Our team

Corene joined the Australian Network on Disability (AND) as the Chief Executive Officer in July 2021.

An experienced CEO, Corene is passionate about improving the lives of others and building communities for good. A NFP specialist, with a marketing background, Corene was previously Chief Executive Officer of Special Olympics Australia, part of the world’s largest disability sports organisation.

Her previous role was also in the sports sector as Chief Executive Officer for the NRL’s Men of League Foundation responsible for the welfare of the rugby league community. Corene was the first female of to be appointed.

Prior to that she was the inaugural National Marketing Manager for Legacy Australia, caring for the families of the fallen and ill Defence force Veterans. As a result of Corene’s efforts Legacy underwent major transformation and appointed their first National CEO, after 90 years of volunteer led administration. A great believer in the value of education her professional career included senior appointments at Tribeca (now Kaplan), University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM).

Corene is a South African born Aussie with a solid sporting pedigree and has been a citizen of ours since 1987. Corene is married to Peter, and they enjoy travelling in their motorhome, as well as swimming at her beloved Cronulla beach, playing golf, yoga and cycling in her spare time.

Email: rida.leung@and.org.au (Executive Assistant)
Phone: 02 8270 9219

Rachael joined AND as COO in January 2022.

Prior to joining AND, Rachael had worked in a variety of sectors including mining, telecommunications and service and support industries. Her most recent role was as CFO of Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries and Land Manager where she led a comprehensive overhaul and deployment of all IT platforms.

At Southern Phone Company Ltd, as CFO and Company Secretary, Rachael was involved in the transformation of a company under the disruption of the introduction of the NBN and was a key member of the acquisitions team who acquired and integrated into the business multiple customer bases.

Rachael has held a number of finance and administration roles over her varied career and is known for supporting organisations with governance frameworks, project planning and the integration of customer journey into IT infrastructure. Her system, process and analytical skills ensure that business processes operate efficiently her insights into processes ensure that improvement align to the organisation strategies.

A keen volunteer, Rachael can be seen assisting the Moruya Surf Lifesaving Club Special Nipper program or out in the estuaries teaching children to fish as a Fishcare Volunteer.

Rachael has a Bachelor of Commerce, is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and is a Graduate of the AICD.

Email: rachael.kennedy@and.org.au
Phone: 02 8270 9218

Isabel has a keen interest in promoting inclusive practices within all aspects of the community. After attending a Diversity Masterclass run by Oaktree, she joined the Australian Network on Disability as Stepping Into and PACE Mentoring Program Coordinator, then one year later transitioned into Program Manager.

She has experience working in not-for-profit organisations and social enterprise, in roles spanning from recruitment, volunteer engagement and mentoring, to logistics management and consulting. She has a dual degree from the University of Queensland in Business Management and Arts, with an extended major of Psychology.

Isabel enjoys putting her skills to use while combining her interest in work with a social purpose. She loves working in youth and jobseeker-oriented projects, where she is able to facilitate the development of individual’s professional skills while building disability confidence throughout the workforce.

Email: isabel.heiner@and.org.au
Phone: 03 7032 3525

Emma joined the team at Australian Network on Disability (AND) in 2018 bringing with her 15+ years’ experience working in the community sector in both the disability and crisis services / homelessness fields.

Emma’s career path began at Kew Residential Services and has wound its way through the disability sector to include support work, coordination, leading teams and projects, and case management. Following the completion of a Master of Social Work (MSW), Emma shifted to work in the housing and homelessness sector first at The Salvation Army Crisis Services, then at Sacred Heart Mission’s Homefront (Women’s Crisis Accommodation). This pathway has shown Emma that there can be no real change for the individual without first breaking down the systemic barriers that impact on their situation.

As a woman with disability, Emma is passionate about disability representation and seeing her community thrive. In her work at AND, Emma has the opportunity to support Australian businesses to build their disability confidence to better support and include people with disability in all aspects of their business.

A constant student, Emma holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Disability Studies) and a Master of Arts (Writing and Literature) from Deakin University, and a Master of Social Work from the University of Melbourne.

