Our people

Bao Hoang – Chair

Bao Hoang is a founder and Group CEO of Roll’d Australia Pty Ltd. A physiotherapist by profession, Bao pursued his love of food and business to build his self-funded hawker-style eatery into the multimillion dollar food franchise called Roll’d.

Bao also founded Revita, a leading nation wide provider of aged care physiotherapy and allied health services, where he remains as a consultant.

Bao describes himself as a forward-thinker and he likes to dream big. He is passionate about creating sustainable business models and giving back to his community through partnerships such as Roll’d and the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation: a charity helping rescue children from slavery and human trafficking in Vietnam.

Bao loves Sundays, meals with his family, and time visiting his friends.

Shelin David – Deputy Chair and Treasurer

Shelin David joined CMY’s Board of Directors in December 2016. Shelin is a Chartered Accountant and has a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in accounting and finance. She is the Director of CFOWorx.

Shelin’ expertise in accountancy and financial strategic management makes her well-placed to contribute to the governance of CMY’s financial and risk frameworks. She has quickly availed herself to the administration of the financial and audit committee and she was appointed its Chairperson in August 2017.

Shelin’s volunteers her time to numerous organisations, including Habitat for Humanity and the annual Generation Hope Project in America. She likes exploring new cultures, cuisine and is also looking for her next adrenaline rush.  She includes travel, golf and soccer in her list of enjoyments.

Carmel Guerra OAM – Director & Chief Executive Officer

For over 30 years, Carmel Guerra has been a strong advocate for young people of refugee and migrant backgrounds in Victoria.

In 1988, Carmel helped form the Ethnic Youth Issues Network and in 2000 established the Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues (CMYI). These organisations seeded the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) in 2007, Victoria’s first independent organisation to work exclusively with young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds.

Carmel’s journey to improve advocacy and support networks for young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds has placed her at the forefront of service delivery and policy development. With a background in direct youth work, she has used her experience to collaborate in research partnerships and write or contribute to numerous publications, including ‘Ethnic Youth Gangs in Australia: Do they exist?’, and ‘Wealth of all Nations’; the first comprehensive study undertaken into the needs of refugee young people in Australia.

Carmel is recognised for her knowledge on multicultural youth issues and her commentary has been published in major newspapers and journals. She has served on numerous boards and committees and is currently a member of the Youth Parole Board of Victoria, the Migration Council of Australia and the SBS Community Advisory Committee.

Carmel is also the Chairperson of the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN), the national peak body representing multicultural youth issues in Australia.

Carmel was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2016 for services to multicultural youth in Victoria, the Victorian Premier’s Award for Community Harmony in 2015 and the Centenary Medal for services to young people from migrant and refugee communities in 2005. She was also awarded a Not-for-Profit Fellowship at Harvard Business School in 2016.

In 2022, Carmel was awarded a Deakin Honorary Doctorate for distinguished service to the Australian community, especially to migrant youth, social inclusion and cultural diversity.

Carmel remains a fearless advocate for multicultural young people.

Craig Hodges – Director

Craig Hodges is currently Director, National Programs at Orygen The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health and joined the CMY Board in May 2018.

Craig has worked extensively in executive leadership roles in Australia and internationally for over 20 years with a major focus on service reform and the development of new and emerging models of early intervention care for young people experiencing mental ill-health.  Craig is particularly passionate about ensuring all young people can access the necessary support when they need it most. Craig played a significant role in the establishment of headspace as the Director of Service Development and Partnerships and went on to support the implementation of Jigsaw, the national youth mental health program in Ireland as their Director of Service Development.

Craig has a background in Social Work and a Master of Evaluation and Human Service Management. He has served on a number of Boards and is a founding member of the International Association of Youth Mental Health (IAYMH) Executive.

Kirsty Allen – Director

Kirsty Allen is a Program Manager with The Myer Foundation and Sidney Myer Fund.

