As Chair of the Commission, Adriana demonstrates and displays a true commitment to social justice, multiculturalism and social cohesion, together with a passion for inspiring, leading and engaging the entire community. Adriana has provided leadership and fostered collaboration with not only Commission members, but with all members of the many multicultural groups here in South Australia.

Adriana’s experience includes her previous term on the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission from July 2018 to 30 June 2021. Adriana also served on the Australia Day Council as both board member (from 2008  to 2015) and Chair (from 2013 to 2015).

A proud and active member of the South Australian Greek community, Adriana understands community needs, issues and challenges faced by our culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.

In her professional life, Adriana has undertaken management roles within State and Local Government, predominantly in the areas of policy development, advice, governance and economic development, where she has provided leadership and guidance, due to her collaborative approach and ability to maintain strong and productive relationships. These valuable qualities will assist the Commission now and in the future.

Adriana’s ability to work with all levels of government and business demonstrates a coordinated approach that she regularly uses to advance multiculturalism and interculturalism within the South Australian community.

Adriana has been actively involved with many community groups and continues to represent the community as an elected member for the City of Mitcham and previously for the City of West Torrens.

Anna first came to Australia to study and after a number of years working overseas, made South Australia her permanent home in 2003.

Anna born in Beijing and grew up in Hong Kong. She enjoys promoting cross-cultural understanding among the Chinese diaspora from different regions. She recognises the challenges faced by many newly arrived migrants from China and other Asian countries, including learning English and overcoming social and economic barriers.

This deep understanding led Anna to form the Tong De Association of SA Inc. with a group of like-minded community leaders in 2019. She was the inaugural President of the Association, and still holds the position today.

Anna enjoys working with community and arts organisations and is a proud Ambassador of the OzAsia Festival.

Anna has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Adelaide and a Master of Accountancy from the University of South Australia. She is fluent in English, Chinese Mandarin and Cantonese. Anna would like to apply her cultural and language skills, together with her professional experience, to serve our diverse communities on the Commission.

George has been a part of the South Australian multicultural community since 1992 when he and his family migrated to Australia from Malaysia. As a small business owner in the Chinatown precinct for more than 26 years, George came to meet people from all walks of life and has been actively involved in social, commercial and community work since 1992.

From 2004 to 2019, he rejuvenated the Chinatown precinct as President and Executive Member of the Chinatown Adelaide of SA Inc. His strong leadership and ability to work with community leaders and volunteers delivered the successful Lunar New Year Street Party in Chinatown. The event has now grown to become one of the major annual multicultural festivals in South Australia, attracting more than 30 000 visitors in 2019.

George was a Board member of Study Adelaide from 2010 to 2017, and during this period he helped formulate strategies to promote Adelaide as a study destination for international students. Together with members of the local community, he helped organise many festivals and events for and with international students to support and promote integration into the South Australian community.

He has been an ambassador of the OzAsia Festival since its inception in 2010, and has held the role of honorary advisor to many community associations.

George was the inaugural President of the Malaysia Club of Adelaide Inc. up until 2010 and is now President of the newly incorporated Hakka Association of South Australia. George was a winner of the 2021 Governor’s Multicultural Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement.

He was a member of the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission from July 2018 to 30 June 2021 and continues to serve communities on the South Australian Multicultural Commission.

Bruce is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Committee for Adelaide and Deputy Chair of the West Beach Trust. He also serves on the boards of the Australia Day Council of South Australia, the Children’s University Advocacy Board and is a South Australian Regional Committee Member of the Winston Churchill Trust. Bruce is a football analyst on Network 10 and an ambassador for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

A former professional footballer, Bruce made his Socceroos debut in 2008. He also represented clubs in several countries including Turkey, China, South Korea and Indonesia, and most recently was the Adelaide United Football Club’s Director of Football.

Bruce’s strong networks and relationships across sports, government, media, business, diplomacy, not-for-profit and community-based organisations make him a valuable member of the Commission.

Carmen is a social entrepreneur with extensive government and community board experience. She is a current member of the Australian Multicultural Council, advising the federal government.

A proud Filipino-South Australian, in 2022 Carmen was appointed the Philippine Honorary Consul to South Australia.

