Founding Directors
Professor Dr. Manjula Datta O’Connor
MBBS FRANZCP MMED DPM
Executive and Founding Director
Professor Manjula Datta O’Connor is a psychiatrist with special interest in migrant women’s mental health, complex trauma and family violence .She is Hon Clinical Associate Professor at the Department of Psychiatry University of Melbourne. She was conferred Adjunct Professor University of New South Wales Department of Social Sciences in 2021. Manjula Chairs Royal Australian New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Family Violence Psychiatry Network. She is a clinician, researcher, reviewer of journals, advocate and works closely with community to promote prevention of family violence. Professor Manjula O’Connor is member of South Asian Community Ministerial Advisory Committee. She received Victorian Government Multicultural award of Excellence in Service Delivery to Migrant Women’s Mental Health. Her work has been recognised in Victorian and Federal Australian Parliament. Manjula regularly appears in the media.
Manjula has won many grants to prevent family violence, early intervention, awareness around help seeking. Her current project is around increasing recognition of family violence and coercive control in Psychiatry, use of community-based theatre to enhance early intervention and primary prevention of family violence in communities, suicide prevention and mental health literacy in migrant communities.
Manjula has advised agencies, served on committees. Adjunct Professor Manjula O’Connor is often invited as keynote speaker and has presented at numerous national and international conferences and events, published, and facilitated workshops and seminars on mental health and family violence.
Abhishek Vivian (Viv) Prasad CMgr FIML FGIA CBCI CPA
Founding Director
Abhishek Vivian (Viv) Prasad is an accomplished Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) executive with extensive leadership experience across the Corporate, Not-for-Profit (NFP), and Public sectors in Australia. Anchored in a strong foundation in finance, Viv’s expertise lies in strategic board planning, enterprise risk frameworks, and driving organisational resilience in complex regulatory environments. His career includes dedicated experience within the Victorian Public Service, highlighted by nearly a decade of service at the Parliament of Victoria, followed by a key advisory role at the Labour Hire Authority, Victoria. An active contributor to civic and community governance, Viv has served on numerous boards and committees. He currently lends his financial and risk expertise to the faith community as a Parish Council Member and Treasurer at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Hampton Park, as well as an Audit and Risk Committee Member for the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne. He is also a Co-Founding Director of the Australasian Centre for Human Rights and Health and previously served as Deputy Chair of the Victorian Multicultural Commission’s Eastern Metropolitan Regional Advisory Council. In recognition of his impactful civic leadership, Viv was awarded Victoria’s Multicultural Award for Excellence for Service Delivery to Multicultural Victoria in 2011, formally conferred by the then Governor of Victoria, the Hon. Alex Chernov AC QC. Viv’s extensive practical experience is backed by elite global credentials, memberships and academic foundations. He holds formal Fellowships with both the Institute of Managers and Leaders (IML) and The Governance Institute of Australia (GIA). He is a dually credentialed leader, recognised as a Chartered Manager (CMgr) by the Chartered Management Institute (UK) and a Certified Practising Manager (CPMgr) by the Institute of Managers and Leaders (Australia). Additionally, his technical resilience expertise is verified as a Certified Member (CBCI) of the Business Continuity Institute (UK) and a Member of the Risk Management Institute of Australasia (RMIA). His academic foundation includes a Bachelor of Science and a Masters of Accounting, capped by a Professional Certificate in Management from Melbourne Business School.
Dr Jonathan Harrison
Founding Director
Medical practitioner, Physician and Gastroenterologist for over 40 years, Dr Harrison is passionate about protecting the human rights and access to health services of the vulnerable individuals, the frail, the elderly and migrants.
Board Of Directors
Professor Ian Howie
Chairman
With a background in international Development as a career official in the United Nations, Professor Howie was also a regional advisor for MSI. He received numerous National Awards from Vietnam, China and Mongolia and is on many Australian Humanitarian boards.
Ms Gauri Kapoor
Secretary ACHRH
Gauri Kapoor holds specialist degrees in International Relations from the University of Melbourne and Deakin University with a practitioner focus on Economics, Sociology, Political Science, Social Policy and Development. She gained unique international experience by completing a Research Fellowship at the office of a US Congressman in Washington DC and by undertaking challenging fieldwork with a UN Agency in China. Over the past few years Gauri has used her developing skills in theoretical and empirical analysis to work on a variety of projects for several different types of non-government organisations in Melbourne and for local government programs / initiatives. Her main area of interest is in gender related issues. In 2017, Gauri co-founded the National Council of Young Women Australia in Canberra
Board Member
Sanmeet Bhatia is Vice President, Public Sector and Health (Asia Pacific and Japan) at Cognizant, with over 20 years’ experience advising governments and organisations on large scale transformation across health, justice, emergency services and community systems.
He brings deep expertise in the responsible use of technology, data and artificial intelligence, with a focus on improving outcomes in complex, high-impact environments where trust, safety and equity are critical.
Sanmeet has worked extensively across public sector systems. His experience spans prevention-focused services, citizen experience and system-wide reform.
He is also a Board Member of the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.
Sanmeet is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA Australia) and holds postgraduate qualifications in commerce and international business.
Kate Grimme
Board Director
Kate is the fundraising and development specialist on the Board, advising and shaping decisions around opportunities for donor and supporter engagement. Kate has over 20 years experience working in Fundraising, Sponsorship and Events roles across a number of nonprofits including arts and community sector organisations. Kate has recently established an independent advisory supporting organisations to identify and articulate their impact goals, including developing organisational and programmatic theory of change, strategy implementation and measurement and management of impact indicators. She is currently working towards her Masters in Social Impact through Swinburne’s Centre of Social Impact.
VARUN SAIGAL
Board Member
Varun Saigal is a strategic and commercially focused finance executive who has served in CFO and senior finance leadership roles across renowned government, regulatory, and public sector organisations. With more than 20 years of experience, he is recognised for driving financial sustainability, governance excellence, and transformational strategy in complex environments while remaining deeply passionate about contributing to organisations that create meaningful community impact. Trusted by Boards, CEOs, and Executive Leadership Teams, Varun brings a strong track record in strategic planning, investment oversight, enterprise performance, and organisational transformation, combining commercial discipline with a genuine commitment to public value and long-term community outcomes.
Ms Molina Asthana
Board Director
Molina Swarup Asthana is the Principal of Swarup Asthana Lawyers, practicing in commercial law. She also has significant experience in the Indian jurisdiction. Molina is on the board of the Law Institute of Victoria, the Graduate House of the University of Melbourne, a Commissioner with the AFL South East and the Vice President of the Asian Australian Lawyer’s Association. She is also the founder of the not for profit, Multicultural Women in Sport which aims to empower migrant women from multicultural backgrounds through sport.She has received awards from multiple organisations for her work, including the Victorian Multicultural Award for Excellence 2014 and for 2016.