Email:  emma.henningsen@and.org.au

Phone: 03 7032 3522

Megan joined AND as our Marketing and Communications Manager in February 2021. She is an experienced marketer and people leader who is passionate about building brands with purpose.

Megan has led marketing strategy and campaigns for some of Australia’s best-known brands, working in both the corporate and government sector. With a strong interest in customer behaviour and psychology she utilises audience insights to deliver relevant and engaging communications and customer experiences.

She enjoys educating through story-telling and emotive content and aims to deliver both rational and emotional connection through all activity. Megan is excited to bring her skills and experience to a brand that aligns with her personal values.

Email: megan.jones@and.org.au
Phone: 02 8270 9210

Emily joined the Australian Network on Disability (AND) as a Relationship Manager and PACE Program Manager in August 2015. In March 2019, she joined AND’s Leadership Team in her role as Member Experience Manager. Emily leads the Member Experience Team and is responsible, with her team, for ensuring Members are active, engaged and working closely with AND to meet their access and inclusion goals.

Prior to joining AND, Emily worked in both corporate and not-for-profit environments, focusing on relationship management, training and program management.

Throughout her career, Emily has effectively developed relationships with key stakeholders, including government departments, community organisations and corporate partners, to facilitate community, business and school-based mentoring programs. Emily is a passionate advocate for creating positive change through opportunity, education and awareness.

Emily has a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology and holds a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

Email: emily.matthews@and.org.au
Phone: 02 8270 9280

With a desire to do social good and a passion for equity, Amber joined AND to use her consulting skills to drive and empower organisations to make a difference. With her project management skills, Amber designs national pioneering projects and theories of change to create lasting and sustainable impact in the not-for-profit sector.

Amber joined the Australian Network on Disability (AND) in December 2017 bringing her business analyst and social research background. Amber’s career path has always focused on consulting where she enjoys deep analysis to understand a market and environment. In the past, Amber’s work has focused on inclusion strategies, policy and system development, behavioural change and workshop training and facilitation.

Amber has extensive experience advising C-Suite decision makers on change management strategies to improve access and inclusion of the business, increase market share and generate revenue growth.

If you’ve ever been on a video call with Amber, you would know that she also has two miniature dachshunds that like to contribute during meetings. Carly (aged 14 months) is particularly vocal when it comes to the inclusion of people with disability.

Amber holds a BComm in Management and Marketing and DipLang in Indonesian from the University of Melbourne.

Email: amber.tratter@and.org.au

Phone: 03 7032 3521

Victoria joined the Australian Network on Disability (AND) as Marketing and Events Administrator in May 2019.

A recent graduate from Macquarie University, she holds a degree in Commerce, majoring in Marketing.’

Prior to joining AND, Victoria worked as a Recruitment Resourcer, focusing on recruitment within the built environment. She also has more than eight years’ experience in customer service.

Victoria is passionate about equitable inclusion, and is eager to develop her knowledge about accessibility and inclusion of people with disability in the workforce.

Email: victoria.armstrong@and.org.au

Tom joined AND as the Dignified Access Lead in September 2022.

He has a degree in Social Psychology and is currently studying Disability and Access at Deakin University.

For the last 12 years, Tom’s social inclusion work has exposed him to many community development sectors including, social enterprise, local government, not-for-profit, and disability services.

His approach is lived experience-driven, co-design informed, and capacity centered, taking a 360-degree view by embracing intersectionality.

A career highlight for Tom was pioneering access for all to Australia’s beaches by applying Universal Design principles to Williamstown and Altona beaches in Melbourne.

Tom spent over a decade working at the world’s number one travel guidebook publisher, Lonely Planet, holding executive positions in sales, marketing, and publicity.

Travel runs in his veins, and he loves exploring and celebrating the diversity of South East Asia with his family.

Inspired by the Big Issue Street Soccer program Tom cofounded Social Goal: a social enterprise that uses sport as a platform to promote inclusion. A major outcome to date is kick-starting of Australia’s first-ever Blind Soccer national team the Bilbies.

