Hamza Vayani
Chairperson
(Gold Coast)
Hamza is not afraid of asking the difficult questions when it comes to marginalisation, discrimination and institutional racism impacting on health, wellbeing and social mobility outcomes for people of migrant, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds. He has successfully held several appointments in a range of senior management roles, advisory committees at state and national level including completing board appointment with Brisbane South Primary Health Network.
He is known for bold and big picture thinking that results in a reputation that precedes him for challenging established norms and being ahead of his time. He believes public policy should be informed by the lived experience of the communities we serve in a way that is inclusive, evidence based and without fear or favour.
Examples of key pieces of work Hamza has led and facilitated in Australia and the UK include establishing a national network of consumers and carers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, publication of a spotlight report at the request of the Australian government National Mental Health Commission that unequivocally exposed the lack of data collection and analysis about access, experience and outcomes to mental health and suicide prevention programmes effectively engaging people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
In the UK he was appointed on the Commission for Integration & Cohesion as one of twelve resulting in a report called Our Shared Futures with recommendations that the then government acted upon to improve social cohesion.
He was also selected to attend as a youth lead of behalf of the UK delegation to the United Nations World Conference Against Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance held in South Africa in 2001. As a World Wellness Group board member Hamza brings new, innovative and agile ways of analysis and strategy that are part of a considered approach to advocacy and service delivery outcomes for some of the most disadvantaged populations in our community.
Rita Prasad-Ildes
Director
(Brisbane)
Rita is a fearless advocate in the multicultural community. Shaped by her own experience as an immigrant woman and a child from an interracial marriage, Rita has spent her entire career since graduating social work in 1989 working to advance the rights of ethnic minorities, particularly in relation to equity in health and mental health.
As an influencer and thought leader on matters relating to multicultural health she is a sought-after speaker and expert consultant but her most notable work has been her voluntary contribution to the multicultural sector in Queensland. She has built networks and alliances to harness significant social capital to establish essential health and social services where there were none and has been a key architect of specialist multicultural services in the NFP and public sectors.
Known for her visionary and out of the box thinking, more recently Rita has taken on the role of social entrepreneur. Based on her extensive NFP and public sector experience, Rita concluded that the tackling of entrenched and systemic issues relating to health inequity required a different approach and pursued a social enterprise approach as co-founder of World Wellness Group. Her pioneering work in this area was recognised with a Telstra Business Award for World Wellness Group in 2016, a bursary to the World Forum on Social Enterprise in 2017, A Westfield Local Hero Award in 2021 and an equity scholarship to the Global Wellness Summit in the US in 2023.
Roger Collins-Woolcock
Treasurer
(Melbourne)
Roger is a civil engineer and also has an MBA from Deakin University. He worked as a consultant throughout his career with the largest stint with Cardno (1991-2015) where he was the General Manager of the Australia and New Zealand region. He now runs his own practice (Collins & Woolcock) providing strategy, business development, training and M&A advice to small to mid-tier (10-700 staff) professional services firms across Australia and New Zealand. Roger brings strong business and governance expertise to the board of World Wellness Group, along with unlimited positivity and a talent for long-term strategy.
Marina Chand
Director
(Brisbane)
Marina is a co-founder of World Wellness Group, bringing a wealth of knowledge in health promotion and health systems. She also brings expertise in traditional medicine. With a career spanning over 30 years across various sectors, including government, non-profits, and private consulting, Marina is deeply committed to health equity and justice.
Her lived experience as a carer has given her a profound understanding of the health system, NDIS and My Aged Care, which she leverages to advocate for systemic change. Her focus is on inclusion and equity for multicultural communities, and she was instrumental in establishing the Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative as the founding Co-chair and she has established many health organisations and programs over her career.
In her role at WWG, Marina leads on social impact measurement, strategy, and engagement. She also works on fundraising, research, and data analysis.
Beyond her professional commitments, Marina is an active community leader in north Brisbane. Her life’s work reflects her passion for human rights, equitable health-care and supporting those made vulnerable by circumstances or systems.
Judy Foster
Director
(Sydney)
Judy is based on Gadigal Land, Eora Nation in Sydney, Australia. Judy has over 20 years of relevant experience, spanning strategy, business development, membership, fundraising, structured giving and governance; director level experience with other not-for-profits; and a broad range of experience working with trusts, foundations, corporates, families, individual donors, professional advisers, intermediaries, and government.
She holds a Post Grad Certificate in Collaboration for Impact, has written articles on the practice of philanthropy in Australia and is a board director and trustee for two Australian not-for-profits.
Sasenka Abeysooriya
Director
(Brisbane)
Sasenka Abeysooriya is an accomplished executive and strategist, recognised for his ability to translate visionary goals into evidence-based strategies and measurable outcomes. As Strategy Director for The University of Queensland and AUSCERT, Sasenka leads transformative initiatives that strengthen organisational resilience, foster innovation, and address complex challenges. His collaborative leadership style is grounded in building diverse, high-performing, cross-functional teams that enable organisations to navigate complexity and deliver sustainable impact.
Globally acknowledged as a leader in data governance, Sasenka has developed frameworks adopted by public and private sector organisations worldwide—including the Queensland Government—that continue to inform national policy and institutional approaches to information management, risk, and organisational resilience. His expertise has underpinned key advancements in cyber security, leading teams to design and implement solutions that enhance resilience, safeguard critical systems, and mitigate risk.
A consistent thread throughout Sasenka’s career is his commitment to social impact. He spearheaded The Queensland Commitment, a transformative initiative to break down barriers to higher education for underrepresented Queensland students. This culminated in a 10-year roadmap to increase equity and set new standards for access and inclusion. His deep commitment to social impact extends beyond his professional life—he and his wife, Sajanie, actively support initiatives for underprivileged children in Australia and Sri Lanka.
Sasenka holds undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Economics and Finance, Information Technology, and International Relations.
Daniel Coase
Director
(Canberra)
Daniel is an experienced health policy professional, having established Australia’s first multicultural health peak in 2022 and is currently serving on several national health advisory committees.
With a long career in the health sector, Daniel has worked in senior roles in the HIV/AIDS sector and as a Director of the Office of the Chief Health Officer in the ACT. He has expertise in a range of issues, including reproductive and sexual health, blood borne viruses, blood and blood products, organ and tissue donation, gene technology, the health impacts of climate change, the social determinants of health, and the intersection between health services and the NDIS.
As the Senior Advisor at FECCA he authored an Issues Paper (2020) on national deficits in the collection and reporting of data relating to culture and language diversity, and underrepresentation in social, health and medical research, including clinical trials. He represented FECCA on a range of national advisory and reference, project and research groups.
Daniel has extensive networks in the health sector across Australia and brings his wealth of knowledge to the WWG Board to advance our strategy and impact to facilitate systems change.
