Our board

Jo has achieved a reputation for visionary leadership and her ability to enrol diverse stakeholders in ambitious goals for social change and entrepreneurial growth at the local, national and international levels.

Jo has served on boards, ministerial councils for the Australian Government, and presented at various national and international conferences for progressing the rights of children and disadvantaged communities.

She completed a Churchill Fellowship in North America to bring evidence to advocacy for improving outcomes for children placed in out of home care.

Jo has been recognised for her social justice efforts and entrepreneurial efforts by numerous awards including Order of Australia in 2013 and the Women of Influence Award for Social Enterprise/Not-For-Profits in 2014. In 2015, Jo accepted the position of Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design Swinburne University of Technology.

She values collaboration and welcomes the opportunity of joining the Good Things Foundation Board to engage with social and digital inclusion for all to contribute to strengthening communities and to ensure we leave our communities and world a better place for our children and grandchildren.

Alice joined the Board of Good Things Foundation after a career in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which focussed on North Asia and the Pacific. With extensive experience in policy advice, bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, as well as development assistance, she has served on the governing councils of Pacific regional organisations and held ex officio roles on a range of business and academic advisory boards overseas and in Australia.

Alice is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and currently serves on the board of a Canberra-based disability charity. She is an active committee member of several community sporting organisations and volunteers as an English tutor to migrant and refugee women.

Alice is a passionate advocate for leveraging digital technology for social equity and life-long learning and contributes her skills and perspectives to Good Things Foundation’s innovative model, empowering individuals and communities to maximise the benefits of digital technology on their terms.

Nadia Jamal is a financial crime analyst, qualified lawyer and author.

She began her career in journalism, working for 15 years at The Sydney Morning Herald/The Sun-Herald as a reporter, editor and news manager. She was instrumental in leading the newspaper’s transition to the online version, smh.com.au, which is one of the English-speaking world’s top news websites.

Nadia’s book, The Glory Garage, about growing up with a Lebanese Muslim background in Australia, was shortlisted for the 2006 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards – Ethel Turner Prize. Her latest book, Headstrong Daughters, published in 2018, delves into how Muslim women in Australia straddle different cultural and religious expectations.

Janet has over fifteen years’ experience in managing public affairs of ASX companies and is currently Head of Social Impact and Community Partnerships at ANZ. Janet and her team is responsible for the governance, reporting and implementation of ANZ’s community investment programs across 29 markets.

Janet is a member of the External Grant Assessment Panel for City of Melbourne, Chair of the ANZ Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Committee, Chair of Business for Societal Impact Steering Committee and Industry Member of CSI Swinburne’s Course Advisory Committee.

Janet lives in Melbourne (Naarm) with her family and is an avid reader of non-fiction. 

Vishy is an accomplished digital transformation executive with compelling expertise across marketing and technology, strategy and implementation. He has held leadership roles in high profile ASX listed companies and blue chip professional services practices as well as in innovative start-up businesses.

As Partner and Chief Digital and Information Officer at PwC Australia, Vishy’s role is to drive change and help strengthen PwC’s innovative culture and the digital mindset across the whole of the business and deliver even better value for clients by making the right investments into the future.

Vishy is a regular speaker at conferences on digital transformation, online customer engagement, diversity & inclusion and the management of complex digital programs. He is a non-executive advisor to Curious Thing (an Australian AI startup), Batting For Change and the ASPIRE Foundation (promoting early education in Chennai, India).

Vishy lives in Sydney with his wife and two children and is a sports and tech enthusiast.

Lesley Podesta is founder of Red Mitten which provides professional services to social impact organisations. She is the CEO of Kilfinan Australia bringing together executive leaders as mentors to over 600 CEOs of Australian social impact organisations.

Lesley is Chair of the Young & Resilient Research Centre Advisory Board, University of Western Sydney; Board Member, UNICEF Australia; and Board Member of the World Congress on Family Law and Children’s Rights.

She is the former CEO of the Alannah & Madeline Foundation and former Head of Global Partnerships, The Fred Hollows Foundation. She was formerly a senior public servant in the Victorian and Australian governments. She was a long term Commissioner of the Women’s National Basketball League.

Lesley loves libraries, public transport and live music.