Board Members
PROF PETER SHERGOLD AC (CHAIR)
Professor Peter Shergold AC has a distinguished academic and public service career that spans over three decades.
As the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet from 2003-2008, Professor Shergold was the nation’s most senior public servant. In two decades as a senior public servant he served four Prime Ministers and eight Ministers in both Labor and Coalition governments.
Professor Shergold has a Bachelor of Arts (First Class) from the University of Hull in the United Kingdom, a Master of Arts in History from the University of Illinois and a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics. In 2005, Professor Shergold was elected a Fellow of The Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.
Professor Shergold serves on the Boards of AMP and Corrs Chambers Westgarth. In the not for-profit arena he is on the Boards of the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence and the General Sir John Monash Foundation. He also Chairs the Board of the National Centre for Vocational Education Research. He has headed the Ministerial Expert Group on Gambling.
Most recently New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell has appointed Professor Shergold to be Chair of a new NSW Public Service Board. In January 2011, Professor Shergold was elected Chancellor of Western Sydney University.
PROF TALAL YASSINE OAM (DIRECTOR)
Talal Yassine is an experienced business leader, entrepreneur and academic. In an executive capacity and for over two decades, Talal has straddled the worlds of business, finance and law.
Currently, Talal serves as Managing Director of Crescent Wealth, Non-Executive Director of Crescent Finance, Media Diversity Australia and as a Member of the Western Sydney University Foundation Council Board. Talal also serves as Chairman of First Quay Capital and Chairman of LandCorp Australia.
Previously, Talal has served on the Board of Australia Post, Sydney Ports, Macquarie University and the Western Sydney Area Health Service and the Chairman of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Council of Australia Arab Relations.
Talal spent 10 years at PwC as a director and strategist, and at investment firm Babcock & Brown in the Corporate Finance Group and later in the Technical Real Estate Division. Later Talal held leadership positions in Better Place Australia, Platinum Hearing and Star Transport Australia.
Talal holds a Master of Laws, a Master of Business Administration which was focused on international business strategy. In November 2012, Talal was also appointed as a Vice Chancellor’s Professorial Fellow within the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University and in 2014 was appointed Adjunct Professor within the School of Business, Western Sydney University.
On Australia Day 2010, Talal was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to business and to the community through a range of education, health and multicultural organisations.
MS TASNEEM CHOPRA OAM (DIRECTOR)
A Cross-cultural Consultant, Tasneem addresses the management of diversity and intersectionality in leadership and communication across Australian institutions.
For her efforts in cultural competence and community engagement, she was
acknowledged with an OAM (Order of Australia Medal) in 2020. This follows her
being named an Anti-Racism Champion by the Australian Human Rights
Commission in 2019.
In addition to her Consultancy, Tasneem is a Director for The Australian Centre for
the Moving Image (ACMI), the South Asian Australia’s Researching Ideas (SAARI)
and an advisor to InTouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence and the La
Trobe University School of Humanities. She has also enjoyed governance affiliations
with Ambulance Victoria, the Luke Batty Foundation, NOW Australia, the Australian
Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights and Lentil As Anything.
A TEDxMelbourne presenter, Tasneem has featured on BBC World, Al Jazeera and
ABC’s Q&A, The Drum and Radio Melbourne where she is a regular panellist and
sought after commentator. She is a published author and has written for The
Guardian, SBS Voices & The Age as well as several academic publications. As an
international festival and conference presenter, Tasneem’s most recent appearances
include: the IABC World Conference (Bahrain), the Bradford Literature Festival, (UK)
and The Concordia Forum, (Canada).
MS VANESSA LIELL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Vanessa is a Chief Executive Officer and corporate affairs professional with over 25 years' experience in strategic communications leadership roles. As co-founder and CEO of Herd MSL, Vanessa led the growth of one of Australia's largest and most awarded public relations agencies acquired by global top five advertising group Publicis in 2017.
Vanessa currently acts as Chief Strategy Officer for Crescent Wealth, Australia’s only Islamic superannuation fund and Executive Director for Commtract, a digital technology platform that connects highly skilled marketing and communication experts with project work.
