Board

With a career spanning 20 years, Iyari’s desire and passion to make a positive impact on people’s lives came early. From leading youth early in her working life to leading multidisciplinary teams with unique challenges in ASX100 and Government owned entities, Iyari has been involved in engaging all levels of senior leadership and corporate boards within Australasia and internationally.

Born in Mexico, Iyari grew up in 2 countries, educated across two very different school systems, languages, cultures, community identities and value sets. Shaping her with vivid, colourful and sometimes traumatic scenes of inequality and complete environmental disregard.

Iyari is driven to never take anything for granted, striving to make a difference.

Today Iyari leads and and motivates teams in highly complex and intense environments, leading digital transformation change and governance with large clients, facilitating C-Suite executive strategy sessions and coaching start-up founders to realise their business aspirations and goals.

Dedicating a significant part of her free time to drive positive social impact and enable change in the communities around her.

Kirsten brings over two decades of expertise in strategic and campaign marketing, communications, brand development, and sales across the creative sector, healthcare philanthropy, and higher education. Her national campaigns have set box office records at the Art Gallery of NSW and the National Gallery of Australia.

Kirsten has revitalised and transformed renowned Australian cultural and tertiary media brands, including the National Gallery of Australia, the Australian Museum, and the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). Her experience also includes leading membership, customer, and donor acquisition efforts in the not-for-profit sector, as well as collaborating with boards to drive strategic growth and operational excellence.

Passionate about the intersection of technology and communications, Kirsten is enthusiastic to be a member of the WiT board. She is dedicated to supporting the organisation’s mission to empower and advance women in STEM fields.

Kirsten is an experienced governance professional and lawyer.  Kirsten commenced her career as a lawyer working in private practice in both Australia and the United States before moving to in-house legal and governance roles.  A strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, for the past 15 years Kirsten has been fortunate enough to advise companies who contribute to the community through education, medical research and sustainability.

Kirsten holds degrees in Law and International Business Relations as well as having a Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance.  She is In-House Counsel Certified by the Association of Corporate Counsel, a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and a professional member of the Institute of Internal Auditors.

Roz has over 20 years’ experience in professional services within the engineering, architectural and scientific fields. Over this period, she has managed large multidisciplinary projects, teams and complex client challenges to achieve outcomes for her clients and organisation.

Roz currently practices as an experience Operations Manager at the large professional services firm, GHD, in which she balances delivery of project outcomes, business processes, key performance outcomes and development of people and teams. She is skilled in coordinating complex problems, streamlining workflows, and implementing strategic initiatives to drive business growth and client satisfaction.

Roz is committed to developing people, particularly female team members in the STEM fields. She assists through formal and informal mentoring to help  individuals navigate their development and the progression of their careers, particularly in non-traditional roles and industries.

Roz holds several Board governance and committee roles that equip her with appropriate governance, risk and strategic skills that assist to ultimately deliver value and improve outcomes for clients and people.

Roz hold degrees in Business and Science as well as a Master of Business Administration. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has supplemented this with additional training in Climate and AI Governance requirements.

Kate Drew serves as the Chief People Officer at Madison Group Enterprises and Kallipr, bringing over two decades of strategic people leadership and corporate advisory gained predominantly within the technology sector, across startups to multinationals. Her role encompasses strategic business advisory and executive leadership coaching, contributing significantly to organisational growth. Kate‘s commitment to diversity and inclusion has been recognised with awards, and her leadership propelled Madison and Kallipr to achieve certification as Great Places to Work, ranking in the top 20 in Australia for 2024. A thought leader in employee experience and people analytics, she was featured in LeadersHum’s Top 45 global people analytics experts in 2022. Holding qualifications from prestigious institutions including Harvard Business School, the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the University of Cambridge, and Yale University, Kate advocates for systemic corporate change to create equitable pathways for women in STEM. She is passionate and dedicated to driving positive change and empowering women within the technology industry.

Benjamin is an experienced engineering leader and ESG champion, passionate about building inclusive communities, championing diversity, and promoting sustainable innovation across Australia. He brings over eight years of experience leading major infrastructure and advisory projects for government, Defence, and commercial sectors, providing deep technical expertise, strategic project management, and a proven ability to guide multidisciplinary teams through complex challenges.

