Australian Social Enterprise Youth Forum Speakers

Riannah Burns

Riannah believes finance has a crucial role to play in dismantling the structures and systems that enable persistent disadvantage. Her work at White Box Finance centres around helping Australian social enterprises access tailored, affordable finance to grow their impact ($18m+ to date). Outside of work, she loves hiking, camping, and snowboarding; and is even learning to surf!

Brady Cronin

Brady grew up on Gunai Kurnai Country, in the rural town of Maffra. As an Advanced Science graduate from Monash University, he has a wide breadth of experience in science communication, ecological research, leadership and entrepreneurship education.
Working with organisations such as Agriculture Victoria, Vanuatu Health and Youthrive Victoria, Brady has a diverse perspective on social entrepreneurship and its potential in various sectors.
Brady currently works for NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service where he works closely with scientists and Traditional Owners on environmental research projects. Brady is also proud to be an ACRE Board Director which aligns with his passion to activate rural youth to be leaders and to empower action towards regenerative communities.

Azima Dhanjee

Azima Dhanjee is a Child of Deaf Adult (CODA), Co-founder and CEO of ConnectHear, Board Member of the Social Enterprise World Forum C.I.C and a member of the National Youth Council (an initiative by the Prime Minister of Pakistan). She is a Diana Award winner and has been invited as a speaker on various platforms. She is an alumna of the Institute of Business Administration (Class of 2020), with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration.

Azima is raised by Deaf parents and Pakistani Sign Language (PSL) is her mother tongue. Growing up, she was always concerned by how simple communication was a challenge for the Deaf due to the language barrier. The lack of awareness and accessibility led her to start ConnectHear at the age of 19 with her high school friends. ConnectHear is a social enterprise that strives for sign language accessibility and Deaf inclusion by using technology.

Bek Lasky

Bek is a proud Wakaya woman currently living on Larrakia Country. Bek is the Deputy Executive Officer at Ngarrimili and is a part of the Youth Talent Pipeline.

Bek is also a co-founder of a small social enterprise called Soul Sister Co which she runs with her best friend. Their vision is to empower and inspire young women, especially young First Nations women.

Her passion for learning about the business and social entrepreneurship world was sparked from watching her role models develop successful businesses and from her participation in Indigenous youth leadership camps.

Michael Lim

Michael Lim is the Founder and Managing Director of Beyond Value, which is a for-purpose consultancy focused on enabling organisations to transform their social impact. Previously Michael was the Director at YLab, the social enterprise co-design agency of the Foundation for Young Australians. His work primarily focused on creating employment and education models for young people in Melbourne’s west through leveraging infrastructure investment. Michael currently holds a range of professional appointments with the state government including being a member of the Western Metropolitan Partnership, Tarneit Revitalisation Board, Melton Revitalisation Board and Community Member of the Sunshine Transport Precinct. In his spare time, Michael co-hosts a podcast dedicated to supporting young people in Melbourne’s west called Collective West. Previously, Michael was the CEO of Community Health Advancement and Student Engagement (CHASE), which is a for-purpose volunteer organisation dedicated to improving health literacy across Melbourne’s west. Michael was the 2018 Brimbank Young Citizen of the Year and the 2017 Victorian Premier’s Volunteer Champion in the Impact category.

Mariam S. Mohammed

Mariam is an entrepreneur, speaker, and facilitator. She is the Senior Community Manager at Super Fierce – a purpose-led business closing the gender wealth gap in Australia by making super, simple.

In 2019, Mariam co-founded MoneyGirl – a social enterprise empowering women to become financially independent. She also teaches budding entrepreneurs at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), and several accelerators around the country, how to go from idea to launch. Mariam coaches changemakers on how to leverage a strong personal brand to amplify their impact.

Mariam has been recognised in the Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence list, 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians, Marie Claire Next 25 List, and 7News Young Achiever Awards. Her work has been featured across Grazia, ABC, The Australian, Women’s Agenda and more.

Nick Pearce

Nick is the Co-Founder & CEO of HoMie, a streetwear clothing social enterprise that supports young people affected by homelessness or hardship with the skills, confidence & experiences to be more work-ready & better prepared for their future. In 2017, Nick was awarded the Victorian Young Achievers Award for Leadership, in 2018, the National Retail Association’s Young Retailer of the Year and in 2019, GQ Magazine’s Social Force Award.

Fiona Tate Walker

Fiona is currently a year 12 student at Nga Uri a Maui in Gisborne, NZ and is one of the Tāiki e! Next Gen leaders. She has participated in the Programming Māori Potential digital accelerator and was part of the team who pulled together Kia Tina – a crowdfunding platform for promoting te reo Māori community language revitalisation initiatives. An emerging indigenous artist, Fiona is keen on many creative pursuits and exploring pathways into business.

Maria Wynne

Maria (or Mac to friends) is based in Gisborne, New Zealand and is one of the young entrepreneurial leaders of Tāiki e! Next Gen. Mac enjoys working with others on a range of creative endeavours including being one of the Escape Masters of the Tāiki e! Next Gen Escape Room. She also enjoys Harry Potter and is keen on exploring podcasting as a platform for bringing forward important issues.