Vanessa is a long-term women’s and human rights advocate and spent two years in Asia and Geneva with Australian Volunteers Abroad to facilitate the development of a UN funded non-governmental human rights platform. The result was a APAC wide NGO position on human rights, women’s rights, national security laws and internally displaced people delivered to the 54th Session of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva.
Vanessa is the winner of B&T's Women in Media PR Leadership Award, Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Australia and an inaugural Walkley Foundation Women in Media mentor. Industry recognition includes multiple Cannes PR Lions for Creativity, Australian Agency of the Year awards and 30+ campaign awards.
Qualifications: Masters of Business Administration (MGSM), BA Communications.
MR DENG ADUT (DIRECTOR)
Deng Adut is one of Australia’s best known lawyers for his work in the court room and as a community leader. He is the 2017 NSW Australian of the Year and a recipient of the prestigious Law Society President’s medal.
In 2016, Deng also published a critically acclaimed memoir, Songs of a War Boy, about his journey to become one of Australia’s best lawyers, and was the subject of a portrait that won the People’s Choice at the Archibald Prize. Having come to Australia as a refugee, following life as a child soldier in Sudan, Graduating from law at the Western Sydney University, and has become a formidable advocate.
Deng is a co-founder and partner at AC Law Group, practising in the areas of criminal and immigration law. Prior to starting his own firm, he not only worked at three reputable Sydney criminal law firms but has also demonstrated a remarkable commitment to social justice having worked at Blacktown Local Court as a liaison officer to the local Sudanese community and at Parramatta Community Justice Clinic, which operates to provide disadvantaged members of the community access to the legal justice system.
Deng regularly acts as a spokesperson for the Sudanese community. Deng is committed to making a positive difference and in doing so, devotes many hours of his personal time every week to activities such as mentoring, advising and supporting members of the community.
MR MATTHEW GRIBBLE (DIRECTOR)
Matthew is Regional Managing Director for PageGroup Australia. With over 24 years’ experience with the Group across Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East and Africa, Matthew is a passionate connector of people and has committed his career to empowering businesses to succeed through enabling them to source the best possible talent and to empower professionals to advance their careers through access to carefully matched job opportunities.
Matthew is passionate about leading PageGroup Australia’s dedicated team working to support greater representation and inclusion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through their Reconciliation Action Plan, as well as leading a national partnership with The Smith Family to help disadvantaged children break the cycle of disadvantage through education. As a father of 4, Matt has a true passion for Australia to be an inclusive, open and progressive society. His passion for an inclusive Australia is what led him to join the Crescent Institute Board, where he can contribute to working towards a lasting social impact.
MR HUGH RIMINTON (DIRECTOR)
Hugh is an award winning journalist, humanitarian, news presenter and foreign correspondent of many year's experience. Currently a senior reporter for Network Ten, Hugh has been a foreign correspondent for CNN and the Nine Network and the political editor at Channel Ten.
He is a foundation board member of Soldier On, which supports Australian Defence personnel who have suffered through their service in recent wars, and a foundation board member of the John Mac Foundation, a charity set up by NSW Australian of the Year Deng Adut to honour his brother by promoting peace in South Sudan and providing scholarships for people from refugee backgrounds.
Hugh has received numerous awards, including two Walkleys, a Logie, honours from the Human Rights Commission and the UN Association Media Award.
MR AFFY BHATTI (DIRECTOR)
Affy is a Director at Deloitte and provides trusted advice to managers, executives and ministers to support their strategic and complex initiatives, navigating uncertainty. He is an expert in business transformations and major capital projects with a proven track record over 19 years across the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Affy is passionate about bringing positive change to Australian communities and is a Board member of the Crescent Foundation, actively supporting causes to provide scholarships to refugees and the Crescent Institute, making Australia's most recognised leaders more accessible to professionals.
Affy is also the co-founder of the Muslim Professional Network and has previously held advisory roles for the Australia Day Council of WA, celebrating the extraordinary contributions of Australians to society and for the WA Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Interests Multicultural Advisory Committee.
