Our team
The Achieve Foundation is working towards an Australia where all people with disability can experience belonging.
Meet some of the people who work in partnership to bring this vision to life through the power of investment.
The Board
The board leads The Achieve Foundation. Board members have a lot of experience running research and other organisations.
Operational Team
The operational team carry out projects to make our society inclusive of people with disability.
Ambassadors
Ambassadors ensure people with disability lead us. They also connect The Achieve Foundation with other people who want to support us and work with us.
The Board
Professor Emerita Patricia O’Brien
Chair
From 2009-2020, Patricia was the Chair in Disability Studies at The University of Sydney, where she was also the Director of the Centre for Disability Studies.
Patricia was the Foundation Director at the National Institute for Intellectual Disability at Trinity College, Dublin, where her work supported a mission of ‘Inclusion through Education, Research and Advocacy’.
In New Zealand, she taught human services and special education at University of Auckland, and co-edited texts promoting value-driven and person-centred disability services.
The University of Sydney awarded Patricia the position of Professor Emerita.
Richard Dinham
Director
Richard is chair of Achieve Australia Limited as well as being a director of The Achieve Foundation. His career is based in design and construction, and national and international business development.
He has considerable industry and institutional board experience, including: the NSW Building Professions’ Board Committees the Property and Finance committees of Achieve Australia; and as a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Michael McMichael
Company Secretary
Michael is a corporate lawyer with over 40 years experience in general commercial, media and communications, advertising and entertainment law, as well as not-for-profit law. He is the company secretary of both Achieve Australia and The Achieve Foundation, and general counsel for the Achieve Group of companies.
Michael has been the acting CEO of National Indigenous Television – then an Indigenous-owned and controlled not-for-profit organisation, and now a stand-alone free-to-air channel on the SBS platform.
Dr Kirsty Nowlan
Executive Director
Kirsty has led systems change, research and policy initiatives for more than 20 years. She worked in international development – on issues including child health and protection, trade policy and issues affecting fragile and conflict affected states. Since her return to Australia she worked on issues including children’s wellbeing and ageism before focusing on disability.
She is also a director on two other for-purpose boards: Peacifica, and The Centre for Social Purpose.
Kirsty leads The Achieve Foundation operational team, in addition to being a board director.
Lorna Hallahan
Director
Lorna is an Associate Professor in Social Work at Flinders University. Prior to coming to Flinders, Lorna practiced in a range of settings, including disability advocacy and the management of a loss and grief service. Lorna‘s teaching focusses on ethical issues for workers in complex human services.
Lorna has been a significant and long term contributor to the development and analysis of disability policy including the emergence and evaluation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. From July 2019 until February 2021 Lorna was Senior Research Advisor to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability where she completed a report on the socio-cultural history of disability in Australia.
Caroline Stewart
Director
Caroline is a philanthropic leader with over 25 years of corporate, legal, financial services, governance and not-for-profit experience. Caroline is CEO of Ecstra Foundation, a grant making NFP which exists to help build the financial wellbeing of Australians within a fair financial system.
She previously led the UBS Australia Foundation. Caroline serves on the board of WAGEC (Women and Girls Emergency Centre, Redfern), is a past Board member of Philanthropy Australia including as Chair of the Finance, Audit & Risk Committee, and at Lenity Australia.
Caroline holds a BA (Syd Uni), is admitted as a Solicitor in NSW and ACT and is a graduate of the AICD.
Fiona Reynolds
Director
Fiona is a purpose driven and globally experienced senior executive who has managed organisational growth and transformation within the financial services sector, specifically within superannuation and responsible investment.
She is focused on the role that the finance sector plays in improving the lives of members, whilst balancing people, profit and planet. Fiona is a global and national industry leader and has been responsible for shaping and driving thought leadership and innovation in responsible investment.
She has led global teams overseeing best practice and real change, through the implementation of long term and responsible investing across asset classes and ESG issues.
Fiona was named one of the 20 most influential people in sustainability globally by Barronʼs magazine and has twice been named one of Australia’s one hundred women of influence by the Australian Financial Review.
Ambassadors
The Achieve Foundation is establishing a council of ambassadors to advise The Achieve Foundation, ensuring people with disability are leading activities, and connecting us with partners and philanthropists.
