The Committee
The Committee continues a legacy that began in 1985; a team of dedicated volunteer professionals who are committed to the design, development and delivery of its core business. Each committee member brings a wealth of experience or excited aspiration to work together, building partnerships, delivering programs and informing major stakeholders of the lessons learned about opportunities and possibilities between the two continents.
Leon Kempler OAM
Patron
Mr Leon Kempler OAM is involved in various business activities.
Leon is a man who is passionate about the African continent and in particular the education and skills development of its youth. He appreciates the challenges and opportunities for both continents as they develop bilateral trade
Leon's honorary roles include: National Chairman of the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce; Chairman of the Advisory Council of the National Science and Technology Centre (Questacon); Director of Wonderment Walk Victoria, Chairman of Ducere Foundation, Director of the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Victoria; Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Royal Children’s Hospital; Director of the General Sir John Monash Foundation; International Adviser for the Israel Science, Technology & Innovation Policy Institute; Patron of the Victorian Chapter of the Australia Africa Business Council (AABC); Member of the Board of Directors of Israel Innovation Institute, and the Vice Chancellor’s Professorial Fellow at Monash University.
Roger Phillips
Vice-President
He has many years experience in the vocational and higher education sector including most recently Director of Corporate Business at Open University Australia, a position that involved him negotiating agreements with HR directors in top tier companies nationally.
Roger understands and is well connected within the higher education sector.
Daniel D'Appio
Secretary
Daniel has been involved with the AABC since 2012, dedicated to the facilitation of the bilateral trade relations between the two continents.
He currently works in the NGO sector with Ducere Foundation, an organisation dedicated to educational improvement and literacy in Africa, a place that Daniel has visited and been inspired by many times.
Daniel's expertise lies in organisational and process improvement, web and social media relations, and has a history of working on projects that make a difference to all stakeholders.
Heddie Goldberg
Heddie is the Honorary Consul for the Republic of Botswana in the State of Victoria as well as a Committee Member of the Australia Africa Business Council and a Director of several family companies focussing on investment.
In 1974, Heddie was a director in, and served on the board of her family companies, which were involved in the earth moving and construction areas, as well as being responsible for the management of retail and commercial property investments.
She has lived in Botswana for between 2 – 4 months each year since 1994. She was a director of family companies in Botswana involved in the concrete industry, quarrying and manufacture of concrete products for more than 12 years. Because of her strong connection with Botswana, she was invited to become the Honorary Consul for Botswana in the State of Victoria and was appointed as such in May 2007. She joined the Committee of the AABC in 2008 and since then has been involved in assisting the AABC in pursuing bilateral trade between Victoria and the African continent.
In her role as Honorary Consul, she also helps in promoting trade and investment between Australia and Botswana, promoting Tourism to Botswana, and assisting in the welfare of the many tertiary students from Botswana studying in Victoria.
Margo Isaacs
Margo completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Melbourne where she undertook a Bachelor of Arts with major in Politics and International Studies and a minor in Development Studies. She is presently furthering her academic pursuits by pursuing a Masters in Diplomacy and Trade at Monash University.
After spending the better part of a year living and travelling through southern Africa Margo has joined the AABC (Vic) as an intern where she offers her knowledge and enthusiasm in the fields of international relations, international political economy and sustainable development. Recently Margo was appointed to the Committee of the AABC (Vic) and continues to assist and help facilitate the Council in their pursuit of increasing bilateral trade between Victoria and Africa.
Emmanuel Laryea
Born and bred in Ghana, but now resident in Melbourne, Emmanuel is passionate about how African development. Emmanuel is a Senior Lecturer-in-Law at Monash University, with a specialisation in International Economic Law. He researches into how international economic law can be harnessed for African development. He is keen to see Australian businesses avail themselves of the enormous opportunities in Africa, as that would not only benefit the business and Australia but also African development. He is interested sharing ideas with Australian businesses seeking to invest in Africa, or already there.
Precious Rametsana
Di Fleming
President
Di is also the President of the Australia Africa Business Council (Vic), on the Advisory Board of the Bastow Institute and the Imaginative Education Research Group, Simon Fraser University, Canada.