MS SARA MANSOUR (DIRECTOR)
Sara is a lawyer, poet, co-founder and director of Bankstown Poetry Slam (BPS). BPS is Australia's largest poetry slam which provides a platform for people of all ages across Western Sydney to express themselves through a number of award winning poetry programs and events. BPS is regarded as the largest regular spoken-word event in Australia.
Sara graduated from a Bachelor of Laws from Western Sydney University in 2016, and is a practicing lawyer and board member of NOW Australia and Monkey Baa Theatre Company.
Sara has been recognised for her achievements, winning the Young Citizen of the year in the Canterbury- Bankstown region and also Outstanding Youth Leader at the ZEST Awards in 2017. In 2018, she was selected to be a mentor for the Sydney Writers Festival Youth Curators program, and also delivered a TEDx Talk in Parramatta on the inception of the Bankstown Poetry Slam. In that same year, she was selected to partake in the Youtube Creators for Change project, alongside other members of the Bankstown Poetry Slam group.
In 2019, she was selected as a writer for the upcoming ABC iView show Halal Gurls, and was nominated for the Young Woman of the West Award.
MR GEOFF MORGAN AM (DIRECTOR)
Geoff sits on several Boards including McTavish Surf International Pty Ltd, The World Scout Foundation and The World Scout Committee and in early 2020 completed his tenure as Chairman of LiveHire Ltd, an HR Tech public company.
He is also the joint Chairman of the World Scout Foundation, Australian Chapter, sits on the Queens Scout Scholarship Selection Committee and the Lord Baden Powell Society Management Committee and is a Branch Member of the Scouts Australia’s National Council.
Geoff was co-founder of Morgan & Banks in 1985 and grew the company to become a dominant global recruitment force. Morgan & Banks was publicly listed prior to its acquisition by TMP/Monster.com. Talent2 was then established in Australia and grown to be a global business which was acquired by Allegis Group – the largest private talent management firm in the world.
People are a passion for Geoff and for over 35 years he has immersed himself in the work environment and employment industry globally. Geoff has been a great mentor to many people, particularly in the Indigenous Community and more latterly around the areas of refugees and asylum seekers. His other great passions include Australian Indigenous Affairs, motor racing, cycling, travel and most importantly his family.
MIRIAM SILVA
(DIRECTOR)
Miriam Silva has more than 20 years’ experience managing large and geographically diverse teams across multiple industries including pharmaceuticals, banking and agriculture. Miriam has exceptional leadership and communication skills, strategic and operational skills and deep experience with change management.
Miriam holds a number of non executive board positions including Chair of InTouch, Chair of Premier's Council for Women (SA), State President for CEDA SA & NT, University of SA Council, SA Film Corporation, Islamic Museum and Malek Fahd Islamic School.
Miriam's work experience includes acting Chief Executive of TAFE SA, Chief Operating Officer at FleetPartners, GM Commercial Operations at Elders and various roles at ANZ including spending 2 years in Hong Kong.
REGINA ABOOD (COMPANY SECRETARY)
Prior to these roles, Regina held governance and company secretarial-related roles at AMP, Allco Finance Group, Infigen Energy and Company Matters.
State Committee Leads
Crescent Institute is supported by State Committees. Our leads drive events on the ground and connections to build local networks.
NAZLEY KHAN
Chair
Sydney Committee
2017-present
Nazley Khan is a Founding Partner at LawBridge with over a decade of experience in commercial litigation, insolvency, commercial advisory and employment law.
In her commercial litigation practice, Nazley has acted for multinational corporations and some of the world’s leading brands, ASX listed and BRW Top 500 companies, as well as high net worth individuals and families. In the insolvency space, she has acted for liquidators and trustees in a range of complex matters.
Nazley has represented clients in complex litigation matters in the Federal Court of Australia and the Supreme Court of NSW. She has appeared at all levels of the court system in New South Wales and in various tribunals on behalf of clients.
Nazley’s greatest strength is her professional resilience with the agility to face and overcome any obstacles necessary to achieve her client’s objectives.
Nazley’s approach is marked by her detailed relationship with her clients’ businesses, through which she develops an intimate understanding in order to help them grow and adequately manage risks. Through her extensive commercial background as a director of her own business, she understands the challenges that organisations face and brings this experience to her practice.