Contact us for more information.
Dinesh Palipana
Ambassador
Dinesh is a doctor, lawyer, disability advocate, and spinal cord injury researcher.
Dinesh works in the emergency department at the Gold Coast University Hospital and was the first quadriplegic medical intern in Queensland. He is a senior lecturer at the Griffith University and adjunct research fellow at the Menzies Health Institute of Queensland. Dinesh is also a senior advisor to the Disability Royal Commission and an ambassador to the Human Rights Commission’s Includeability program.
Dinesh has won numerous awards for his continued work in the area of health and disability.
Operational Team
Deepak Dobhal
Director of Philanthropy and Investment
Deepak is responsible for The Achieve Foundation’s work on building the philanthropic and impact-investing market for disability.
Deepak led the community investments portfolio at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (India) where he managed $55-million investments on maternal and child health; and economic empowerment impacting 1.2 million women’s self-help groups. He has spent the last two decades in leadership roles with governments and philanthropists for systems change and social impact.
Dr Deena Rosalky
Program Director
Deena oversees The Achieve Foundation research program, and the implementation of findings into programs that promote inclusion for people with disability.
She has two decades of experience working as a researcher across the academic, policy and for-purpose sectors in Australia and the US. Deena oversaw the research program at the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, and was a senior member of the research team at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. She also has experience in evaluation, and the outcome customer-satisfaction measurement of family and community-support programs.
Sarah Percival
Head of Major Gifts
Sarah is responsible for the growth and development of Major Gifts from philanthropic and corporate stakeholders for the Achieve Foundation. Sarah possesses over 15 years’ experience in stakeholder management and the development of high value relationships, having worked most recently in philanthropy at national preventative youth mental health organisation, batyr.
Prior to her move into the for-purpose sector Sarah oversaw the APAC growth and investment strategy at Rakuten Advertising, a multinational marketing technology firm.
Belle Tukin
Senior Program Officer
Belle comes with years of experience as a researcher, as an Assistant Director developing the National Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Strategy tasked to the National Mental Health Commission and was an Assistant Director at the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. She also has experience in state inquiries, and conflict analysis.
Belle is responsible for leading internal research for TAF and supporting TAF in obtaining grants.
Alex Jones
Project Manager - Disability Employment Catalyst
Alex is responsible for the management of The Achieve Foundation’s Disability Employment Catalyst.
Alex brings over 15 years of experiences as a dedicated leader, serving in various capacities as a chair, board member, and committee participant across corporate, government and non-government sectors. His commitment extends beyond the boardroom as he passionately advocates for transforming Australian society’s perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours towards individuals with disability as well as those who deaf or hard of hearing.
Jade Strongman
Project Manager - Practice Framework/Disability Projects
Jade is responsible for the management of our Attitudes and Practice Frameworks projects. Jade has over 36 years of experience in disability holding senior roles in a range of key organisations.
He is committed to driving real impact and social change within Australia, and brings a unique insight into the challenges that everyday life presents for people with disability and the positive contribution they can make when barriers are removed.
Louise Pilkington
Project Co-ordinator
Louise is responsible for the co-ordination and support of The Achieve Foundation’s projects and programs.
Louise has over two decades of experience working in co-ordination and communication roles and brings this experience to the team.
She has worked on impact projects for government and has also been involved in large-scale private sector projects from inception through to completion. Her organisational skills provide our team with the co-ordination needed to springboard our projects across our areas of focus.
Join us
The Achieve Foundation is committed to having people with disability on our staff, as volunteers and on our board.
Working for The Achieve Foundation
We’re a start-up – we move at pace. There is a lot going on and everyone needs to pitch in.
We value diversity in life experience, backgrounds, ways of thinking and working. We particularly value the perspectives and experience of people who identify as having a disability.
Current Opportunities
There are no current opportunities.
Commitment to Accessibility
Tell us what you need to present at your best throughout the application process and in the interview.
We are prepared to discuss how the job might be customised to accentuate your strengths while also achieving our organisational objectives.
Once you apply, we will nominate a contact person you can talk to throughout the process.
So keep an eye on our LinkedIn account for job postings.