Kirsty has responsibility for a number of national grant making programs including the Kenneth Myer Innovation Fellowships. She developed The Myer Foundation’s Human, Civil and Legal Rights theme and has carriage of The Myer Foundation and Sidney Myer Fund’s NFP leadership develop initiative developed in collaboration with two other philanthropic partners, Social Impact Leadership Australia. Kirsty established and convened a philanthropy network on refugees and people seeking asylum, and continues to be involved in a number of co-funding and collaborative initiatives. In 2019 she participated in the US-based Rockwood Leadership Institute’s program for philanthropy leaders.

Kirsty came to the philanthropic sector following nearly ten years working in international development, with a focus on women and girls.

Kirsty is an elected member of the board of Philanthropy Australia where she serves on the Finance, Audit & Risk Committee.

Asanga Seneviratne – Director

Asanga Seneviratne is an Adviser at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Asanga has a range of professional experience across the corporate and public sector having previously worked as a Senior Policy Officer within the COVID-19 Response at the Victorian Department of Health and as a Consultant for global management consulting firm Oliver Wyman in Sydney.

He has been deeply involved in a range of CMY programs since 2016 including the Youth Advisory Group, Shout Out and the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN)’s FUSE National Summit in 2019. Asanga is deeply passionate about empowering multicultural young people to lead change in their own communities and combating covert racism particularly for young people who are first and second generation immigrants. He also sits on the Investment Committee of the Foundation for Young Australians with a focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters and holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Economics and Finance from the University of Melbourne.

Shabnam Safa – Director

Shabnam Safa is the inaugural Chairperson at the National Refugee-led Advisory and Advocacy Group (NRAAG), a refugee-led organisation creating spaces for effective elevation of voices with lived experience in key decisions, policies, and discourse about refugees.

Shabnam Safa is a driven community development practitioner who is passionate about cultivating true partnerships between communities and structures of power to create lasting solutions and social change. She grew up as an Afghan refugee in Pakistan before arriving in Australia at the age of 15. Inspired by her own experience of forced displacement, she is a strong advocate for meaningful participation of refugees in addressing the complex challenges of resettlement, inclusion, and belonging.

Shabnam has founded and led multiple initiatives in Australia and abroad supporting refugees and host communities, particularly focusing on strengths-based and capacity-building approaches. She is part of a small team at the Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA) working to establish a holistic community-led refugee sponsorship program in Australia. Serving on multiple government advisory boards at a state and national level, Shabnam influences policy design and program delivery to devise unique solutions for the unique challenges and opportunities facing refugee and migrant communities in Australia. She was recently inducted to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women for her tireless work in promoting refugee rights, social cohesion, meaningful diversity and inclusion.

In her spare time, she likes to hit the mats at the dojo or put on her boxing gloves and break a sweat at the gym. Shabnam is a Karate champion with multiple national and international titles to her name.

Steve Walsh – Director

Steve joined CMY’s Board as a director in March 2023.

Steve is a lawyer with expertise in personal injury law. He has practiced in many other legal areas over a long career at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers helping everyday people. Steve was a director on the Board at Maurice Blackburn for over 20 years and he was chairperson from 2010 until 2018 when he retired from the practice. Steve has a strong interest in governance, finance & risk management, and people & culture.

Steve has always been passionate about many social issues particularly those involving cultural diversity, youth, employment and violence against women. During his time at Maurice Blackburn, he initiated many cultural diversity initiatives including Iftar dinners, White Ribbon events and the publication of a Religious and Spiritual Diversity Guide in conjunction with the Australian Multicultural Foundation.

Steve also volunteers time with Family Life, InTouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence, and Bicycles for Humanity. In his leisure time he enjoys scuba diving, standup paddle boarding and open water swimming. He is married with 3 adult children and two grandchildren.

Carmel Guerra OAM – Director & Chief Executive Officer

For over 30 years, Carmel Guerra has been a strong advocate for young people of refugee and migrant backgrounds in Victoria.

In 1988, Carmel helped form the Ethnic Youth Issues Network and in 2000 established the Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues (CMYI). These organisations seeded the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) in 2007, Victoria’s first independent organisation to work exclusively with young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds.