Nazley has also held executive positions in the not-for-profit sector and has led various important thought leadership initiatives. Nazley is passionate about her ongoing pro bono community legal work and projects.
FAHIM KHONDAKER
Chair
Brisbane Committee
2015 – present
“My first school didn't have running water or flushing toilets (it was in South Africa during Apartheid), my second had 15 sports fields and an Olympic sized swimming pool. Today, I am a qualified Chartered Accountant in a senior leadership position at BDO.
This extraordinary journey has helped me develop a core set of values including gratitude and empathy. My unique experiences and perspective on life has provided me with an ability to very quickly develop strong relationships with others and has inspired me to work with people who want to improve our society.”
Fahim is a partner at BDO in Brisbane and leads the Data Analytics and Insight Offering. He has extensive experience in providing Corporate Finance Advisory services to a range of clients across multiple industries. He is particularly interested in the commercial aspects of business transactions, including the valuation of businesses and commercial negotiations.
He is an industry thought leader in data and insights, a regular guest lecturer for the University of Queensland’s MBA Program, presenter and publisher at industry conferences and
Fahim’s community engagement is directed towards projects that are pragmatic and promote cohesiveness and positive social change. He is a Non-Executive Director – Multicultural Development Australia and a Member of Queensland Social Cohesion Implementation Committee (QLD Government)
UMAIR MURTAZA
Chair
Melbourne Committee
2019-present
Over the past 15 years, I have accumulated a rich and diverse working experience with PwC and multi-billion-dollar diversified conglomerates dealing in the world's leading brands in multiple geographies. During this time, my working day was always exciting as it required me to build a comprehensive understanding of various industries while working collaboratively with a broad spectrum of stakeholders to deliver solutions and solve problems.
My portfolio has included companies within FMCG, Food & Beverage, Retail, Automotive, Industrial, Pharmaceutical, Education and Sports sectors.
Currently, I am working as a Business Partnering Leader in one of Victoria's largest school education provider. In this role, I am leading and optimizing the business partnering capability of a team of more than 30 qualified accountants servicing approx 300 schools across Greater Melbourne. I provide strategic business planning, budgeting & reporting, governance, risk management and statutory compliance support to these schools alongside facilitating the adoption of a standardized ERP platform.
I seek personal fulfilment to align myself closely with NFPs which contribute to making the world a better place. Having personally benefited from some amazing mentors in my professional and personal life, I believe the Crescent Institute provides a fantastic thought leadership platform connecting mentors with mentees and allows people to find their potential.
STEVE PRATT
Chair
Canberra Committee
Steve Pratt has enjoyed an extraordinary and diversified career, having served in the military from the end of the Vietnam War through to 1993, spent time in a Serbian prison, managed humanitarian aid operations, consulted to civilian business and served as the Member for Brindabella (ACT) for seven years. He has also advised, and /or co-ordinated and managed security operations in both the Defence and commercial business worlds. Steve continues his long-held association with the military as a defence civilian, working as a senior security adviser for the Army, based at the Army headquarters in Canberra.
HAMILTON CALDER
Chair
Adelaide Committee
Hamilton is a well-respected, politically savvy and highly motivated hands-on leader, with superior strategic communications and stakeholder management expertise, combined with excellent business acumen and strong operational and management skillsets.
Hamilton was National Director of Partnerships and Collaboration with the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia (CEDA), having previously run CEDA's South Australian and Northern Territory operations for nearly 15 years. Within these roles, Hamilton has passionately brought together key leaders and influencers to debate and discuss the critical issues that face our society, focused on delivering better social and economic outcomes for all Australians.
Prior to joining CEDA, Hamilton held senior roles within the Royal Automobile Association of South Australia, BusinessSA and within the public sector in South Australia and New South Wales.
Hamilton holds both an MBA and an economics degree from the University of Adelaide and has undertaken masters level study at the University of Wollongong.
He has a keen interest in the community, environment and social justice and has Co-Chaired Anti-Poverty Week and is currently a Chief for Gender Equity.
Team
Crescent Institute is proudly supported by the team of our sister organisation Crescent Wealth. They provide operational support to the Institute, our events and members.