Tom is so excited to take his grassroots knowledge to a national level and to support members to break down barriers so that every Australian can have their voice heard.

Hayley joined the Australian Network on Disability as a Relationship Manager in August 2021.  In September 2022, she joined AND’s Consultancy Team in her role as User Experience (UX) Lead – Customer and Employee Experience. In this role Hayley is responsible for working with business to ensure the lived experiences of people with disability are embedded in the planning, design and evaluation of products and services to ensure they are inclusive and accessible.

Hayley has over 12 years’ experience working in the disability sector in various roles which has included in direct support work, project management, systemic advocacy, research, education, and case management.  These roles have not only supported people with disability but have also supported organisations to understand how to work with people with disability in respectful ways.

Hayley holds strong values that people with disability have the right to be able to participate in all aspects of society.  To empower people with disability, Hayley uses trauma informed and collaborative approaches, acting as a facilitator to create safe and supportive opportunities to amplify the voices of people with disability.

Highlights of Hayley’s career have included the management of co-designed projects focused on enhancing skills of both individuals with disability and organisations to prepare their responses to natural disasters. In 2014, 2017, and 2018 these projects won awards in the Resilient Australia awards, for their innovative approaches to facilitating shared learning between people with disability and the emergency management sector.

Hayley has a Bachelor of Inclusive Education and Disability Studies, and Master of Social Work from the Australian Catholic University, where she was included on the Dean’s List and awarded Outstanding Graduate of 2013 by Catholic Care.

Hayley is excited to be working with and supporting AND’s members on their inclusion and accessibility journeys.

Pauline joined AND in Sept 2022 as an Administration Coordinator.

Before joining AND, Pauline held various administrative roles within the private and public health sectors for ten years.

She has extensive experience in administration, including office management and accounts.

In her free time, Pauline enjoys reading, walking, and volunteering.

Kristy joined the Australian Network on Disability as a Relationship Manager in September 2022.

She has worked in the Disability sector for over 13 years. Before joining AND, she worked at the ACT Human Rights Commission, where she held several roles, including Senior Advocate with the Office of the Public Advocate, Domestic and Family Violence case management, and Disability Liaison Officer with Victim Support ACT.

During this time, Kristy led the creation and implementation of the Needs Identification Tool, which provided reasonable adjustments for people with disability accessing the Commission.

While supporting the implementation of the ACT Disability Justice Strategy, Kristy developed strong relationships with key stakeholders to create systemic change and better outcomes for vulnerable people.

Kristy is a passionate advocate for social justice and the promotion of human rights. With qualifications in leadership, management, and extensive experience in the Disability and Mental health sectors, Kristy is excited to work with AND’s members to support their access and inclusion journeys.

Lauretta joined the Australian Network in Disability as Member Liaison, working in the Member Experience team in September 2022.

Lauretta has over 10 years of experience in customer and public service. Lauretta is passionate about inclusion within the workplace and believes that creating opportunities and support for employees with a disability not only empowers but allows people to thrive and participate within society.

Outside of work, Lauretta can be found playing board games, reading comics and books, playing sports, and enjoying live music.

Bianca joined the Australian Network on Disability (AND) as Administration Officer in December 2018, then in June 2021 transitioned into the role of Program Coordinator.

Prior to joining AND, Bianca worked in an office administrative position for more than four years, organising and maintaining day-to-day operations across four separate business divisions.

With qualifications in business and retail, and more than five years’ experience in customer service, Bianca’s strong interpersonal, time management and communication skills have been an asset to AND’s team and network of members.

Bianca is passionate about inclusion and believes everyone is entitled to a fair go.

Rudy joined the Australian Network on Disability (AND) team in September 2022 as a Program Coordinator. Prior to joining AND, Rudy had worked in different roles in administration, operations, marketing, and events for QBE and Platypus, developing his teamwork, organisation, and communication skills.

Rudy has a keen interest in sports, music, and writing. He actively participates in Baseball, Football and Oz tag all year round and has coached a youth football team for 6 years. He is also currently making music in a band with his close friends.

Rudy is passionate about making a difference in the community and further developing his knowledge of disability confidence and accessibility in the workplace.

