Professor Peter Barlis

Chairperson

Peter is an internationally-recognised Interventional Cardiologist with the Northern and St Vincent’s Hospitals in Victoria and Professor of Medicine with the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences, the University of Melbourne. After graduating from the University of Melbourne, he completed cardiology training at Austin Health followed by a Master of Public Health with Monash University. In 2006, he secured a fellowship and scholarship at the prestigious Royal Brompton Hospital, London and then completed his PhD at the Thoraxcentre, Erasmus University the Netherlands, on the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in cardiology. OCT harnesses the properties of infrared light to look inside blood vessels in ultra-high resolution. Peter has since overseen OCT’s uptake across the region with over sixty centers in Australia and New Zealand benefiting from his foresight. He is internationally renowned for his interventional and imaging academic output, and early development programs for novel therapies in cardiovascular disease. He has maintained connections all over the globe and continues to attract industry support for his research. He runs an active research group in biomedical engineering focused on coronary imaging and computational modeling with an interest in the development of innovative cardiovascular technologies.

Jim Goodin

Vice-Chairperson

Jim Goodin is a former Vice Principal with 30 years’ experience in regular, secondary and special needs schools. Currently the Vice-Chairperson of the Mental Health Foundation Australia and co-chair of the Victorian Mental Health Month Advisory Committee, Jim is also a committee member on many other Boards and Committees including the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Chisholm Institute Course Advisory Committee and the Melbourne Bipolar Network.

Jim was also the former Vice-President of the Australian National Association for Mental Health and former President and Secretary of the OCD Foundation (now ARCVic). Jim’s knowledge of mental illness comes from professional, voluntary and family experience. 

Vasan Srinivasan

Chief Executive Officer

Vasan Srinivasan is the first person of Indian origin to be appointed as member of the Australian Multicultural Council.

• Former member - Victorian Government International Education Board
• Vasan is the former President - Federation of Indian Association of Victoria (FIAV) 2009-2014
• Vasan is the Former Member (2011-2014) of Victorian Government Ministerial Advisory Ethnic Business Council.
• Vasan Srinivasan was awarded the MERETORIOUS SERVICE AWARD for excellence in multicultural affairs by the Victorian Government
• Former chair of Confederation of Indian Australian Association Inc (CIAA)
  

Huss Mustafa

Secretary

Huss is a very proud Australian with a Turkish Cypriot heritage with humble beginnings who migrated to Australia with his family at the age of 10, at a time when you were expected to assimilate into the Australian way of life and not to be different. Multiculturalism was not promoted then, and he had very little support to learn the English language. Huss under these very difficult circumstances was able to, in just over 5 years, learn the English language, pass his grades and at the ripe old age of 16 obtained his first job at the then State Bank Of Victoria which merged with Commonwealth Bank in 1991.

Huss became a Senior Executive at Commonwealth Bank of Australia and ultimately the General Manager, Multicultural Community Banking Australia, a division that he initiated in establishing in August 2016. Huss for over a quarter of a century now has been very active in promoting cultural diversity both in the community and his work place. His work in promoting cultural diversity in the community and the work place was also acknowledged on the 2014 Queens Birthday’s Honours list and was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his services to Multiculturalism and Business. Huss has also served a 4 year term as a Commissioner at the Victorian Multicultural Commission.

Jimmy Ma

Treasurer

Jimmy is an experienced accountant with qualifications in accounting and business administration and has held senior positions in both professional practice and private industry. His previous experience in the NFP sector included accounting roles at Goodcompany and Share Gift Australia. He is a chartered accountant and a fellow of CPA Australia. 

Jimmy is looking forward to maintaining and enhancing the financial functions of the Foundation. 

Helena Kyriazopoulos

Director

Ms Kyriazopoulos is the CEO of the Multicultural Communities Council of SA (MCCSA), an affiliate of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia. She previously worked for Alzheimer’s Australia for over 22 years. Ms Kyriazopoulos has over 30 years’ experience in the multicultural sector and currently sits on multiple Boards, including Council of the Ageing, Aged Rights Advocacy Service, and the Australia Multicultural Council. She has contributed towards journal articles and published works related to aged care, disability and multiculturalism. 

Daryl Williams KC

Director

Daryl Williams KC has an extensive practice in advising, and appearing in courts and tribunals throughout Australia, in relation to: 

• Commercial Disputes;
• Corporate Governance, including shareholders’ and creditors’ remedies, directors’ duties, and matters for or against ASIC;
• Corporate Insolvency and Reconstruction, including acting for and against liquidators, administrators, and receivers;
• Misleading or Deceptive Conduct in financial and commercial transactions;
• Professional Negligence, especially in relation to legal practitioners, auditors and valuers;
• Land Tax and other state taxation matters; and
• Appeals.

Daryl is also an accredited mediator under the National Mediator Accreditation System, and has an active mediation practice focusing on the resolution of substantial commercial disputes. Daryl came to the Bar in 1991 after spending three years (including Articles) working in commercial litigation at Blake Dawson Waldron (now Ashurst Lawyers) in Melbourne. He took silk in 2010. Outside the Bar, Daryl is a former Board Director of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and of its philanthropic fundraising entity Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation Limited. He is also a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and Chairman of the Professional Standards Committee of the Anglican Dioceses of Melbourne, Ballarat, Bendigo and Wangaratta. 

Luul Ibrahim

Director

Luul Ibrahim is an early childhood educator and emerging community leader, the founder of Somali support Perth, and has been advocating and building community capacity for the Somalis in WA. She works with both government and non-government policymakers in understanding the needs of a multicultural community, she Australian multicultural council representing Western Australia.

She has won the African women in leadership 2022 and 2022 Human Appeal Muslim volunteer awards.

She is also an Australian mental health foundation advocate and emerging Author who is launching her first children’s book.

Vernon Victor Da Gama

Legal Advisor

Mr Vernon Victor Da Gama is a barrister and very well known in the Community. Vernon helped several members of the Indian Community in giving legal advice whenever required.

Vernon is an active member of the Goan Overseas Association of Victoria and the Federation of Indian Associations of Victoria Inc (FIAV), representing the Goan Association. He is also currently a trustee of the FIAV. In October 2008, he received the Victorian Parliamentary Friends of India of the Parliament of Victoria “Award of Excellence”.