Oceanic Pacific regional committee members - Women Deliver 2023

Women Deliver Youth Leader Alumni (Fiji)

Born in India and raised in the Fiji Islands, Aatika Patel is an environmentalist and social justice activist who focuses on exploring the intersectionality between creativity, the Pacific experience with climate change, and the environmental crisis. Her work emphasises youth and women's empowerment through a gender lens, both regionally and globally.

Aatika has gained extensive experience in public advocacy and strategic communications, having worked for organisations such as Habitat for Humanity Fiji and the United Nations. She has also worked with youth organisations in the Pacific and worldwide.

As a National Gender Youth Activist from Fiji with UN Women, Aatika has been instrumental in creating the Accountability Framework Process and the Young Feminist Manifesto, which will guide intergenerational work in the future. She has also been a Youth Leader for Women Deliver since 2018 and an Associate Fellow for the Royal Commonwealth Society.

CEO, Djirra (Australia)

Antoinette Braybrook is a Kuku Yalanji woman born on Wurundjeri country in Victoria. As the founding CEO of Djirra and Co-Chair of Change the Record, Antoinette is a highly regarded advocate and public speaker who seeks to give a voice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have experienced family violence.

Since 2002, Antoinette has led Djirra, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation that delivers holistic, culturally safe, specialist family violence support, legal, case management, and wellbeing services and programs across Victoria, and advocates for system-wide change to improve access to justice, eliminate systemic violence, and strengthen women’s resilience.

Antoinette serves as Co-Chair of the Change the Record Campaign, Australia’s only national First Nations-led justice coalition of legal, health and family violence prevention experts. She is former Chair of the National Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services Forum.

Antoinette advocates strongly for First Nations women on the international stage, presenting at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women Conference in New York in 2013 and the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva in 2019.

She was honoured on the UN Gender Justice Legacy Wall in 2017, inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2020, and awarded Melburnian of the Year 2022.

CEO, International Women’s Development Agency

Bettina has been the CEO of International Women’s Development Agency since late 2017. Joining IWDA in 2012 as Director of Communications and Fundraising, Bettina led the transformation of the organisation’s brand identity, media profile and communications strategy. Under her leadership, IWDA was awarded two Fundraising Institute of Australia awards, and delivered the organisation’s most successful fundraising appeal to date. Over 28,000 new supporters joined IWDA under Bettina’s leadership.

Bettina later served as the Director of IWDA’s Individual Deprivation Measure (IDM) program, a partnership between the Australian National University (ANU), the IWDA and the Australian Government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Working closely with the ANU, Bettina and the IWDA IDM team tested a world-first, gender-sensitive and multidimensional measure of poverty. She presented the IDM at global events, driving communications strategy, forming international networks, and paving the way for the IDM’s global use by 2020.

Before joining IWDA, Bettina held a number of executive roles with Oxfam Great Britain, working across a team of 5000 staff in 90+ countries and has also worked with UNHCR in Canberra. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a Master’s in Women’s Studies (Gender and Development).

Chair, Australian Women’s Health Network (Australia)

Bonney Corbin is an urban and regional planner with postgraduate qualifications in gender-based violence and conflict resolution.

Bonney is the Chair of the Australian Women’s Health Network, is the Head of Policy and Research at MSI Reproductive Choices (Australia), is on the Policy Advisory Group at Women with Disabilities Australia, and sits on a number of health and genomics related boards.

She has worked in gender equity and human rights for the past 20 years in Australia, South and South East Asia, the Middle East and the South Pacific with NGOs and civil society organisations.

Founder and Director, Brown Girl Woke (Samoa)

Doris Tulifau is a survivor, educator, activist and organiser. She founded the Brown Girl Woke young feminist not-for-profit in 2014 in California and in Samoa in 2018.

Brown Girl Woke recruits, trains and educates youth leaders on critical issues in Samoa by running consistent weekly programs, as well as after-school programs in 10 primary schools, four colleges, two universities and one vocational school.

Doris is also a speaker on her childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence and has built conferences from California, Hawaii, Samoa and American Samoa allowing youth to use their voices to speak up about trauma they are facing. She also has local TV show for youth to speak about taboo issues and radio show once a week.

Her organisation is a part of We Rise feminist coalition with six Pacific island NGOs as partners. She hopes to keep building safe spaces for Pacific youth around the region.

Gender Specialist, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat

Dr Fiona Hukula is a Senior Research Fellow and Building Safer Communities Program Leader at the Papua New Guinea National Research Institute (PNGNRI). She received a PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of St Andrews, Scotland. Fiona also holds a Master’s in International Criminology from the University of Sheffield and a BA in Anthropology from Victoria University of Wellington.

Having started in 1998 at the NRI as a project research officer, Fiona is a career policy and social researcher with over 20 years’ experience. She has authored and co-authored various publications relating to crime, urban issues and gender violence in PNG. Fiona’s research interests are in urban studies, gender and socio-legal studies.

Fiona represents the PNGNRI on high level national committees such as the Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee and the National Action Plan against Sorcery Accusation and Related Violence. Fiona serves on the board of the NGO Peace Foundation Melanesia is also a Commissioner of the Constitutional and Law Reform Commission.

