Our People
Patron

Harold Mitchell AC
Harold currently serves as Chairman of a number of organisations, including FreeTV Australia, the Australia-Indonesia Centre, Art Exhibitions Australia, the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and TVS, the University of Western Sydney’s television service for Greater Sydney. He is also a board member of the New York Philharmonic and the Vice President of Tennis Australia. In previous years, he has served as Chairman of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, CARE Australia and the National Gallery Australia; as President of the Melbourne International Festival of Arts and the Museums Board of Victoria; and as a board member of the Opera Australia Council.
In December 2000, he launched the Harold Mitchell Foundation to promote health and the arts in the community. The organisation has since provided over $6 million in grant funding to over 100 different organisations.
In 2010, Harold was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to the community through his leadership and philanthropic endeavours in the fields of art, health and education and as a supporter of humanitarian aid in Timor-Leste and Indigenous communities.
Board Members

Greg Lee
Chair, Youth Activating YouthChairman of EntireHR, a rapidly growing tech company revolutionising labour hire processes and HR software. Director of the Victorian Institute of Sport. Director of the Judicial College of Victoria, training Victorian Judicial officers.
Founder of employment services, training and recruitment companies in the hospitality, health, retail, logistics and industrial markets. Extensive experience as a N.E.D. in distruptive technology, labour hire, elite sport and tertiary education. Former director and Life Member of the Carlton Football Club and director of William Angliss TAFE. Co-founder of tech company Emprevo.

Mark Stone AM
Chair, SCT LogisticsMark Stone AM runs a business advisory company, and is a Non-Executive Director/Chairman. Mark was Chief Executive of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for over eight years, the peak body for business in Victoria. During this time, Mark developed a reputation as a leader in the Australian business community and was regularly consulted for business-related advice and commentary.
Previously, Mark was Chief Executive of Parks Victoria for 12 years. During this period, Mark identified, negotiated and secured large-scale tourism development opportunities for the State of Victoria, as well as highly successful major events, at the same time ensuring the protection of the natural environment. Mark lead and developed Parks Victoria from a State-based and State-focused entity to one with national and international stature. The complexity and diversity of this organisation required strong leadership and management of multi-disciplinary staff, including 800 professional bush firefighters. He has extensive knowledge of regional issues, having lived and worked in many parts of the State.
Mark was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2016 for "significant service to commerce and industry through leadership roles, to the environment and tourism sectors, and to the community."
His other roles included Member of the Premier’s Jobs and Investment Panel, Co-Chair of the Victorian Aboriginal Economic Board, Board Member of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, CEO of Tourism Victoria, and Board Member of Tourism Australia.
Mark is currently Chairman of SCT Logistics, Chairman of Goulburn Valley Water, a member of the Premier’s Special Advisory Council for Bushfire Recovery Victoria, and is an Advisory Board Member of Delaware North (Australia).

Yasmin Naghavi
Creative Industries Lawyer, Media Arts LawyersYasmin practises in creative industries law, representing world-class graphic and motion design studios, agencies, illustrators, streaming services, visual artists, authors, managers, fashion designers, format and content creators, influencers, photographers, tv/radio talent, and app developers. Additionally, Yasmin has a strong employment law practice at the firm. Holding both a Juris Doctor (hons) and an MBA, Yasmin combines experience with expertise, industry insight, and a passion for the creative sector.
Working in close partnership with her clients, she brings clarity to their legal rights and obligations, and advises with the intention of achieving the very best strategic and commercial outcome. Committed to giving back to the industry, she is a volunteer lawyer for the Arts Law Centre of Australia and former board member of the Creative Women's Circle.

Melissa Duggan
Melissa has worked in the philanthropic sector for the last 12 years. She is Chair of her parents Foundation which was started over a decade ago. In her role as Chair, Melissa has been developing strategic vision and mission for the Foundation as well as building close, collaborative, and transparent relationships with For Purpose organisations who share the Legacy’s vision.
Melissa is passionate about contributing to social change with a focus on homelessness and food security, youth empowerment and Indigenous advancement. In addition to her role as Chair Melissa runs her own family Foundation with her husband and two children which focuses on early intervention support for disadvantaged youth and the issues of climate change with a strong focus on advocacy and policy change.
Aside from her work in philanthropy Melissa has a background in Marketing and was Marketing Director for Iconic fashion brands. She is currently a Member of Philanthropy Australia and Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network and has a Bachelor Business (Marketing) and Bachelor Arts (Psychology).