Carmel’s journey to improve advocacy and support networks for young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds has placed her at the forefront of service delivery and policy development. With a background in direct youth work, she has used her experience to collaborate in research partnerships and write or contribute to numerous publications, including ‘Ethnic Youth Gangs in Australia: Do they exist?’, and ‘Wealth of all Nations’; the first comprehensive study undertaken into the needs of refugee young people in Australia.

Carmel is recognised for her knowledge on multicultural youth issues and her commentary has been published in major newspapers and journals. She has served on numerous boards and committees and is currently a member of the Youth Parole Board of Victoria, the Migration Council of Australia and the SBS Community Advisory Committee.

Carmel is also the Chairperson of the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN), the national peak body representing multicultural youth issues in Australia.

Carmel was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2016 for services to multicultural youth in Victoria, the Victorian Premier’s Award for Community Harmony in 2015 and the Centenary Medal for services to young people from migrant and refugee communities in 2005. She was also awarded a Not-for-Profit Fellowship at Harvard Business School in 2016.

In 2022, Carmel was awarded a Deakin Honorary Doctorate for distinguished service to the Australian community, especially to migrant youth, social inclusion and cultural diversity.

Carmel remains a fearless advocate for multicultural young people.

Jemal Ahmet – Executive Manager, Programs and Services

Jemal comes with extensive senior management experience as CEO of both Whittlesea Community Connections and at Fitzroy Learning Network.   With more than 30 years’ experience in the community and not-for-profit sector, Jemal has combined leadership and senior management experience, direct service delivery, policy and organisational development. Jemal is committed to community development principles and social justice and has experience and keen interest in developing and facilitating genuine and grass-roots community participation and engagement.  Jemal’s experience and skills in planning, financial management, policy development, and change management are highly developed, proven and effective. Jemal has strong people and leadership skills to create an environment in which staff are enabled and supported to excel and achieve.

Marissa Phillips – Executive Manager, Business Services

Marissa is an experienced senior leader in Human Resources and Organisational Development with a passion for engaging and developing people and organisations to deliver high quality supports and services. Marissa has predominantly worked in the health sector in a range of leadership, client facing, project and human resources roles. Working with an organisation with strong and lived values aligned with her own personal values – addressing inequality, and continuous growth and learning – is of importance to Marissa. Marissa holds a Bachelor of Business/Human Resource Management and Bachelor of Arts/Psychology and is a current professional member of Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI).

Soo-Lin Quek – Strategic Innovation Advisor

Soo-Lin has over 25 years’ experience in the community and government sectors. She has managed significant policy and program areas in the Victorian Government. Her previous experience in the community sector ranges from managing community based organisations to policy and community development work in the youth, multicultural, health, family violence, human rights and public housing sectors.

As part of her role, she oversees CMY policy, research and advocacy on emerging issues for young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. It includes sharing of knowledge to help build a culturally competent workforce in the youth, multicultural and human services. Through a combined application of research knowledge and the synthesis of sector knowledge, she is also responsible for designing and developing new program responses to emerging youth issues.

Cindy Laurentia – Strategic Finance/Chief Risk Officer/Company Secretary

Cindy started her career as a consultant at KPMG Consulting Jakarta and has over 20 years’ accounting, finance and business experiences in diverse industries: management consulting, commercial airline, manufacturing, food & hospitality, training, and also community/ not for profit sector, both in Australia and overseas.

She has skills and deep expertise in financial analysis, modelling, budgeting/cost control and cash flow management to assist CMY makes informed financial decisions.

She is a current professional Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD) and has an IT qualification, a Degree in Accounting and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Monash Mt. Eliza Business School.

Cindy is currently the Strategic Finance/Chief Risk Officer and Company Secretary for the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY).

Peta Fualau – Senior Manager, Programs & Services

Peta holds a Bachelor of Social Work and comes with a wealth of experience in the not-for-profit sector where she has managed a range of community and client-facing services and programs. She has extensive experience designing and delivering services for multicultural communities ranging from settlement support, emergency relief, family violence and other essential services. During her time in both the not-for-profit and Government sectors, Peta has worked with a range of stakeholders to foster strategic partnerships, deliver successful community initiatives and promote coordinated service delivery.