Pacific Conference of Churches

Reverend James Bhagwan is the General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches, a role he has held since 2018.

He is an ordained Minister of the Methodist Church in Fiji and held the role of Secretary for Communications and Overseas Mission with the church between 2013 and 2017. He is a graduate of the Pacific Theological College (Suva) and Methodist Theological University (Seoul).

Rev Bhagwan worked extensively in the media before joining the ministry. His areas of advocacy are climate justice – with particular emphasis on the ocean – gender equality, self-determination ecumenism and interreligious dialogue.

Program Assistant, Rainbow Pride (Fiji)

Lasarusa (Kirah) Seru works in health and wellbeing for the Rainbow Pride Foundation and identifies as a transgender woman.

She hails from the Fijian island of Kadavu and shares maternal links to Kadavu. She is a devoted Christian and attends Sunday church service where she also takes part in directing the church choir as a way of sensitising her fellow youth church members to the idea that God loves everyone irrespective of their sexuality, gender and expression, and has contributed a lot to her church, changing mindsets and making the congregation accept her for who she is.

Kirah is also a local artist who believes in raising awareness when she performs and writes songs that reflect strong messages.

Member of Women Deliver 2023 Youth Planning Committee (Australia)

Margherita is a migrant, queer young woman with a disability. She is a young disability and intersectionality advocate committed to work that supports and fights for the rights of young people with disabilities and other intersecting backgrounds. She advocates from her own lived experience and the communities she is immersed in.

Margherita works on a wide range of projects which advocate for young women and non-binary people, as well as representing young people in policy, government and international spaces. She has represented Australia at multiple international events including the United Nations Conference of State Parties on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the Commission on the Status of Women.

Margherita is involved in other organisations and networks as a Board Director of Children and Young People with Disability Australia, and Advocacy Lead for the Commonwealth Children and Youth Disability Network Executive, where she passionately engages in community and loves to interact with others who are working towards intersectional justice.

Principal Strategic Lead – Pacific Women and Girls, Pacific

As Principal Strategic Lead for Pacific Women and Girls, Mereseini Rakuita champions Pacific communities’ work on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls to bring about the transformational changes required to improve the status of women and girls in the Pacific.

A key part of her role includes working on the Pacific Women Lead program, funded by the Australian Government, in close collaboration and open dialogue with member governments, development partners and civil society.

Mereseini was previously the Fijian Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation 2016-2021, and Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources 2014-2016. She was the first Fijian woman appointed chair of the Telecommunications Authority of Fiji in 2008, Acting Permanent Secretary for Justice and Anti-corruption in 2012, Acting Supervisor of elections, and a state solicitor for the Office of the Attorney General.

In 2019, she chaired the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+25 Review and the Asia-Pacific 8th Intergovernmental and Regional Forum on Sustainable Development in March 2021.

Mereseini was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory in 1997, barrister and solicitor of the High Court of Fiji, and Commissioner for Oaths of the High Court of Fiji in 1998.

Co-Lead Consultant, Pacific Feminist Fund

Michelle Reddy is a Fiji-based queer feminist who has been part of the women’s movement in Fiji and the Pacific.

Michelle led the establishment of the first national women’s fund in Fiji and the Pacific called the Women’s Fund Fiji. As one of the Co-Leads, Michelle is leading the establishment of the Pacific Feminist Fund.

Michelle is currently an advisory member on the Equality Fund’s Catalyse Program, Human Rights Funders Network’s Global Racial Justice Advisory Council and United Nations Pacific Insurance and Climate Adaptation Program under the UN Capital Development Fund.

Executive Director, Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (Fiji)

Nalini Singh is a feminist and social development specialist from Fiji with over 20 years of experience in designing, implementing, managing, monitoring and evaluating women’s rights and development programs in Asia Pacific.

With her passion for women’s human rights and gender equality driving her work, Nalini's interests are in the issues of women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, decent work and organisational capacity strengthening.

Nalini is the executive director of the Fiji Women's Rights Movement and has worked at the Asian Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women, the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development and the Regional Rights Resource Team.

The diverse and unique experiences across the region have provided Nalini with invaluable skills, practical knowledge, learnings and understanding of contextual realities for the work that she does.

Executive Director, Diverse Voices and Action (DIVA) for Equality

Noelene Nabulivou is a long-time feminist community organiser, analyst, educator and activist working for socio-economic, ecological and climate justice and universal human rights in urban informal settlements, rural and maritime Fiji, the Pacific and globally for over 35 years.

Guided by autonomous feminist movements, Noelene works with communities, civil society, governments, the development sector and the UN to advance bold strategies on urgent, complex questions of human rights and development justice.

She is the executive director of Diverse Voices and Action (DIVA) for Equality and holds many social movement roles.

In 2020, Noelene received the International Women’s Health Coalition's Joan B Dunlop Award for advocacy.

