Niharika Hiremath is a Kannada mental well-being and intersectionality lived experience leader and advocate living on Bunurong Country. She tries to bridge systemic gaps within peer and well-being sectors. She focuses on the mental wellbeing of communities at the intersections, by exploring culture, identity, and consumer perspectives. Her work sits across lived expertise, service delivery, leadership, and governance, with a strong emphasis on driving organisational and systemic change.

Niharika co-chairs aidMH’s Solis Network and coordinates the community of practice for the Victorian Department of Health’s Intersectional LE (SID-LLEW) grants program. Niharika has had input into the upcoming Victorian Lived and Living Experience Leadership Strategy, and chairs the Multicultural Affinity Group for Australia’s consumer peak body, the National Mental Health Consumer Alliance (NMHCA). She has also completed two terms with the National Mental Health Commission’s Independent Advisory Board, headspace’s National Board and has recently wrapped up with The Iceberg Foundation’s Board. As an IPS-Trainer, Lived Experience Partner and Intersectional Equity Lead at Mind Australia – she supports a diverse national peer workforce and contributes to systemic change on a range of different levels. Niharika champions narrative approaches, agency, and self-determination and advocates for cultural humility and a more just, equitable mental health system.

Dr Judy Tang is a current Board Director for the Victorian Pride Centre, and is one of Victoria’s 12 Multicultural Commissioners at the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC).

With over 15 years of career and academic expertise in Clinical Neuropsychology, Judy is a Director and Clinical Neuropsychologist with Invictus Health, which provides neuropsychological assessments and brain well-being services. Here, she is aligned with government services, community organisations, various law firms and insurance companies. She provides neuropsychological services for medico-legal and community settings, workshops and seminars both to her professional peers and wider community, as well as advocacy in the areas of mental health and community care. Among numerous organizations, she is a member of the Australian Association of Gerontology’s Victorian branch (AAG), a fellow of the Australian Psychological Society’s (APS) College of Clinical Neuropsychologists (CCN), and former National and State Convenor for the APS Psychology and Culture, and Psychology and Ageing Interest Groups, respectively.

She has previously worked with the Lincoln Centre for Research on Ageing, researching persons with dementia and their carers, as well as the ACAS evaluation unit. Her mastery of quantitative research has been utilised on the state and national level for its Aged Care Assessment Program. She has also worked as a Rehabilitation Consultant for CRS Australia.

She is also a Mental Health First Aid Instructor, and trained in mediation. In addition to speaking frequently at professional seminars and conferences around the world, Judy is also published in numerous journals on such topics as healthy ageing, anxiety and pain, culture, intersectionality, and dementia.

Karen Leong is known for delivering outcomes in a human‑centred way. She is a pragmatic leader who builds high‑performing, engaged teams aligned with business strategy, driving product excellence, growth, and customer connection through empathy and inclusion.

Karen has led projects that rapidly delivered market‑leading products, multi‑million‑dollar revenues, and strong brand loyalty. Drawing on expertise in User Experience (UX) and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), she supports organisations across eCommerce, banking, telecommunications, retail, and government to become more creative, inclusive, and impactful.

Margherita Coppolino is a lesbian elder with disability from a CALD background, bringing over four decades of activism, advocacy, and professional experience. She is deeply respected for her intersectional leadership across disability, LGBTIQ+, multicultural, and women’s rights movements locally and internationally.

Margherita is Co‑Chairperson of ILGA Oceania, a board member of ILGA World, and a member of the Victorian Government LGBTIQ+ Taskforce. She is Deputy President of Drummond Street Services and a founding member of Inclusive Rainbow Voices, advancing visibility, policy reform, and systemic inclusion for LGBTIQA+ people with disability.

Maria Dimopoulos AM is a distinguished human rights advocate and leader in diversity and gender equality, with a focus on migrant and refugee women’s inclusion in policy and system reform. Her work spans research, community education, and structural change across government and civil society.

Marshie Perera Rajakumar is an engineer with over twenty years’ experience applying science and systems thinking to strengthen community wellbeing. She is a strong advocate for inclusion and diversity, working through an intersectional lens to foster more connected and sustainable communities.

Narissa Doumani is a Thai‑Lebanese Australian communications and engagement leader working across mental health, suicide prevention and homelessness services. She is a strong advocate for compassionate inclusivity, with a focus on the intersection of lived experience, culture and wellbeing.

Amanda Daluwatta is a mental health clinician and researcher with over eight years’ experience across community and hospital settings. She is passionate about equity, advocacy, and developing culturally responsive interventions that translate directly into clinical practice.

Amanda leads the largest Australian study on Sri Lankan migrants’ mental health, literacy, and service engagement through her project Sri Lankan Australians: Let’s Talk about your Mental Health. She works collaboratively with multicultural communities to challenge stigma, dismantle myths, and strengthen culturally safe mental health care and systems.

Jo Szczepańska is a designer, researcher, and co‑design advocate working with communities to translate research into meaningful plans, products, and services. A queer refugee, she brings deep commitment to participation, access, and lived‑experience‑led change.

Candice Peart is a public health professional who leads and supports collaborative initiatives focused on health equity and system improvement. She is known for her strengths in research, engagement, and communication, and for working across diverse community settings.