Nassim is an award-winning journalist at ABC News. She began working at The Age in 2003 covering courts, state politics and urban affairs before becoming its economics correspondent. She wrote for Fairfax Media’s BRW magazine, The Australian Financial Review and was the deputy business editor for both The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

Russell is the executive officer at the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcaster’s Council (NEMBC). He has 30 years’ experience in journalism, media production and management. He has worked with the United Nations for international and national NGOs on media projects and was a senior media advisor for East Timor’s national broadcaster.

Jessica is a communications specialist focusing on Islamic-Western relations in the context of government, diplomacy, community and policing. A convert to Islam (2004), she returned to Australia with ABC in 2011, having spent seven years broadcasting in the MENA region. Jessica is a Juris Doctor candidate with Monash University Law School, holds the elected position of Company Secretary and National Secretariat for the Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AACCI) and is the host of the AACCI Business Webinar Series. Jessica is also on the Women’s Advisory Board for the Board of Imams of Victoria (BOIV), which provides strategic advocacy to increase women’s participation in leadership and decision making. 

Straddling multiple cultures of his native Malaysia, enriched by his 30 years resident in Melbourne, K.C. lives and works diversity in his personal and professional life. Drawing from his experience as editor of a bimonthly business magazine in Malaysia and as editor of a news daily, K.C. brings managerial and additional line perspectives as a former journalist at The Age to his role in MDA Victoria. A student of politics and culture from Monash University, K.C. is writing freelance out of Melbourne for The Malaysian Insight portal.

Andrea is a communications professional, freelance journalist, and the writer and producer of award-nominated podcast The Art of Inclusion. She previously worked for BBC London and her other work has featured in the Guardian, Spectator, Huffington Post and New Scientist magazine.

Tito is an award-winning Indonesian journalist, writer and lecturer. After moving to Australia, he worked at the ABC before switching to journalism research and training. Since then, he has worked for the Asia Pacific News Centre, Australia Indonesia Centre, La Trobe University and the University of Melbourne. He now teaches data journalism and journalism technologies at RMIT University.

Dr Usha Rodrigues is a former journalist and senior academic in journalism at Deakin University. She researches, teaches, writes and commentates on issues on contemporary media practices, globalisation of the media and cultural diversity in India and Australia, and has co-authored three books on the subject as well as several peer-reviewed journal articles.

Zain is journalist and producer at SBS, for radio and digital, since 2014. He has reported for its World News program and is now a media trainer. He is also a member of the Development and Operations Grants Advisory Committee at the Community Broadcast Foundation. He graduated with a master of journalism and master of international relations at Monash University.

Waqar is a journalist and digital producer who works at the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), including SBS Urdu, SBS News, SBS Australia and other SBS language programs. He also does content production, curation and distribution for podcasts, social videos, web series, and cinematography and photography services.

Madeline Hayman-Reber is a Gomeroi woman and journalist at National Indigenous Television (NITV). She received a Human Rights Award and won the Best Current Affairs Story at the First Nation Media Awards after she helped expose criminal records were being given to Stolen Generation elders simply for their having been taken.