OUR TEAM
Daizy Maan - Co-founder
Daizy is passionate about youth leadership, startups and empowering South Asian women. She was a delegate for the Australia India Youth Dialogue, currently leads the start-up program at Deakin University – SPARK Deakin and has served as the youngest Director for Australia’s largest Community Bank network (NSX:CSH) from 21 -26. In 2020 she was listed on Asian Woman Festival’s Power List amongst women across the world making a difference. She’s Punjabi Australian and based in Melbourne, Australia.
Sehar Gupta - Co-founder & Program Manager
Sehar Gupta is passionate about women's rights and youth leadership she has served as the Cambodia Programs Director at Oaktree. She has a Masters in Development Studies from the University of Melbourne and volunteers with Bold Punjab. She's committed to volunteering, women's empowerment and diversity. In her spare time she enjoys watching true crime.
Anika Baheti - Book Club Associate
Anika is a third-year Arts/Law student passionate about women being able to exist in peace. Despite drowning in course readings, she reads even more in her spare time and is an advocate for empowerment through literature, hence our Melbourne Book Club Lead.
Priyanka Kaur - Finance Officer
Priyanka has been an artist for over 5 years and founded her small business ‘Art by Priyanka'. She has been an artist in residence in Soul House and actively supports other artists through facilitating events and gatherings. Her work has been selected by the local council to be part of the Shaping Yarra Ranges Project (2021)
Dishi Gahlowt - Social Media Associate
Dishi is currently studying Marketing at Melbourne Business School and is passionate about amplifying WOC voices in media and politics. Originally hailing from New Delhi, she moved to Australia to study in 2019 and is vocal about the struggles faced by international students in the country. She is volunteering with ASAC as a social media gun. In her free time, she likes to watch Netflix, read books, and enjoy her occasional KPOP dance lessons.
OUR Advisory board
Svetha Venkatesh
Svetha is one of the top 15 women in the world for Artificial Intelligence research and the only woman from Australia on that list. Originally from India, Svetha now lives in Geelong where she leads A²I² – Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute. Her research has led to spinoffs, one of which is now an ASX listed company – icetana, which originally started by answering the simple but critical question “did the bomber get off the bus” after the tragic London bombings in 2005. Another spinoff from her team’s research is the Toby Playpad app which provides therapy for children with autism. Her desire to help researchers be more entrepreneurial led to the establishment of SPARK Deakin – Deakin University’s flagship entrepreneurial program. She was awarded an Australian Laureate Fellowship by Australian Research Council for a project on exploring how pattern recognition can be harnessed to accelerate and expand the capability of experimental optimisation disrupting current experimental methods.
Ajay Bhatia
Ajay is Managing Director of one of Australia’s innovative unicorns (ASX:CAR). He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, University of Technology Sydney and Executive Sponsor of Stanford Digital Cities Program. He will share his unique insights and most importantly join us in listening to what incredible young people are doing on the ground in India and how we can support grassroots initiatives.
Jane Den Hollander AO
Professor Jane Den Hollander served as the Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University Australia from 2010 - 2019. Jane is a strong believer in the power of education to change the lives of individuals and communities. She is determined to make university education an achievable, as well as desirable, goal. She actively supports new programs and pathways that remove barriers to higher education.