Business In Colour

Deepak-Raj Gupta has been many 'firsts' in his lifetime. Deepak was the first person of Indian origin to run in an ACT election, under the Australia Labor Party in 2016. Deepak, was sworn in, in July 2019, becoming the first Indian-born person to hold the position of a Member of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian Capital Territory. In this episode we cover a lot, from Deepak-Raj's background, journey into Australia, career trajectory, pathway into politics and his experiences in parliament. We talk about representation in politics, how we can't wait our turn anymore, how multicultural people are ready now to have a voice in decision making that affects their lives and future generations. Please enjoy this impactful servant leader, Deepak-Raj Gupta.

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Naomi Steer is the Founding Director of UNHCR Australia. UNHCR raises funds to support international humanitarian work. We talk to Naomi about what lead her to UNHCR, the work that is done by her teams at ground level. Keep in mind, Naomi's team are the ones left behind when everyone else has left - they are incredibly brave humans. Naomi shares her experience in refugee camps and her thoughts on the Australian refugee program. There are over 82.4M people who are displaced in the world (UNCHR Global Stats 2020) and the number of people forcibly displaced around the world has doubled in the past decade and if this trend continues this number will hit 100M. The worlds worst affected is Syria with 13.5M displaced, Colombia has 8.3M, 80% of those displaced in Afghanistan are women and children. Displacement of humans is the cause of our time with conflict being the key reason why people are forced from their homes. The incredible work that the teams with UNHCR do needs your support. You can donate via the UNCHR website -www.unrefugees.org.auNaomi Steer is an incredible woman who has spent her life in service of others and all I can say is thank you to her and the UNCHR team.

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Ro Allen is the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner. Sadhana and I loved this authentic conversation with Ro and we left inspired, hopeful and confident that Ro is leading the right conversations about human rights in Victoria. Ro comes at this work, through leveraging their lived experience, but also creating space for other voices to be heard. Prior to joining the Commission, Ro served as the inaugural Victorian Commissioner for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Gender Diverse, Intersex and Queer Communities. Ro walks us through their journey and it is a powerful one. What impressed us, was Ro's demonstration of equity, sharing they had no fear to step aside for others. Please enjoy this wonderful leader amongst us, fighting for a more fair and equal Victoria.

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Steph Cousins is the Co-CEO of Talent Beyond Boundaries - if you have not heard of them, jump onto talentbeyondboundaries.org and hit the employer button or job seeker button. Right now there are 30 000 talented refugees and other displaced people waiting to migrate on the basis of their skills to secure their futures. What Talent Beyond Boundaries has done in Australia, Jordan, Lebanon, New Zealand, the UK and the US is improve the pathways for people entering countries and match talent to demand, for businesses. In Australia, people enter on a PR status and are hired for competence and the value they can bring. Hear how Steph has led herself and her team in this humanitarian space for over 15 years and how she ensures dignity and respect for the people Talent Beyond Boundaries supports. Please enjoy the compassionate and courageous leadership of Steph Cousins.

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Tasneem Chopra OAM is Cross-cultural Consultant, Board Director and popular expert commentator at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Tasneem is the inaugural 2021 Ambassador for Women of Colour, Australia. In 2020, Tasneem was awarded an OAM (Order of Australia Medal) for her efforts in championing diversity and has also been named an Anti-Racism Champion by the Australian Human Rights Commission. In this conversation we talk about her parents, her upbringing, her time in Darwin, Bendigo and her love for Melbourne. We also pack in what it feels like to be different and to value that difference; how people in power need to stop hash tagging and start doing the work; how cultural diversity represented needs to be business as usual; our Nation's response to the Afghanistan crisis and much more. Please enjoy this heartwarming conversation, with the powerhouse, Tasneem Chopra.

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Laura Berry is the CEO of Supply Nation, which provides Australia’s leading database of verified Indigenous businesses. You can search by business name, product, service, area, or category. Jump onto supplynation.org.auThis is more than just corporate social responsibility - did you know for every $1 of revenue, Indigenous Certified Suppliers generate $4.41 of social return. That means your dollar is working 4 times harder when you spend with Indigenous businesses. This just makes good business sense. In this episode, we hear Laura's personal and career journey and how she found her way to Supply Nation. She is formidable and what Supply Nation does is impactful - changing lives, organisations and the economy for the better. Please enjoy this equitable and inclusive leader, Laura Berry.

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Powerhouse woman Mathuri Santhi-Morgan is our guest today. Like many of us she wears several hats - corporate life, family, political activism and founder of Girls Rising Up. Global, Intercultural, Resilient, Loud and Strong (GIRLS) Rising Up, is a movement to give intercultural women and girls visibility. She started it up when her own daughter experienced the "otherness" because of the colour of her skin. Born in Malaysia of Sri Lankan heritage, Mathuri shares the story of how her father encouraged her to leave and make a home in Australia for the sake of her future and that of her children. Mathuri shares the identity crisis many migrants go through, where we are constantly having to find ways to mesh our lived experiences and make it part of our identity. She is very clear about who is and her purpose. She shares with us how she got here. I love how determined she is on speaking up and having a voice. "Every time I am shut down, I will keep speaking up". When we all speak up it creates a path to diversity and inclusion. Mathuri constantly asks herself the question - who am I diverse from? Is this an easy way of labelling us? How can a blended society, which is where we are heading have labels? A better term is perhaps intercultural, one society that identifies with a myriad of cultures. Div and I loved talking to Mathuri and we committed to starting a "National Bindi & Sari Day"... a day where we proudly wear our bindi and Sari's. Because like many of you we too have opted out to wearing them...:-)

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Christina Hobbs is the co-founder of Verve Super, a super fund that is committed to empowering women and is Australia's first ethical super fund founded by women for women.Why is this important? Women retire on 47% less super than men and this impacts our ability to retire well, make the right investments, perhaps live independently or even achieve all of our potential.Christina is committed to building the financial power of women and at the same time ensuring that the funds are invested ethically.Prior to founding Verve Christina worked for the United Nations for over a decade as the financial expert in war torn Iraq and Syria and had a short political stint.We talk to Christina about what women need to pay attention to; to ensure that they retire well.

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Maritza is the producer and host of her own show, The Things You Can’t Un-Hear, which has consistently been rated in the TOP 20 Self-Improvement podcasts in Australia and she is Co-Founder of Conscious Conversations Australia, an organisation that creates tools for workplaces, schools and individuals to enhance human connection. Maritza is also the producer of Business in Colour! We are so proud to have her in our corner to help us get diverse stories out into the world. Maritza has her own powerful story and it is one about finding yourself. She reminds us to do just that - communicate with ourselves, she says, "be clear on who you are, before you say or do anything”. Please enjoy, the magnetic, Maritza Barone.

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In this episode, we talk to Niki Vincent who is the Commissioner for Gender Equality in the Public Sector. Her words cut to the chase, she is calling for real change with gender equality in the public sector and she has the influence to do it in Victoria with the Gender Equality Act (2020); and indeed nudge other states, the private sector and NFP's. 350 defined entities in the public sector need to comply with the obligations of the Act and this brings them to the precipice of change. Niki says, 'be open, don't be afraid to look and understand the data, just begin'. A blueprint to begin, is on the website: www.genderequalitycommission.vic.gov.au, jam packed with free templates, guides and toolkits. Niki is wonderfully genuine, powerful and vulnerable, honest and open - she is a natural at leading and inspiring positive change in others. Please enjoy this educative, heartwarming and gutsy conversation, with the magnetic, Dr Niki Vincent.

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