providing cross industry solutions particularly in the area of facial recognition, Sam was the Head of Community Engagement and Diversity Council Secretary at Cricket Australia. The youngest ever appointee to the Cricket Australia leadership team in the organisation’s 100-year history, at just 24 Sam was handpicked to lead the nationwide community engagement function, tasked with growing cricket’s market share. Over a four-year period, Sam oversaw a period of significant growth to record levels of participation, sponsorship and engagement, as well as leading substantial organisational change.  

Tania Farha is currently the Executive Director for Multicultural Affairs and Social Cohesion and Equality in Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet. Prior to this appointment, she was the CEO of the Office of Prevention and Women’s Equality within the Department of Premier and Cabinet. In that role, she led the development of the Prevention of Family Violence and violence against women strategy.

Prior to joining the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Tania worked at UN Women for over four years as a policy specialist in the Ending Violence Against Women Section. In that role, she managed a UN global program on essential services for women and girls subject to violence, was the focal point for ending trafficking in women and girls and worked on the first UN Framework on the prevention of violence against women.

Tania also worked for nine years with the Victoria Police, where she was responsible for the implementation of a number of reforms in relation to violence against women and children including the development and implementation of specialised Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Teams and multi-disciplinary centers to respond to sexual assault and child abuse in the State of Victoria. She is qualified to practice law and has a Masters in International Relations.

Moderator 

Sarah Abo reports for SBS World News from SBS’s Melbourne newsroom. She started her career at Network Ten in Adelaide as a reporter and presenter, before moving to the Melbourne newsroom. Sarah joined SBS World News in Melbourne as a presenter and reporter in 2013. She was a US Presidential Election correspondent, anchoring SBS's nightly coverage live from Washington DC, New York and other states in America.

Earlier in 2016, Sarah traveled to Kabul for Anzac Day, covering Australia's role in the Afghanistan war, fifteen years on. In 2014, Sarah was involved in SBS's Brazil World Cup coverage, anchoring the sports bulletin nightly from the Rio studio, as well as live news updates throughout evening and late news bulletins.

She filed news stories daily and a feature for SBS's international current affairs program, Dateline. Sarah was a 2014 CNN Journalism Fellow, spending three weeks at the broadcaster's HQ in Atlanta.

In 2015, Sarah travelled to Paris, reporting from the COP21 Climate Conference. Locally, she has covered news from major crime scenes, the Victorian bushfires, the 2013 federal election campaign and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse,  and travelled to Tasmania to file stories during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s official visit.

Sarah was born in Syria and holds a BA with Honours in Journalism from Monash University.

Our Arts, Culture and Diversity Programs span across visual art and performance, literature, media, technology, education, and community sectors. These unique partner events examine cultural traditions and expressions, celebrate diversity and multiculturalism, and explore a changing Australian society. Run as both public and member only events, this programming stream offers an exciting way to engage with the work of Asia Society Australia.

The report "Leading for Change: A Blueprint for Cultural Diversity and Inclusive Leadership Revisited " is a collaboration between the Australian Human Rights Commission, the University of Sydney Business School, the Committee for Sydney, and Asia Society Australia. 

This event is hosted in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria under our Asia Society @ NGV series.