CHAIR

Indu Balachandran

Indu works for digital arts and media NGO, as Manager of their Creative Enterprises. Awarded the UTS Human Rights Award for Reconciliation in 2006, and a past Executive Director of Youth Challenge Australia, Indu holds a Master of Economics (Social Science) by Research, and a Bachelor of Accounting (Honours in Finance & Economics). Indu is a musician, performing and teaching Carnatic vocal music and the stringed instrument, the veena.

DIRECTOR & VICE-CHAIR

Shiona Watson

Employed with Fosters Group, Shiona has had a broad range of human resources, project management and strategy development experience within the aviation, agricultural and FMCG industries. Shiona was a Group Leader with YCA.

DIRECTOR & SECRETARY

Tania Black

Tania is a lawyer at the global investment bank, UBS AG. She has a Bachelor of Arts/Law from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Law from the University of Sydney. She undertook a volunteer placement at the state prosecutor's office of Mongolia with Australian Volunteers International (AVI) in 2000.

DIRECTORS

Martin Hanlon

Martin is the Director of the Planning and Quality Unit at the University of Technology Sydney. He has a Bachelor of Natural Resources (Honours) and Graduate Diploma in Management. Martin has previously served on the Board of the Futures Foundation and NSW Program Allocations Committee for Tear Australia.

Dave MacGregor

Dave volunteered with YCA in Costa Rica circa 1993. He has a BEc (Finance/Japanese) and a Diploma in Media & Communications. Dave’s experience is primarily in marketing & promotions with 10 years at Sony Music, most recently as Director International Marketing in London.

Andrew Welling

Andrew has been involved with YCA since October 2004, first as a volunteer on a Costa Rican project, and then as the ACT State Coordinator. He has worked in the development industry as both an employee of the Australian Red Cross and as a volunteer with several organisations, including YCA. He has twice been a finalist for Young Australian of the Year and maintains tight connections with several major funding bodies. Andy sourced over $80,000 to run the first fully funded Indigenous Youth Leadership Program to recruit, train and deploy 10 Indigenous Australian volunteers to work alongside Ni-Vanuatu volunteers on a community project.

Jacky Boele

Jacky worked with Youth Challenge Australia for two years in Vanuatu as the Ni Vanuatu Program Manager, Monitoring and Evaluation Researcher, Group leader on three projects and in addition she managed a large grant with two local counterparts. She also worked with AVI in South India on the youth program when YCA was still an active partner to AVI. She has a good understanding of the Youth Challenge program and what it involves.  Jacky currently works in local government in the field of education for sustainability and previously managed a volunteer program with a volunteer capacity (800 per year) at International Student Volunteers for two years.

Simon Kennedy

Simon commenced his career working in the international aid and development sector, undertaking projects within the Pacific, South America, and Middle East. Since returning from overseas he has built a career in human resource management and organisational development, and has worked with a wide cross section of organisations in the government, corporate and not for profit sectors. He has a degree in Agricultural Economics and a Graduate Diploma in Psychological Studies. Simon continues to be involved in youth and community development issues as Chair of Youth Challenge Australia and participated in the inaugural Emerging Pacific Leaders Dialogue in 2006. Simon is employed with Audrey Page & Associates.