She has been a long-term advocate for refugees and social entrepreneurship in South Australia and nationally. She is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Community Corporate, the national award-winning diversity and inclusion certified social enterprise.

In 2020, Community Corporate won National Social Enterprise of the Year at the Australian Small Business Champions Awards, and was listed as one of South Australia’s Fast Mover companies.

Carmen was jointly awarded the 2019 Governor’s Multicultural Award for Individual Outstanding Achievement. She was also recognised in the InDaily 40 Under 40 Business Leaders Awards in 2018. Carmen was listed as one of the Top 50 Small Business Leaders in Australia by Inside Business in 2021, and won the Women in Innovation Award for Social Impact.

She holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Management (Public Sector) from RMIT University and a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Institute of Business. Carmen is fluent in Italian, Filipino and French.

Manju has lived in Adelaide since 2014 and works closely with the Nepalese migrant community to represent their voices, needs, aspirations and contributions.

She is currently the National Women Coordinator of the Non-Resident Nepalese Association. She has previously served as State Women Coordinator and Public Officer of the Association’s South Australia branch.

Manju is also Founder Principal of the Adelaide Nepali Vidhyalaya (School of Nepalese Language & Culture) and continues to serve as a volunteer teacher. She has also volunteered her time and expertise as consumer representative at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, advocating on behalf of consumers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Manju was also a member of the CALD Women’s Advisory Committee of PEACE (Personal Education and Community Empowerment) Multicultural Services at Relationships Australia.

Manju is a graduate of the City of Marion’s Community Leadership Program and is actively involved in supporting Nepalese migrant community members to access available services. She also promotes community engagement in the local council’s activities.

In 2020, Manju was the recipient of an International Women’s Day Community Quiet Achiever Award, through the Multicultural Communities Council of South Australia, and is an active member of its Women’s Council.

Born into a passionate Italian family with extended community connections throughout South Australia, Maria brings enthusiasm and vitality to the Commission.

Always prepared to just get things done, Maria uses her leadership skills to serve as a volunteer on the Molise Associazione Adelaide SA and to assist other community and industry associations through advice and sponsorship.

Maria is a current Board member of Radio Italiana 531 and a member of the McLaren Vale Grape Wine Tourism Association, and served on its Board from 2013 to 2016. She is an advocate for working women in business.

Maria is an accomplished businesswoman, as Chief Executive Officer of the Maglieri Group, with more than 20 years’ experience in the wine industry. Under her strong leadership and marketing flair, Serafino has been endorsed as a leading iconic wine brand of South Australia in export markets, as well as a tourism destination in McLaren Vale.

Maria’s achievements have been recognised locally and globally. She was named a South Australian Business Ambassador in 2006, nominated for the Telstra Business Woman of the Year in 2010, named the 2012 Molisana Business Woman of the World in Italy, and was awarded the title “Cavaliere” Order of Merit of the Repubblica Italiana in 2018 for her contribution to the Italian community and women in business.

Maria served as a member of the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission from  November 2018 to 30 June 2021, and is honoured to continue to serve multicultural communities in South Australia.

Rajendra always seeks opportunities to make a difference. He was named ‘Citizen of the Year’ by the City of Unley  on Australia Day in 2017, acknowledging his extensive contribution to community. He also holds the position of Captain in the Royal Australian Army.

Since 2015, Rajendra has been the South Australian President and National Spokesperson of the World Hindu Council of Australia. He has longstanding experience as a community leader in the Indian and Hindu community in South Australia.

Rajendra has launched several initiatives in Australia including the World Association of Hindu Academics, Hindu Economic Forum of Australia, and the VHP Sports Association.  He recently founded the Australian Jewish Hindu Alliance Australia, to create a forum for better understanding and cooperation between the Jewish and Hindu communities.

Rajendra is also a Board member with the Multicultural Communities Council of South Australia, a Board member  of the Community Advisory Council of Adelaide Public Health Network, and a member of Active Ageing Alliance with the Unley City Council.