Tia joined the Australian Network on Disability (AND) team in May 2021 as a Program Coordinator.

Prior to joining AND, Tia has worked in different roles in communication, social Media management, program management and not-for-profit organisations, which allow her to develop excellent teamwork, leadership and organisational skills.

Tia has made her life-long goals to empower individuals, with a desire to work in a challenging environment to inspire empathy and equity. Her previous experience in supporting people with disability has also developed her passion on advocating for diversity, accessibility and inclusion.

Tia is pursuing a Master degree in Communication and specialises in Public Relations and Digital Media.

Jodi has a passion for social justice and equity and her background in education and research has enabled her to work on research projects in the areas of education, equity, disability, and leadership.

She has recently completed her doctorate in gifted education and has completed projects with the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education which involves the exploration of disability and careers, and careers and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Jodi has contributed to papers and books. She is excited about bringing her skills and experience in research to AND.

Rosie joined the Australian Network on Disability as a Programs Coordinator in August 2019, and commenced as the Access and Inclusion Index Lead in September 2022.

As a member of the Programs Team, Rosie supported interns and jobseekers with disability in the Stepping Into and PACE Mentoring programs, as well as members, supervisors and mentors to have positive program experiences. She has qualifications in media and communications and extensive customer service, team leadership and administration experience. Prior to joining the Australian Network on Disability, Rosie worked as a marketing coordinator, successfully managing and growing multiple FMCG brands.

Rosie’s interpersonal, communications and organisational skills have been developed through her varied professional experiences, and she is delighted to bring these to the Consultancy team.  Rosie is excited to be supporting organisations to use the Access and Inclusion Index to understand, assess, benchmark and improve their disability confidence and drive best practice in accessibility and inclusion for employees and customers with disability.

Email: rosie.lane@and.org.au

Rida joined the Australian Network on Disability (AND) as Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer in February 2017.

Prior to joining AND, Rida held various executive assistant positions providing high level and confidential support to senior executives in government, legal, commercial and multinational organisations. Besides providing one-on-one support, she has worked effectively with both internal and external stakeholders to achieve organisational goals and objectives. Rida also possesses extensive experience in office administration and people management.

Rida attained her Bachelor degree (major in administration and management) from the University of New England, Australia.

Email: rida.leung@and.org.au
Phone: 02 8270 9219

Lisa joined the Australian Network on Disability (AND) in October 2022. she has a Bachelor of Social Sciences and later studied Community Services through TAFE NSW. As someone who loves learning and developing her knowledge, Lisa is looking forward to further developing her knowledge of disability confidence and accessibility in the workplace.

Prior to joining AND, she worked as a Community Support Coordinator and later as a Relationship Manager at Hireup, an NDIS support provider and online platform. In her work at Hireup, she worked closely with people with diverse disabilities to facilitate and support them to discover and maintain quality support relationships through the NDIS.

Lisa is passionate about the inclusion, accessibility, and equity of all people living with disabilities and is dedicated to building a career based on advocacy for and practice of social justice, diversity, and inclusion of the broader disability community and other diverse groups of people. Lisa has strengths in creative thinking and a talent for building supportive and empathetic relationships with those that she works with and supports within the community.

Outside of work, Lisa enjoys traveling and weekend adventures in small country towns. Lisa also loves discovering new cafes and vintage shops in the city and enjoys arts and crafts such as embroidery and collage.

Peta joined the Australian Network on Disability as Project Manager, working in the Strategic Development team in September 2022.

With over 15 years working in the for-purpose sector, Peta is committed to contributing to an organisation that advocates for equality, dignity, and respect for all and empowers and enables people to achieve their potential.

Peta spent over a decade working for the Australian Business and Community Network, connecting business and public education, and improving educational opportunities and outcomes for students experiencing disadvantage. She brings expertise in program design, project management, design thinking, training, and facilitation. Highlights of her previous role include co-designing award-winning mentoring programs and playing a pivotal role in the digital transformation of the organisation, which led to recognition as a finalist in 2021 Australian Financial Review Innovation Awards.