His commitment to ESG principles has driven significant efforts to embed inclusivity, diversity, and sustainable practices within organisations and community-focused initiatives. Benjamin strongly advocates for greater diversity and inclusion in engineering, consistently influencing positive cultural change and creating opportunities for emerging professionals and underrepresented groups.

Benjamin has maintained a meaningful connection with WiT for over a decade, dedicating time to supporting its initiatives and actively seeking opportunities to expand the organisation’s impact. As a WiT Board member, Benjamin aims to further advance diversity, sustainability, and innovation within STEM fields, leveraging his professional expertise, academic insights, and extensive network to create lasting, positive change.

Kelly is an accomplished CPA with over 20 years’ experience in Finance and Software Implementation. She has a proven track record of leading successful finance teams across multiple industries, including listed companies and not-for-profits.

Kelly’s passion for innovation and emerging technology has been a driving force throughout her career. She has a deep understanding of how technology can enhance processes and create efficiencies and is constantly exploring new ways to leverage technology to improve outcomes for clients.

Over the past 8 years, Kelly has focused on innovation projects, software design and architecture within the legal industry. Her expertise has enabled her to develop cutting-edge solutions that have improved operational efficiency and delivered significant value to her clients.

Bronwyn was a senior researcher for more than 30 years with organisations including CSIRO, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and the University of Queensland. She is passionate about the agriculture and food industries, and now heads the partnerships and grants program for Sugar Research Australia (SRA).

Bronwyn brings industry and legislative knowledge and insight (particularly with relevance to the agriculture sector), along with an excellent working knowledge of the research and academia sectors. As the Head of Partnerships and Grants for SRA, Bronwyn’s focus is on identifying partnerships to support the delivery of SRA’s innovation and commercialisation agenda, building long-term, strategic partnerships aligned with the delivery of transdisciplinary systems and solutions to address industry priorities.

Petriea returned home to start a new initiative here in STEM in Australia from 20+ years in Japan where she had her own food, educational and consulting business supplying services to peak government bodies, leading international hotels, supermarket chains, marketing industries and independent schools both in Australia and Asian regions.

Petriea has a depth of experience on boards starting with Australia-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce Japan (ANZCCJ), International Working Women’s Association (IWWA) and ending as a specialist in international policy and a planning consultant over 8 yrs for the World Association of Cooks Societies (WACS 63 member nations) and the Asia Continental Director (15 countries).

Petriea is currently a volunteer member for Zonta International, Brisbane South, an organisation of professionals that empowers women through service and advocacy that aligns alongside UN women for strategy and delivery.

With over 25 years of experience, I have a proven track record of leading teams, optimising operations, and driving business success in highly competitive environments. My expertise spans across multiple industries, where I have consistently delivered results by focusing on strategic planning, process improvement, and team development.

I excel at overseeing daily operations while keeping a keen eye on the bigger picture, ensuring that short-term goals align with long-term objectives. My leadership style fosters collaboration, accountability, and innovation, helping teams achieve peak performance while maintaining a strong focus on customer satisfaction.

Known for my collaborative leadership, I thrive in building and mentoring high-performing, cross-functional teams while fostering a culture of inclusion and innovation. With a sharp focus on customer-centric solutions, I excel in environments that demand agility, creativity, and forward-thinking strategies and challenge the status quo.  I bring a customer-centric mindset to every initiative.

Throughout my career, I have excelled in roles that demand innovation, agility, and leadership, consistently delivering measurable results across business development, strategic planning, and process optimization.

I am always eager to connect with like-minded professionals and explore opportunities to drive success in today’s evolving landscape.

Ebony is a passionate people and operations leader with a background in HR, recruitment, and executive search. She has partnered with serval startups, scale-ups, and enterprise organisations, identifying top talent and headhunting executives for crucial roles.

Over the past decade, Ebony has worked within the technology sector, specialising in strategy, planning, governance, and stakeholder engagement. She is particularly passionate about supporting women in technology careers and advocating for greater diversity and technological expertise in leadership teams. She has played a crucial role in driving human-centric initiatives from the boardroom and executive leadership functions into operational teams, focusing on commercial and cultural priorities.

Outside of work, you’ll find Ebony cheering on her tribe of children at their sporting events and spending time in nature with her Siberian Husky, Akira.