Careers in Colour #17: Introducing our newest team members
Exclusive details on our next CiC event and check out some of our Sydney Film Festival recommendations!
The Careers in Colours team is growing!
We are very excited to welcome three new members to CiC, expanding our marketing team, and strengthening our research and policy arm.
Meet Jess ✨
Jess joins our Research and Policy team, and brings a background in international development, research, and advocacy. She holds a degree in Development Studies and Asian Studies, and has interned at the Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy & Defence Dialogue (AP4D) and the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID).
Jess currently works at the British High Commission and will soon begin a Masters in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies at the London School of Economics. Having grown up across Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia, she’s deeply passionate about creating space for more women of colour in positions of influence. She believes that people from different cultural backgrounds bring vital insights that strengthen policy, leadership, and decision-making—and is excited to bring that perspective to her work with CiC’s Research and Policy team.
Meet Indrani ✨
Indrani joins our marketing team. She has degrees in Marketing and Development Studies, and works as a marketing professional in the publishing industry.
Many people of colour can attest to the lack of representation that exists in the media and art that we consume, however working in the arts industry, Indrani believes that we will see meaningful improvements in representation when it stems from a diverse workplace itself. In the same vein, she has seen the extent to which culturally diverse leadership has helped to instigate and drive genuine change, which has made her passionate about advocating for diversity and inclusion in all its forms, across all levels of the workplace.
Meet Rebecca ✨
Rebecca also joins the marketing team. Rebecca is a full-time psychology student, marketing and communications professional in the mental health sector, and part-time baker (support her amazing business here)
“At my core, I’m a storyteller. I believe in the power of stories to create change, especially when they reflect the diverse voices and lived experiences that are too often left out. That’s why I’m so excited to be part of Careers in Colour, a space that champions equity and representation. I'm passionate about helping amplify voices across race, gender, ability, and identity, and I’m thrilled to be contributing to this mission.”
🚨 Save the date! Our first in-person event in Canberra on 27 August
Save the date for our first ever CiC event on Canberra on 27 August!! Our event ‘From Advocacy to Action: Advancing Racial Diversity in the Public Sector’ will feature public sector leaders, diversity advocates and policy experts to explore tangible strategies for empowering people of colour—not just to enter public service, but to thrive and lead within it. Register now here.
📖 In the newsroom and things to check out
Diversity Council Australia has identified key actions for the re-elected Albanese government to ensure that advancing workplace inclusion is a national priority this term. Read them here.
Australia has elected its most culturally diverse parliament, reporting more non-European members than before, as well as an increase in the number of Indigenous Australians. Read more in The Guardian.
🗓 More events and opportunities
11 June: Say Our Names invites you to a free screening of their mini documentary, followed by a thought-provoking panel discussion on the power of names, and what they reveal about culture, identity, respect and belonging.
17 June: The Whitlam Institute invites community voices and emerging leaders to join in the conversation about justice, identity and belonging in modern Australia, with a community forum marking 50 years since the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth).
10 October: Early-bird tickets are available for the Australian Social Cohesion Summit 2025. Tickets are strictly limited to 200 due to the interactive nature of the conference.
Part of an Employee Resource Group? Check out MindTribes’ ERG Capability E-Learn! A self-paced course designed to equip ERG members, chairs, and leaders to take their ERGs to the next level. Enrol here using the code ‘CIC-CSP10’ for 10% off.
🎥 CiC recommends
The 72nd annual Sydney Film Festival starts next week, bringing cold and rainy Sydney alive with over 200 movies from 70 countries which reflect the unique experiences of people, communities, and cultures across Australia and the world.
We have picked out some of our favourites on the program that showcase the stories of Indigenous people, as well as themes of immigration, cultural identity, and belonging.
Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua – Two Worlds dir. Ursula Grace Williams
Follow the charming Aotearoa New Zealand singer-songwriter on a life-changing journey of self-exploration as he embraces his roots and creates his first album in te reo Māori. This is a film that celebrates the creativity that flows from exploring one’s own heritage and identity.
Faceless dir. Fraser Pemberton, William Jaka
Experience three parallel lives of an Indigenous man in Naarm (Melbourne) – in each instance, we ponder if he will always be made to feel like an outsider in his own land.
The Haka Party Incident dir. Katie Wolfe
On May 1st, 1979, a group of young Māori and Pasifika activists confronted a gathering of University of Auckland engineering students as they rehearsed their ‘mock’ haka for their capping parade. The fracas that followed prompted the nation to confront systemic racism and instigate change for a better and more equal partnership between Pākehā and Māori.
Remaining Native dir. Paige Bethmann
A teen runner retraces his great-grandfather's 80km escape from a Native American boarding school, turning a painful history into powerful remembrance. This stirring, exceptional doc offers a poignant exploration of identity, endurance, and history’s impact on the present.
Statelessness dir. Tenzing Sonam, Ritu Sarin, Tsering Tashi Gyalthang, Sonam Tseten, Tenzin Tsetan Choklay
The first-ever Tibetan-language anthology, featuring four poignant stories of Tibetans living in exile in India, the USA and Vietnam, and simmering with questions around migration and identity.