In addition to his community leadership role, Rajendra is also actively engaged in supporting the community at grassroots level, including setting up the Hindu Helpline for women facing domestic violence, COVID-19 emergency outreach programs for the Indian community, and the Hindu Funeral Helpline to organise and support funerals for people who need assistance with last rites.

Rajendra holds law, accounting, internal audit and management qualifications and is currently employed with the South Australian Department for Education.

With his community leadership and extensive cross-cultural experience, Rajendra is a valuable member of the Commission.

Shaza has been the President of the Persian Cultural Association of South Australia (PCASA) since 2019. During that time, she has also been a committee member of the Middle Eastern Communities Council of South Australia.

Under Shaza’s leadership, PCASA organises many cultural events to preserve Persian cultural heritage here in South Australia, as well as introduce Persian traditions to people of other cultures in our state.

Shaza arrived in South Australia in 2013 as a skilled migrant with her husband and daughter. Since 2015, she has worked as a business owner in the fashion industry. She has been an active volunteer in the Persian and Middle Eastern communities since 2016.

Shaza understands the challenges of being a migrant regardless of the background and path a person takes to start a new life on the other side of the world.

As a Commission member, Shaza continues to help migrants access opportunities equally. She closely observes changes which occur due to circumstances and demography, and to recognise new challenges as fast as possible and reflect on them.

Shaza is dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of all South Australian communities, including through language, cuisine, music, dance, art, and costume. She is passionate about enabling future generations of any community to carry on their cultural heritage, in particular their mother tongue.

Hussain’s story is one of resilience and hard work. He arrived by boat as an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, spending time in immigration detention before securing a temporary protection visa.

From a humble beginning, Hussain has become one of the most respected leaders in the Middle Eastern and wider community of South Australia. Hussain was the joint winner of the 2020 Governor’s Multicultural Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement. He holds a Master of Laws (Applied Migration Law) from Victoria University and is a Dari, Persian and Hazaragi accredited interpreter.

Hussain’s desire to help others and contribute to the community led to his work with government to settle new arrivals and to provide volunteer services to temporary protection visa holders across Australia, including those isolated in regional areas. In 2002, Hussain formed the Afghan United Association of South Australia. He is the co-founder of the Wali-e-Asr Centre in Edinburgh North, which supports the Afghan community in South Australia.

For more than 10 years Hussain has worked as Settlement Director of the Middle Eastern Communities Council of South Australia. He is a member of the board of the Australian Hazara Federation and an Australian representative on the World Hazara Council.

Hussain works within his community, the broader Australian community, and internationally, to further the interests of human rights and social justice.

Always full of bright ideas and ready to bring out the best of cultural experiences for all to enjoy, Reinhard has been the group leader of the German cultural group “Bund der Bayern” since 2011.

He has led the group to incorporation, while ensuring sustainable growth of membership and promoting ongoing community and stakeholder engagement. Through his leadership, Reinhard has fostered relationships with many other culturally and linguistically diverse groups including African, Indian and European groups.

In the 2014 Governor’s Multicultural Awards, Reinhard was recognised as a highly commended finalist for his contribution to cultural diversity, social harmony and inclusiveness. He holds a joint German Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering and Business Administration, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Energy Studies from Murdoch University.

Since 2007, Reinhard has been employed with the Office of the Technical Regulator, with the South Australian Government’s Department for Energy and Mining where he currently holds the position of Manager, Infrastructure.

Reinhard has an engaging personality and extensive intercultural experience that will assist many multicultural communities to preserve their rich cultural heritage and, at the same time, broaden their reach to connect with the wider multicultural South Australian community.

Khuyen (Quin) arrived in Pennington at the age of three with her family as a refugee in the Vietnam War. For more than 24 years, she volunteered as a maths and language teacher at two Vietnamese community schools in South Australia.

In 2018, she was the recipient of the Community Language Schools Primary Teacher of the Year Award, presented by the Minister for Education.

This Award recognised the portfolio of bilingual teaching resources Quin developed during her time as a volunteer teacher. In 2019, she was appointed Principal of the Vietnamese Community School in South Australia, where she leads a team of 15 maths teachers and 30 Vietnamese teachers who teach more than 600 students.