Peta is passionate about social equity and inclusion and in 2009 co-founded the charity St Kilda Mums, which supports thousands of Victorian families in need each year with material aid and promotes the vision to share more, waste less and enable every child to thrive.

Outside of work, Peta can be found immersing herself in the great outdoors, camping, hiking, bike riding or when lucky, swimming with dolphins in her beautiful local bay. She is a lover of the creative arts, music and literature and will happily engage in word games of any description.

Yolanda is a humanitarian and life-learner with a passion for diversity and inclusion.  She has over a decade of experience in the Not-for-profit sector, in Singapore, Malaysia, Zimbabwe and Australia.  As a certified governance for Not-for-Profits officer, Yolanda has worked closely with governments and CALD community organisations. She is also a qualified phlebotomist, speaks 4 languages and is currently completing a Master’s in Public Health.

Nathan joined the Australian Network on Disability (AND) as Digital Officer in October 2022.

He has qualifications and experience in digital marketing, communications, and project management.

Prior to joining AND, he worked with several organisations to transform and optimise the digital experience for their customers and stakeholders.

As a person with lived experience of disability, he believes every person should be given a fair go. He is passionate about driving change for others living with disability.

Nathan is a history buff and enjoys reading and watching documentaries about major historical events.

Isabel joined AND in September 2022.

She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Criminology. She has a background in public service, previously working for a start-up medicinal cannabis healthcare service. She is part of a community of people experiencing chronic illness.

Isabel is a singer with an Alto-1 vocal range and is a member of the Decibelle Female Pop Choir. She also enjoys cross-stitching.

On the weekends, she likes to hang out with her friends, often frequenting one of Melbourne’s new bars and restaurants.

Mirabel joined the Australian Network on Disability (AND) in October 2021. She joins with over 10 years’ experience as an HR professional, working in manufacturing and professional services industries across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

Throughout her career she has partnered with stakeholders and developed strong relationships to enable talent and a culture of high performance. She has a focus on continuous improvement and uses analysis and insights to influence change. Mirabel is passionate about equal employment opportunities for all and has volunteered in employment services for refugees, students and those in need.

Mirabel has Bachelors of Business and Arts from University of Auckland, majoring in Management, Employee Relations and History.

She is excited to be a part of the AND Member Experience Team and to be contributing to the meaningful work of the organisation.

Ari joined the Australian Network on Disability (AND) as a Business Analyst, part-time in Jan 2022, and then becoming permanent in May 2022.

Prior to Joining AND, Ari has worked as a Senior Project Manager, managing Business and Technical transformation projects, implementation of major products into organisations, as well as business projects.

He has also worked as a Business Analyst and programmer and has a wealth of knowledge in the IT industry, having worked in Insurance, Government, Data Analytics, Financial Companies.

Ari is passionate about all aspects of Information Technology and how it can enable people to perform to the best of their ability.

Email: Ari.Perala@and.org.au

Phone: (02) 8270 9201

Clara Pirani joined the Australian Network on Disability in May, 2022.  She is an experienced journalist and editor and most recently worked at The Australian newspaper for 20 years in a variety of roles including Medical Reporter, Health Editor, Business Chief of Staff and Associate Editor.

She is passionate about public health and social equity and is currently studying a Master of Public Health at the University of Technology Sydney.

Email: Clara.Pirani@and.org.au

Phone: 0410 446621

Penny joined the Australian Network on Disability as a Relationship Manager in March 2021. Penny’s background is in diversity and inclusion in the higher education sector where she worked on programs to support the transition to university for students from disadvantaged and under-represented backgrounds. She then moved into workplace diversity and inclusion, delivering an organisation-wide disability awareness training framework, the establishment of staff inclusion networks, strategic diversity and inclusion events, and programs to support career development for staff from diverse backgrounds.

Penny enjoys working from the ground up to help organisations to develop and deliver access and inclusion plans, support disability champions, grow engaged staff networks and build disability confidence across all areas of their business. She is passionate about ensuring the social, educational and economic participation of people with disability in Australian society.

