Our board
Meet the Birth for Humankind Board of Directors.
Chair
Joanne started her career as a Registered Nurse and has over 20 years of leadership experience working in sexual health, women’s health and refugee health in Australia and the majority world. She is passionate about gender equality and supporting women, girls and gender diverse people to have the opportunity to live their very best lives.
Joanne co-founded the Red Rocketship Foundation in 2011, which has funded and worked with a number of organisations in Australia and internationally. The Foundation has a focus on funding advocacy, social justice, human rights and gender equality issues and programs.
Joanne believes every birthing parent has the right to support, education and the opportunity to make informed choices throughout their pregnancy and birth. She is passionate about the work of Birth for Humankind. Joanne has two sons who she is raising as proud feminists in Naarm with her partner.
Savi Alphonse (she/her)
Treasurer
Savi is currently an Investment Banking Associate at Macquarie Capital, working in the infrastructure team with a focus on renewable energy. Her current role involves assisting clients in identifying and arranging optimal funding solutions. Prior to joining Macquarie, Savi worked at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, conducting credit risk analysis for the provision of new debt facilities.
Savi values her previous not-for-profit experience, including interning with World Vision and volunteering with various other social impact driven organisations.
Savi is passionate about access to equitable healthcare and is grateful to be able to assist BfH in supporting women who may face barriers in accessing equitable care, and advocating for their wellbeing.
Company Secretary
Lauren is an Australian qualified lawyer practising and General Counsel in the not-for-profit sector. Lauren believes strongly in the importance of good governance and providing support to the board to allow them to govern effectively.
Lauren has a strong sense of social justice and is passionate about Birth for Humankind's vision and mission. Lauren has two small children and the experience of pregnancy, birth and motherhood has given her a profound admiration for all women and, in particular, their innate strength and resilience.
Director
Jo has worked with many organisations in her career as a finance, administration, and IT management consultant, helping organisations across the private and not-for-profit sectors streamline their operations and financial systems. She is also an experienced event manager, being one of the organisers of the annual Doula Conference in Australia and ‘doulaing’ many regular and international events.
Jo's journey into motherhood sparked her passion for bringing humanity and knowledge to childbirth, and she has helped many families as a doula and childbirth educator over the last 20 years. She is currently studying for her Bachelor of Midwifery at the Australian Catholic University.
Director
Raj has more than 15 years’ experience across both commercial and non-for-profit sectors and has lived and worked in Australia and the USA. He is currently GM - Talent & Organisational Development at Vicinity Centres.
He was previously a management consultant at Maximus International and portfolio manager at PWC, senior consultant at AECOM, managed the corporate partnerships function at Australian Red Cross and interned with the United Nations in New York. With a background in commercial governance, nonexecutive board experience, mentoring and executing digital transformation at scale, Raj brings a unique combination of lived, worked and educational experience to the work the BfH delivers on.
Engaging leaders and organisations to develop connected, real strategies that consider the whole andexplore the new, Raj thrives on influencing leaders to pursue limitless potential through purposeful leadership.
Director
Jessica is a media communications specialist with more than fifteen years' experience working across sport, entertainment, major events, not-for-profit and corporate relations.
She has extensive experience in developing and implementing integrated branding, communications and digital strategies along with a strong focus on media relations and issues management.
Jessica is passionate about women’s rights and gender equality, most recently working for UN Women in Australia and deepening her government relations work through the Commission on the Status of Women at the UN in New York.
Director
Susanne is the Mayor of Darebin and has been a Darebin Councillor for eight years.
Prior to being Mayor, Susanne worked in international development, communications and gender equality.
Susanne was the equal-first woman elected after completing the Pathways to Politics for Women program and is the only Australian ever selected for Vital Voices Engage Fellowship for the most outstanding women leaders from across the globe. She was mentored by female prime ministers in Florence, Italy and trained at the Harvard Kennedy School. Susanne spent 12 months in Kenya and Uganda working with United Nations Women, working closely with female leaders and politicians. She was an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development in Samoa and has taught English in Japan.
She also serves on the board of the Victorian Local Governance Association and is a fellow with the Williamson and Cranlana leadership programs. Susanne is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors course and member of AICD, holds a Masters Degree with Distinction in Business IT, and a first class honours degree in English Literature and Political Science from the University of Melbourne.