Professional Experience:
I am a senior international development and program leader with more than 25 years’ experience delivering complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives across the Indo-Pacific and Australia. My career spans DFAT-funded programs, international NGOs, professional education, government partnerships and organisational leadership roles, with a consistent focus on strengthening systems, improving performance and enabling people to thrive in high-accountability environments.
Across my career, I have led teams of up to 40 staff and managed multi-country portfolios involving government agencies, universities, civil society organisations and technical partners. I bring deep experience in governance, safeguarding, compliance, risk management and operational leadership, underpinned by a strong commitment to equity, ethical practice and evidence-based decision-making.
Most recently, as General Manager in RACS Global Health, I oversaw a 14-country Indo-Pacific program portfolio, strengthening safeguarding, risk, reporting and partner compliance systems. I led the rollout of mandatory safeguarding training, background screening and child-safe requirements for staff and subcontractors and collaborated with internal audit to address compliance gaps and improve assurance processes. I also supported program redesign, partner capability development and the implementation of new reporting and risk frameworks across diverse country contexts.
Prior to this, as General Manager, Assessment at RACS, I led a major organisational restructure of a national professional assessment program. This included redesigning team structures, accountability frameworks, examination delivery systems and digital workflows during a period of significant change. I managed thousands of candidate records, examiner panels, logistics and compliance requirements with zero tolerance for error, demonstrating strong organisational, analytical and operational leadership.
Earlier, as Deputy Team Leader on the DFAT-funded Workforce Development Program in Timor-Leste, I led a team of coordinators and advisers through a politically sensitive program transition. I strengthened case management systems, introduced accountability-based processes and maintained scholar outcomes and team cohesion throughout. My 19 years in Timor-Leste across DFAT, UNICEF, the World Bank and NGOs gave me deep contextual knowledge, trusted relationships and extensive experience navigating complex political and institutional environments.
As AusAID Corporate Manager, I ensured compliance across local Timorese labour law, tax, corporate governance and DFAT requirements, maintaining clean audit outcomes and working closely with legal, HR and finance counterparts. This role strengthened my capability in multi-jurisdictional compliance, risk management and corporate governance.
My background also includes senior roles in education and professional learning. I have supported scholar welfare, academic performance, reintegration and alumni engagement, and I have worked closely with universities across Australia and the region. My role at AITSL in delivering accreditation panel training in Initial Teacher Education strengthened my capability in regulatory interpretation, evidence assessment and applying national standards consistently and defensibly.
Across all roles, I bring a leadership style grounded in clarity, accountability, coaching and capability development. I build high-performing teams, design systems that hold up in practice, and deliver programs that are ethical, effective and aligned to organisational goals. My work is underpinned by a Master of Evaluation, a Master of Education (Applied Linguistics) and a long-standing commitment to equity, learning and positive impact.