Ali Fahour
Strategic Community Engagement Manager at Richmond Football ClubAli began his career as a teacher in Melbourne’s northern suburb. In 2005, he joined Essendon Football Club as a Multicultural and Education Officer developing curriculum to engage the multicultural community with AFL.
He has previous experience as the National Diversity Programs Manager at the AFL as well as extensive experience in the multicultural sector. Ali brings his experiences and learning from the AFL on social leadership, employment and engagement programs to broaden opportunities for multicultural youth.
Ali Fahour is the Managing Director of the Islamic Museum of Victoria overseeing the strategic direction and engagement.

Greg Lee

Mark Stone

Yasmin Naghavi

Melissa Duggan

Ali Fahour
Executives

Ali Ahmed
CEO, Youth Activating YouthAli Ahmed is a qualified counsellor with a Bachelor of Counselling (psychotherapy) from the Australian College of Applied Psychology. He has significant experience within the public sector with a special focus on supporting and advocating for disadvantaged youth across some of Melbourne’s most marginalised communities.
Ali believes there is a lack of opportunity for multicultural youth to access education, employment opportunities and services due to cultural differences which undoubtedly hampers their ability to integrate into mainstream society. Ali is committed to giving a voice to young people who do not feel heard.

Ahmed Hassan
Executive Director, Youth Activating YouthAhmed Hassan is a passionate and respected advocate for Melbourne’s multicultural community, working with government, Victoria Police and industry to highlight the issues faced by disadvantaged youth. Born in the northern suburbs of Melbourne to parents from Somalia and Eritrea, Ahmed is driven by a passion for social cohesion and bridging cultural divides.
At 18 he became the co-founder and Executive Director at Youth Activating Youth.
Ahmed works hard to empower and motivate young people to break the cycle of disadvantage, with his efforts recognised by appointments to the Multicultural Youth Network, African Australian Community Taskforce and Deputy Chair of the Victorian African Action Plan Implementation Committee.

Ali Ahmed

Ahmed Hassan
Advisory Committee

Tim Piper AM
Head of Australian Industry Group
Tasneem Chopra OAM
Cross-Cultural Consultant, Author, Activist
Janette Kendall
Non-Executive Director
David Broadrick
Community Priority Division Victoria Police
Azmeena Hussain
Partner, Maurice Blackburn
Daniel Ajak
Lawyer, Criminal Law Melbourne, Victoria Legal AidAmbassadors

Peter Hitchener
Peter grew up near a small town in rural southeast Queensland and joined the Nine Network back in 1973. While you might know him best from presenting the Nine News weeknights on Channel Nine, he can also be heard regularly on 3AW Melbourne, BAY FM Geelong and Melbourne’s Light FM. He has a wide range of interests, and a fondness for animals.
He writes car reviews and co-host the motoring podcast for Behind the Wheel and he proudly support a number of charities that do amazing work in our community.

Thomas Deng
A product of Melbourne Victory's youth program, Thomas Deng was promoted to the senior squad in August 2015. Deng, who was born in Kenya, came to Australia at the age of six and played his junior football with Western Eagles and Green Gully. The rapid rise of Deng continued in 2015 when he made his senior debut in the Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32 against Balmain Tigers, earning the plaudits of head coach Kevin Muscat for his performance. After an impressive 2015/16 campaign, Deng joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on a season-long loan in June 2016 before returning to Victory for the 2017/18 campaign.
In October 2018, Deng was named in the Socceroos squad, recently debuting for the national Australian team.

Kenny Athiu
A Sudanese-born Australian footballer who plays as a forward professionally for Melbourne Victory in the A-League. Athiu is most acclaimed for being a local Victorian footballing success story, in slowly progressing from the lower skill level football leagues of the state to Australia's highest football tier with the country's biggest club Melbourne Victory, following the fleeing of him and his family from the Second Sudanese Civil War.
After initially being linked with a move to Perth Glory FC, Athiu signed his first professional contract with Melbourne Victory in October 2017 on a season-long loan from Heidelberg United.

Peter Hitchener

Thomas Deng

Kenny Athiu
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About
Youth Activating Youth is a non-profit organisation that assists disadvantaged multicultural Australian youth to re-engage in their communities.