Director, Tonga Women and Children’s Crisis Centre (Tonga)

‘Ofa-Ki-Levuka (‘Ofa) Guttenbeil-Likiliki is an Oceanic feminist researcher and storyteller/filmmaker, women and children's rights advocate and the director of the Women and Children Crisis Centre in Tonga.

‘Ofa is a facilitator and trainer in human rights, gender equality/equity, and women's leadership across the Oceanic Pacific and an adviser to the International Women’s Development Agency.

‘Ofa has been nominated twice (2012, 2013) for the US Secretary of State International Women of Courage Award for her activism and advocacy for women and children's rights in Tonga. She has contributed to research on women's political participation and the impact of COVID-19 on women’s economic empowerment in Tonga.

In 2019, she led research with 35 women leaders across the Oceanic Pacific, titled: Creating Equitable South-North Partnerships: Nurturing the Vā and Voyaging the Audacious Ocean Together that boldly calls for the reimagining of Global South-North relations in international development and humanitarian aid spaces.

‘Ofa has written and directed two films (The Black Pen, Vai) that have both been official selections at international film festivals, including the Hawaiian International Film Festival (2017), Berlinale International Film Festival (2019), and the South by Southwest Film Festival (2019).

She holds a BA/LLB and a Master of Arts (Hons) and a Master of Laws.

Assistant Secretary, Office for Women, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australian Government)

Rochelle is the assistant secretary of the Women’s Policy and International Engagement Branch in the Office for Women at the Australian Government Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

She was the director for Development Cooperations at the Australian High Commission in Suva, Fiji, from 2019 to 2021.

Rochelle was the director of the Office of the Ambassador for Women and Girls from 2016 to 2019 and the director for Development Cooperation in the Solomon Islands from 2013 to 2016.

Board Member, Chief Executive Women and Chief Operating Officer, Culture Amp (Australia)

Sally Bruce is the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Culture Amp, the world’s leading employee experience platform, with over 6,000 active business customers in 47 countries.

Sally has worked for more than 25 years as a senior executive at global organisations. Before joining Culture Amp, Sally was the Chief Executive Officer of AMP Bank.

Previously, she was the Chief Financial Officer Business and Personal Banking at National Australia Bank and has held a number of senior leadership roles at Macquarie Group.

Sally serves as a Director of Rising (formerly the Melbourne International Arts Festival) and Chief Executive Women. She holds a Bachelor degree in Commerce and a Master degree in Applied Finance.

Sally is a driver of performance through culture and is a passionate advocate of people and diversity in all its forms.

Director, Office for Women, Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (Victorian Government)

Sally Hasler is a public policy executive with experience in government and NGOs in Australia and Asia. Sally currently leads the Victorian Government women's leadership and representation strategy, Women Deliver engagement, free pads and tampons project and strategic communications activities.

She has expertise working across sectors and industries in social and economic policy, particularly in the women's and health portfolios, international partnerships, diversity and equity, communications, philanthropy and strategy.

Sally is a qualified Non-Executive Director, and lifelong volunteer with St John Ambulance Australia and St John International – an international humanitarian NGO delivering healthcare in over 40 countries. She was a Dunlop Fellowship recipient for the 2016 Asialink Leaders Program.

Sally graduated from the University of Melbourne with a BA (Hon) in Political Science and Criminology and gained her Master’s in Public Policy from the Australian National University. She also has a Graduate Certificate in Adolescent Health from the University of Melbourne.

Disability Rights advocate (Solomon Islands)

Savina Nongebatu is a Solomon Islands disability rights advocate and a key leader engaging with the Shifting the Power Coalition and member of Every Woman Treaty’s Global Working Group (Oceania).

She is a previous Office Manager (2011–2018) and President (2004–2011) of People with Disabilities Solomon Islands, an advocacy organisation that promotes the rights of people with disabilities.

Savina was a co-chair at the Pacific Disability Forum (2009–2011) and Deputy Chief Executive Officer (2018–2019). The Pacific Disability Forum is a regional peak body that works in partnership with disabled persons organisations in the Pacific region to build their capacity and improve the lives of persons with disabilities through advocacy.

Savina received the 2012 US Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award. She was recognised for overcoming adversity and championing the cause of people with disabilities in the Solomon Islands.

Technical Specialist, UN Women Multi-Country Office

Sonia Rastogi is a gender-based violence and public health practitioner grounded in social justice and feminist analysis. She brings 15 years of experience working with women and girls, in all their diversity, on the issues of ending violence, sexual and reproductive rights, HIV and health justice.

Sonia has worked with women, girls and communities affected by forced migration, armed conflict and natural disasters and in communities.

Sonia currently serves as UN Women’s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Manager for the Pacific and holds a Master of Public Health from Columbia University.

Founder and Director, Sista (Vanuatu)

Yasmine Bjornum is an activist for women's rights and empowerment in Vanuatu and the founder of Sista. When Sista was established in 2016, the main purpose was to create a space for Ni-Vanuatu women to connect, share and uplift each other.

Sista began as an online magazine and evolved into a women’s rights organisation driven by feminist values.

Yasmine is a freelance journalist who has written for the Vanuatu Daily Post, ABC and The Guardian.