Previously, Di was director and associate professor in Digital Design at RMIT University where she established and developed the Victorian Government’s Centre for Excellence in Digital Design. Di was also founding director and CEO of Digital Harbour Holdings Pty Ltd, which won the bid to develop the Commonwealth Technology Port Precinct at the Melbourne Docklands.
As Principal of Kilvington Girls’ Grammar (1993-2001), Di was the first educator to achieve the Telstra Victorian Businesswoman of the Year Award and the National Telstra/AusIndustry Award.
Throughout her career she has given over two hundred keynote presentations and workshops for both public and private sector organisations throughout Australia, Europe, North America, Asia and Africa.
Kelly Horton
Treasurer
Kelly joined the AABC Committee in January 2014, aspiring to contribute to building strong, positive connections between Australian and African businesses. Through her career as an environmental scientist, Kelly has worked, studied, travelled and lived in a number of African countries since 2010.
Kelly currently works for Nation Partners, an environmental and strategic problem solving consultancy in Melbourne. Prior to this, Kelly worked for Earth Systems, and was based in Dakar, Senegal for 6 months in 2012, where she assumed the role of Earth Systems West Africa's Regional Co-ordinator.
Kelly has also been involved in projects and research in Africa, including field research on regional sustainability and development in South Africa with Monash University. In 2010, Kelly worked alongside the Department of Environment in Zanzibar (Tanzania) to help develop the Zanzibar Adaptation Plan of Action (ZAPA) and surrounding governance framework for Climate Change management and adaptation. Kelly presented on her findings at the inaugural SUZA Symposium on Impacts, Vulnerability, and Mitigation to Climate Change in Small Island Developing States, Zanzibar, Tanzania in 2011.
Nana Owusu-Agyemang
Nana is an internationally experienced commercial and finance executive with over 25 years experience across financial services, manufacturing, mining and technology based businesses. Most recently he was a Director in Deloitte Strategy & Operations practice.
Nana has held a series of senior executive roles at ANZ Bank including CFO Technology and Head of Global Sourcing (CPO) (Melbourne, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Jakarta).
Before this he was the CPO for Norske Skog, the world's then largest Newsprint producer (Auckland, Vancouver, Oslo).
Additionally, Nana is an experienced Chartered Accountant, with over 10 years at Ernst & Young in London, Bermuda, Auckland
Kailesh Gunesh
Kailesh has over 14 years of experience in the Australian Education sector having served as an academic, a manager and more recently in a business development and innovation role. He has been responsible for leading and driving commercial operations through Corporate Training, Executive Education, Innovation & Development, Research Consultancy and Commercialisation, Intellectual Property Management, Knowledge and Technology Exchange and Engagement and Partnerships.
As the Managing Director for Ducere Mauritius, Kailesh looks after the Mauritian and regional market. He is also a partner with SFG Ltd, an Australian based group that has interests in several ventures ranging from education, training and workforce development and consultancy.
A Mauritian by birth, Kailesh has worked as an Economist at the Mauritius Export Processing Zone Association (MEPZA) and as a Management Consultant at Deloitte & Touche, Mauritius. He completed his secondary studies at the Royal College Curepipe and holds a BA Economics and a Masters of Economics and African Development Studies from the University of Mumbai, and a Masters of Enterprise (Executive), first class Honours from the University of Melbourne.
Elleni Bereded-Samuel
Elleni Bereded-Samule is African Australian from Ethiopian background.
Elleni has focused her life's work on strengthening education, training and employment for Culturally And Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities in Australia. Elleni is currently employed with Australian Unity Retirement Living as a Manager Strategic Development and until recently was working as a Manger of Community Development at Victoria University.
For six years she served on the Board of Directors of The Women's Hospital, six years as VMC Commissioner, five years on SBS Board.and three years on Australian Social IInclusion Board.
Elleni is a current board of director with Western Health Hospital. In 2012 Elleni was recognised as one of the hundred most influential African Australians and named Living Legend and in 2013 indacted into the African “Hall of Fame”.
Elleni was named as one of Australia’s 100 Women of Influence who are helping to change and shape Australia for a vibrant and inclusive future.