Quin has 30 years’ combined industry experience in the financial services sector and academia, holding a Bachelor of Commerce, Graduate Diploma in Marketing and Master of Marketing. She is currently undertaking postgraduate studies in Education (Digital Learning).

For nearly 15 years, Quin has been a Lecturer at UniSA Business School and UniSA Online.

Since her appointment to the Commission in 2021, Quin has been appointed as a member of the Multicultural Education and Languages Committee (MELC).

She is passionate about applying her skills, knowledge and experience to support diverse communities to strengthen interculturalism for the benefit of South Australia’s multicultural society.

Eugenia is one of the most outstanding and recognisable multicultural leaders and advocates in South Australia. She has worked for several decades at the forefront of multicultural policy development in education, mental health, the arts and industrial relations.

Her recent work has been part of a national leadership team driving change in the settlement of migrants and refugees, including the empowerment of women and young people, and building community capacity to welcome new migrants to Australia and into local communities.

For the past 24 years, Eugenia has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Migrant Resource Centre (AMRC), a leading multicultural service provider that delivers humanitarian and migrant settlement, community engagement and participation services.

Eugenia is currently the Deputy Chair of the Settlement Council of Australia’s Board of Management and the Convenor of the South Australian Refugee Week Committee. She was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1994 for Services to Multiculturalism.

In 2012, she won the Governor’s Multicultural Award for Individual Achiever of the Year. Among other awards, Eugenia was also recognised by the Asia Pacific Business Council for Women Inc. in 2019 as a Woman of Distinction in Multicultural Services.

Her wealth of experience and in-depth knowledge of settlement issues, along with her strong representation in regional South Australia through AMRC, make her a valuable contributor to serve on the Commission, representing refugees and migrant communities.

Eugenia has formally resigned from the Commission as of 14 April 2023.

Denis is a highly respected leader with a long professional career as a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) in the public sector. In 2016, he became the first person of African descent elected to CPA Australia’s South Australian Divisional Council, an advisory body responsible for contributing to the strategy and direction of CPA Australia.

Denis is the President and Board Chair of the African Communities Council of South Australia and Board Treasurer of the Australian Migrant Resource Centre. In these roles, he has contributed extensively to the development of various culturally and linguistically diverse community organisations over the past 15 years. In particular, Denis has actively supported improved governance and strategies that promote multiculturalism and social cohesion.

Denis believes every migrant in Australia deserves a chance to pursue his or her dream in Australia. He uses his personal and professional experience to inspire migrants in South Australia to strive for their dreams. Denis holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting & Finance) from Flinders University and a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) Australia Designation status.

Ahmed is a distinguished leader of the Muslim community of South Australia and has been heavily engaged in Muslim community building with the Islamic Society of South Australia for over a decade.

He was a catalyst in the emerging movement of community development through the establishment of a number of programs and activities for Muslim women, youth, elderly and the vulnerable. Ahmed has led and overseen many significant milestones in South Australia’s Muslim community, most notably facilitating a multimillion-dollar Islamic burial project in northern Adelaide.

Ahmed has served as President of the Islamic Society of South Australia since 2015. He is currently the Business Manager of the Al-Salam Arabic School and is passionate about empowering young Muslim leaders to develop.

Ahmed has been at the forefront of instigating the Islamic Society of South Australia’s first intensive youth program, with the aim of developing resilient and confident individuals to contribute positively to society through mentorship and leadership programs. He is an avid supporter of providing opportunities for youth to be involved in events such as Mosque Open Days, charity fundraisers, workshops and the annual Ramadan Carnival.

Ahmed is also Chairperson and founder of the Al-Salam Festival that seeks to raise awareness of the Muslim community and Islam, through providing entertainment, food and informative activities that allow people to grasp a general perspective of the religion and address any queries they may have.

Ahmed was born and raised in Lebanon and arrived in Australia in 2003. He is the General Director and co-founder of his family business, All In One Services Pty Ltd, and has a Master of Engineering in Telecommunications from the University of South Australia.

Ahmed served on the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission from July 2018 to 30 June 2021. He is honoured to continue serving South Australia’s multicultural communities on the Commission.

Ahmed has formally resigned from the Commission as of 14 October 2023.