Our Team
Our founders
Our board
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Our team
Shannon Mony
Originally from South Africa, Shannon spent 11 years living in New Zealand before moving to Australia in 2011. Shannon has a degree in Sociology and is a practising lawyer based in Perth. She is passionate about working to achieve gender equality and ensure that every woman has a voice. As a mother of two daughters, it is a topic that is close to her heart. Her volunteer experience has focused on gender equality within the workforce. However, the sheer enormity of the human trafficking industry astounds her. She is a strong believer that achieving gender equality is everyone's responsibility. She is very excited about joining the team and helping women and children who have been affected by trafficking and abuse. Her goal i is to help raise awareness of this very important issue. Communications & Engagement Officer
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Marie-Celeste Dagher
Marie-Celeste recently completed a Bachelor of Visual Communications at the University of Technology, Sydney. She joined Project Didi as a Graphic Designer after she and a number of other students worked on branding and designs for Project Didi’s #SomethingForSlavery as part of the UTS Community ShopFront Program. Marie-Celeste is currently working as a freelance brand designer at the University of New South Wales Graphic Designer
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Margaret Harrod
Margaret was born into a family that outwardly appeared perfectly normal, but from a young age she endured horrendous sexual and emotional abuse from her ‘religious’ father, which only came to an end when she escaped to become a nun. Later, she was further abused by two predatory priests. Demonstrating extraordinary resilience and determination she went on to create a meaningful life. After a career in teaching, Margaret established her own personal development business and became a Lifeline counselor. She now works at the local Fernwood gym, where she assists other women to achieve their goals. Throughout her own healing she found the strength and courage to break the silence of the scourge that is sexual abuse. She exposed the truth about her family and other members of the clergy in her book: “Blood on the Rosary”, appearing on TV and radio. Margaret’s revelations led to her being estranged from her family and strongly attacked by executive members of the Catholic Church. Margaret does not view herself as a victim, but as an empowered woman, who has managed to grasp her life with both hands in order to be able to reach her dreams. Partnerships Coordinator, Fernwood Gym
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Elli Agathocleous
Elli is a young professional, currently working at Westpac Banking Corporation as a Finance manager. She began her career at KPMG in 2008 as an assistant accountant in Private Enterprise providing tax, accounting & audit services to small-medium firms & high net worth individuals. Since then she has held numerous roles across retail, legal practice and financial services. In her current role Elli supports the retail banking business across all brands and channels in their pursuit to be the world’s greatest service company. This aligns to one of her core values: being of service to others by contributing to their well-being and satisfaction. This ingrained willingness to lend a hand derives from her culturally diverse (mix of Cypriot, Tongan, Fijian & Chinese) first generation migrant parents who installed in her a strong sense of community, integrity and inquisitiveness. Elli’s inquisitive nature is further exhibited in her passion for continuous development. She considers herself a ‘forever student’ making her eager to both build on her academic foundation in business and law whilst also staying in tune with the rapidly changing economic, political & societal environment. Partnerships Coordinator
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Christine Semerdijan
Christine is a young public policy professional who has experience working with various NGOs in Australia. She currently works for an organisation empowering Aboriginal girls and young women living in remote Australia that uses performing arts education to break the poverty cycle and remove shame. She’s also the Policy, Advocacy and Research Coordinator for a small Melbourne-based charity that supports people who experience homelessness. Christine holds a Bachelors in International Development Studies and a Masters of Public Policy and Management. She is passionate about using her education and experience to work towards achieving true gender equality, improving the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and environmental justice. Project Officer
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Governance & Policy Volunteers
Nurul Mahmudah
Nurul is a development professional experienced in safeguarding policy and implementation. She worked for an aid agency in Indonesia managing the implementation of safeguarding policies in the development and humanitarian projects, among others, related to economic justice, rights in crisis and Central Sulawesi Tsunami-Earthquake response. Nurul has a Master of Laws from the University of Melbourne undertaking subjects in international law, development and human rights. She is passionate about social justice issues which brought her to change her career path from a corporate legal counsel to the development sector. |
Alison Thornburn
Alison moved to Australia from the UK in 2008. A qualified accountant, she initially worked in banking and financial services, before changing direction towards roles in for-purpose organisations aligned to her personal values. Since then, she has spent four years in Cambodia, volunteering for a disability organisation and then working for a microfinance institution, before returning to Australia to complete a Master of Development Studies. These experiences have fuelled her interest in promoting the rights of women and people with disabilities, through education, social inclusion and economic empowerment. |