Penny has a Bachelor of Social Science with majors in policy and psychology from the University of New South Wales. In her spare time, she’s a volunteer counsellor and community educator with the Australian Breastfeeding Association.

Stephanie joined the Australian Network on Disability as a Relationship Manager in May 2021. Stephanie’s background has been predominantly in the health and care sector having held roles with a strong focus on engaging a wide range of stakeholders and driving sustainable business growth.

Prior to AND, Stephanie worked at Bupa where she was involved in number of initiatives across both the health services and health insurance businesses over the last 5 years. Across this time some of the key pieces of work included the project management of new and rebranded Bupa Dental practices, development and delivery of bespoke training and onboarding, continuous improvement processes within the referral space and led the design and execution of their aged care referral program.

She has a passion for making impactful change through her work which has led her to join the team here at AND to continue delivering on that purpose.

Stephanie has a Bachelor of Business Commerce (Marketing) from Western Sydney University.

Danielle joined the Australian Network on Disability as a Relationship Manager in October 2022.

Prior to joining AND, Danielle worked in the Australian Public Service for over 6 years where she developed her skills in leadership, project management and correspondence design.

Danielle has also volunteered in Kenya and Nepal on community-led sustainable development projects, and locally in Brisbane with multiple not-for-profit organisations.

She holds a Bachelor of Social Science (majors in Development, and Social and Public Policy) and a Graduate Certificate in Human Services.

Danielle is passionate about achieving equitable access and genuine inclusion for diverse groups in Australia and overseas. She advocates for a person-centred approach and respect for unique lived experiences.

She looks forward to supporting AND’s members to achieve their access and inclusion goals.

Christopher joined AND as Training Lead in September 2022. A teacher and trainer with over fifteen years’ experience, Christopher holds post-graduate qualifications in ESL teaching, an MA Creative Writing, and a BA Hons – Performing Arts Theory and Practice. For over three years Christopher was a university academic advisor, before two years in Berlin teaching English to corporate executives, high schoolers and the unemployed.

Passionate about social justice and inclusion, Christopher has fulfilled roles as Pathways to Work Advisor teaching employment skills to refugees and migrants, and as Disability Employment Services Consultant in CALD communities.

His diverse work history has at various times included: disability sector program convening, the performing arts, magazine journalism, and screenwriting a produced feature film. In his free time Christopher enjoys running, swimming, cinema and writing YA fiction.

Dragan joined the Australian Network on Disability as a Directing Change Project Officer, in August 2022.

Prior to joining AND, he has worked in diverse roles that has helped him refine his organisational, teamwork, and interpersonal skills. Dragan has experience of working in private, government and non-for-profit sector. Dragan is passionate about the inclusion of people with disabilities and making disability more mainstream.

Dragan is passionate about music and enjoys going to music festivals. Dragan is also passionate sport and enjoys watching football.

Dragan holds a bachelor’s in business majoring in sports management. Along with a master’s in Business majoring in information technology.

Emilie joined the Australian Network on Disability (AND) as our Content Creator/Designer in November 2022.

Alongside completing her Bachelor of Visual Arts, Digital Media at ANU and a Diploma of Graphic Design at the CATC Design School, Emilie brings over six years of experience in freelance content creation to our team.

Often found sketching away in her notepad, enjoying a good book or taking part in outdoor adventures, Emilie is passionate about contributing her creativity and enthusiasm to positively impact the broader community.

Kylie joined Australian Network on Disability as Accounts Administrator in July 2022.

Before joining AND, she worked for 15 years in the Marine Construction industry.

During her time as Office Manager for Sub Sea Global, Kylie took on roles in finance, payroll, compliance, WHS and employee training.

Kylie enjoys working in accounts and has a passion for gardening.

Tess joined the Australian Network on Disability team in April 2019 as a Program Coordinator.

She previously worked on a Victorian Government funded project to build a more inclusive youth sector through developing and delivering Disability Awareness workshops for youth workers. Tess also has experience in pre-employment programs for young people with a disability. Tess is passionate about creating opportunities for people with disability to reach their full potential within their chosen career.