Peta’s leadership approach is grounded in human rights principles. She believes in ensuring everyone has equal access to services and opportunities for community participation, particularly where people can influence decisions that impact them and their communities. Peta has previously worked for the Department of Education and Training, supporting the implementation of the Victorian Governments’ Respectful Relationships Initiative, a key recommendation from the Family Violence Royal Commission.

James Wynd – Senior Manager, Service Innovation

James comes with extensive senior management experience in the youth sector as General Manager of YMCA Youth Services and acting CEO of Ballarat YMCA. With more than 25 years’ experience in the community and not-for-profit sector, James has experience in governance,  strategic planning, operations management and stakeholder relationships. James is committed to social justice and empowering young people to discover what is possible. James believes that our staff at CMY are our biggest assets,  and brings strong people and leadership skills to create an environment in which staff are supported and thrive. James holds a Diploma in Community Services – Youth Work.

Nancy Myrianthis – Senior Manager, Finance & Operations

Having migrated to Australia from Argentina at the age of 10, CMY’s vision strongly resinates with Nancy; that young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds are connected, empowered and influential Australians.

Nancy holds a Bachelor of Business Accounting and is a commercially astute and accomplished hands-on Certified Practicing Accountant, with extensive leadership and management experience. With over 30 years as an accounting professional in the private and Not-for-Profit sector, Nancy has acquired advanced technical knowledge in accounting principles, budgeting, forecasting, analysis and the preparation of timely and accurate financial information. Nancy has also gained extensive experience in providing technical and practical expertise and support to Finance and non-Finance staff.

Nancy’s preferred approach to work puts a heavy emphasis on getting the job done in an efficient and effective way. With a passion for process improvements, she has led numerous successful system implementations. Nancy has previously worked for Uniting (Victoria and Tasmania) Ltd., Conservation Volunteers Australia and New Zealand in role of CFO, Ferndale Confectionery Pty Ltd, Holden and Isuzu.

Diana Amato – Senior Manager, Policy & Capability Building

With 27 years’ experience across youth affairs, community development, and health, Diana champions principles of youth participation, equity, and human rights. Diana’s leadership experience encompasses international, national, and local contexts, spanning government and not- for-profit sectors. Her proficiency spans program design, project planning, policy development, and research, managing diverse projects, including youth advocacy, cultural diversity, community engagement, place-based community planning, gender equity, and LGBTIQA+ initiatives, and employment and education programs.

Constantly curious about good leadership and leading teams for impact, Diana completed a Master of Leadership and Management in Organisation Dynamics in 2022. Diana has maintained senior leadership roles, culminating in her tenure as CEO of the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition, where she led with vision and strategy, leaving a lasting impact on young people, government and organisations alike. Diana is passionate about promoting the power of young people and communities.

Kumari Fernando – Senior Manager, Community Partnerships

Kumari holds a Master of Public Policy and Management and has been in the for purpose sector for over 15 years. Having spent the majority of her career in the youth development space, Kumari has enjoyed working with young people from diverse backgrounds and those seeking to access further opportunity. Kumari’s work has been underpinned by supporting young people to gain the skills and knowledge to access pathways into further training, education, work experience, careers and other opportunities to support their positive futures.

Kumari is an experienced leader and manager having worked in Senior Management roles at youth-focussed organisations, Activate Australia,  Doxa Youth Foundation and Youth Enterprises Australia (YEA).  Kumari has also worked at Graduate Students Association (GSA) at The University of Melbourne as well as gaining experience in the disability sector with her role as General Manager at TOM: Melbourne. Kumari has also been involved in the social enterprise space, contributing to its growth and development and employing young people facing barriers to securing employment, through her role as General Manager Operations at the social enterprise, YEA.

With a deep commitment to social justice and inclusion, Kumari is driven by work that empowers individuals and communities to access opportunities that support positive futures and foster fairness and equity for all.