Our Staff
ECCV’s operations team is made up of dedicated professionals who are passionate about ethnic and multicultural communities.
Leadership
Chris Christoforou
Executive Officer
Chris commenced as Executive Officer in January 2019, bringing extensive management and executive experience to the ECCV from the education, community and sport sectors.
A teacher by profession, Chris believes in developing the people around him as the basis of a strong organisation. Chris is the Coburg born son of migrant parents from Cyprus and considers it as a privilege to lead an organisation that has been at the forefront of advocating for cultural diversity in Victoria since 1974.
Diana Mastrantuono
Projects & Capacity Building Manager
Diana comes to ECCV with experience in program and people management. She has a strong commitment to social justice and the principles that surround this including building the capacity of the community sector in order to support vulnerable groups, reduce disadvantage and increase participation in the community.
Diana has extensive experience working with new and emerging communities and people seeking asylum including with Red Cross, Brotherhood of St Laurence and Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre. She is responsible for ECCV’s project work, developing relationships and supporting business development.
Cassandra Ong
Executive Assistant
Cassandra is passionate about supporting emerging Women of Colour (WOC) realising their potential and hopes to see more WOC in mainstream media and leadership roles in the future. Before joining ECCV, Cassandra worked in Central Australia with Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Women’s Council, where she committed to improving social justice for those that were unheard and underrepresented.
Born in Melbourne to a Hong Kong-born mother and Malaysian-born father, Cassandra is proud of her cultural heritage and excited to work for a peak body advocating for Victoria’s multicultural communities.
Jiembra Sheils
Business Manager
Jiembra commenced as ECCV’s Business Manager in March 2019 and is a Certified Practicing Accountant with a commitment to social justice. Jiem has many years’ experience working in not-for-profit organisations in operational and financial management, including with the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health, Oxfam and Women’s Housing Ltd.
Jiem is responsible for ECCV’s finance, HR, ICT and regulatory compliance and is a Brunswick local with Irish, English and Norwegian heritage.
Rashmi Kumar
Policy & Advocacy Manager
Rashmi has worked for several years in advocacy and policy development to promote social justice and eliminate inequality in Victoria, NSW and nationally.
Before joining ECCV, Rashmi worked with Our Watch, the national organisation for primary prevention of violence against women, as Senior Policy Advisor, Intersectionality, leading the implementation and evaluation of their Intersectionality Strategy, and development of a new Reconciliation Action Plan for the organisation.
Rosita Vincent
Regional Lead
Rosita is a Community Planner by profession with extensive experience working cross-culturally with people from migrant and refugee backgrounds and in innovative community development roles in regional Australia. Since 2017 Rosita worked as Manager then more recently as Interim Executive Officer of the Ethnic Community Council for the Loddon Campaspe Region.
Rosita is a trusted, collegial leader and community connector who brings extensive networks, community engagement and strategic planning expertise to her role as Regional Lead for ECCV.
Victoria Kyriakopoulos
Media & Member Engagement Manager
Victoria is journalist and communications specialist who brings broad local, national and international experience to ECCV across media, communications, events and multicultural engagement.
Victoria has worked for leading Australian media, including the Herald-Sun, The Age and The Bulletin and her diverse experience includes roles as a Victorian Government Media Adviser, author of Lonely Planet’s Greece series and television and video production.
Media, Communications and Membership
Xiaoran Shi
Media & Communications Officer
Hella Ibrahim
Sector Communications & Engagement Officer
Khalid Farah
Media Production Officer
Natasha Rubinstein
Membership & Events Assistant
Vrinda Rajanahally
Digital Support Assistant
Policy and Advocacy
Denisse Sandoval
Advocacy Lead
Gabriele Rukas
Sector Development,
Policy & Practice
James Houghton
Policy Officer
Dr Martin Plowman
Practice Lead,
Inclusion & Cultural Safety
Rahel Davies
Youth Engagement Officer
Dr Riccardo Armillei
Policy & Practice Advisor
Projects & Capacity Building
Hayat Doughan
Outreach Coordinator
Multicultural Communities
Nimo Hersi
Disability Advocacy
Coordinator
Osman Ali Mohamed
Speak My Language
Victorian Coordinator
Surmeli Aydogan
Energy Advocacy
Coordinator
Tonina Gucciardo-Masci
Ageing Well Lead
Youssif Assafiri
Disability Advocate
Yuli Liang
Disability Advocacy
Project Officer
Multicultural Communities Outreach
Ada Chan
Project Worker
Shivani Sharma
Project Worker
Suzan Saka
Project Worker
Speak My Language Travellers
Athena Papadatos
Abdikadir Osoble
Julie Sciberras
Serap Filiz
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We are proud to recognise the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, as the first Australians, cultural leaders and traditional custodians of the land from which we advocate for ethnic community groups. We pay our respects to their elders, past & present.
ECCV Statement: Recognising the Rights of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders
Connect with ECCV
Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria
Suite 101, 398 Sydney Road,
Coburg VIC 3058
Phone: (03) 9354 9555
Email: eccv@eccv.org.au
