Asylum Seekers Centre welcomes three new Board members

The Asylum Seekers Centre (ASC) is delighted to announce the appointment of three new directors, Giles Gunesekera OAM, Nawaz Isaji, and Alex Lee, to its Board.

They replace outgoing Board members Clare Petre (Deputy Chair and previously Chair) and Michelle Champ, who served 10 and three years on the ASC Board respectively, as well as Betty Hounslow, who sadly passed away last year and who had a decade-long tenure on the Board, including three years as Chair.

The new Board members will help guide the ASC to deliver on its 2024-28 Strategic Plan, which includes greater systemic advocacy, innovation in service delivery, financial sustainability, and increased participation and leadership of people with lived experience.

Giles Gunesekera OAM is the founder and CEO of Global Impact Initiative, where he effectively merges financial strategies with significant social outcomes. Giles serves on the United Nations Advisory Boards for Climate & Health and Sustainable Finance, and is an Industry Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), where he is pursuing a PhD focused on Impact Investing, Affordable Housing, and Indigenous Communities. He holds qualifications from University of Oxford, University of Melbourne, and Monash University.

Nawaz Isaji is a partner at L.E.K. Consulting’s Australian practice. There he focuses on strategy and transaction related projects for major Australian businesses and investment organisations across the Asia Pacific region. He was formerly a partner in PwC’s Strategy& business. Nawaz holds a Bachelor of Engineering & Bachelor of Laws from UTS, Sydney and an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.

Alex Lee is the CEO of The Glen Group of residential Drug and Alcohol rehabilitation centres. He has been involved with not-for-profit organisations for more than 20 years, particularly in mental health, refugees and people seeking asylum, and the alcohol and other drugs sector. Alex has a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Business Management), is a chartered accountant, and an Honorary Fellow of UTS.

Peter Waters, Chair of the Board at ASC, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Nawaz, Alex, and Giles to the Board of the Asylum Seekers Centre.

“Their passion, expertise, and commitment will be invaluable as we continue to grow and evolve as an organisation, and execute on our strategic plan in the coming years.

“These new appointments have big shoes to fill in the shape of Clare, Michelle, and the late Betty. Together with the rest of the Board, I would like to express immense gratitude to Clare and Michelle for their contribution to the Board during their respective tenures, and honour Betty’s lifelong commitment to the ASC’s cause.”

Frances Rush OAM, CEO of ASC, said: “These appointments mark an exciting new chapter at the ASC. With our services being more in demand than ever, and the need to drive systemic change increasingly urgent, Alex, Nawaz, and Giles will help continue our Board’s first class stewardship, governance, and guidance.

“Both the organisation and I have gained a huge amount through the contribution of Clare and Michelle, and we are incredibly grateful for their time on the Board.

“Betty’s legacy will continue to be deeply embedded in the ASC, and we continue to honour her memory.”