Executive Director

Andrew Hewett | Executive Director
Areas of expertise: All aspects of Oxfam’s work, in particular overseas aid and development and International poverty.

Andrew joined Oxfam Australia in 1991, establishing the organisation's advocacy and campaigning program and later managing our domestic program and coordinating Oxfam International’s response to the Timor-Leste crisis from 1999–2001. He has been Executive Director since October 2001. Andrew is Vice President of ACFID, the peak council of non-government overseas development agencies, Co-Chair of the Make Poverty History coalition and a member of the Oxfam International Board and Oxfam International Tsunami Fund. Follow Andrew on Twitter

Mining, climate change, aid

James Ensor | Director of Public Policy and Outreach
Areas of expertise: Mining, corporate social responsibility, Indigenous rights, climate change in developing countries, Fair Trade, Aid and government policy relating to the aid sector

James is responsible for our public policy, research and advocacy programs, including our work around extractive industries and Indigenous rights, and our campaigns on issues such as climate change and Fair Trade. Prior to joining Oxfam Australia in 1997, James spent seven years with the Central Land Council in the Northern Territory representing the interests of Indigenous landowners. James has a particular interest in natural resource management and is a member of the BHP Billiton Forum on Corporate Responsibility.

Corporate responsibility

Serena Lillywhite | Mining Advocacy Coordinator
Areas of expertise: Corporate responsibility with a primary focus on mining, human rights, labour rights and international accountability mechanisms.

Serena Lillywhite is the Mining Advocacy Coordinator with Oxfam Australia. She is an active corporate responsibility practitioner, researcher and advocate. She has extensive expertise and experience in labour rights, supply chain management and business and human rights. Serena is Australia’s leading expert in the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. She is a regular speaker at the OECD, UN and ILO, and other international CSR platforms. Serena works regularly with the business community to foster dialogue and multistakeholder approaches to responsible business conduct. Serena holds a Masters in International Business from the University of Melbourne. She has lived and worked in China, and as a member of the OECD Watch network and Coordinating Committee, has delivered training and capacity building in Ghana (extractive sector), India (garment sector) and Thailand (business and human rights).

Labour rights, food crisis, trade

Kelly Dent | Economic Justice Coordinator
Areas of expertise: Food crisis, trade and trade-related policies, labour rights.

Kelly leads our Economic Justice team working on agriculture and sustainable livelihoods, climate change, trade and investment, and labour rights.

Kelly has worked with rural communities on trade, labour and women’s rights, and in organisations including the Clean Clothes Campaign, the Australian Services Union, and Transnationals Information Exchange. She has written a number of articles and chapters on labour rights and corporate codes of conduct, and worked in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and the Netherlands.

Emergency response and preparedness

Richard Young | Emergencies Manager
Areas of expertise: Disaster preparedness, emergency response, emergency water and sanitation.

Richard heads up our Humanitarian Support Unit which leads our emergency responses around the world. He has 20 years' experience working in the field including Sudan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste and Uganda. In addition to his emergencies experience, Richard has expertise in child rights programming, the effects of armed conflict on children, peace and reconciliation, and integrated rural development.

Humanitarian issues

Steph Cousins | Humanitarian Advocacy Coordinator
Areas of expertise: Coordination of aid, humanitarian issues, Arms Trade Treaty

Steph Cousins is the Humanitarian Advocacy Coordinator at Oxfam Australia. Her work focuses on promoting the rights of people affected by crisis to assistance and protection. She also advocates for the prevention of conflict, mass atrocities, arms proliferation and armed violence. Steph is the current Chair of the Pacific Small Arms Action Group and Secretary of the International Detention Coalition Governance Committee. She has worked extensively with partner organisations, former refugees and diaspora communities in Australia around humanitarian crisis issues.

The Pacific

John Kelleher | Pacific Regional Manager
Areas of expertise: Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu

John manages our programs in the Pacific region including Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji. John has spent 15 years working in aid and development, primarily in Zambia, Nepal and the Solomon Islands. His areas of expertise are community water supply and sanitation and developing and managing aid programs. He has also worked on several emergency responses.

Southern Africa

Andrew Hartwich | Southern Africa Regional Manager
Areas of expertise: HIV and AIDS, Southern Africa

Andrew is our expert on HIV and AIDS in developing countries and our work in Southern Africa. Andrew joined Oxfam Australia in 2003 and has spent most of his career in aid and development, specialising in the HIV sector with a particular focus on home-based and community care, harm reduction and sex worker rights. Andrew has worked in these areas in Australia, Cambodia and India.

South Asia

Stuart Highton | South Asia Regional Manager
Areas of expertise: Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan

Stuart manages our programs in South Asia, including Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Before joining Oxfam Australia in 2008, Stuart worked for 9 years as a Country Director with Concern Worldwide in Laos and Zambia where he developed an expertise in livelihoods, HIV&AIDS and Disaster Risk Reduction programming. Previously he had worked in a variety of development and humanitarian positions with different agencies in countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Stuart started his relief and development career as a volunteer in Sri Lanka where he went on to work as ICRC protection officer and then relief Coordinator with Oxfam GB. In Africa he worked on emergency programmes in Liberia with Medecins Sans Frontiers and he also did a stint as the Country representative of Children’s Aid Direct in Haiti in the mid 1990s.

Mekong development, Asian Development Bank

Michael Simon | Advocacy Coordinator, People, Infrastructure and Environment Program
Areas of expertise: Impact of large-scale development projects such as dams and roads on communities in the Mekong region, the workings of the Asian Development Bank and the importance of healthy rivers and fisheries for livelihoods

Michael leads our advocacy program in the Mekong region supporting the rights of communities affected by large-scale infrastructure projects. He also represents Oxfam International in the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Forum.

Since joining Oxfam Australia in 1996, Michael has led high-level representation to governments, multilateral organisations and business. He has extensive field experience, having worked in South Asia, East Asia, South America, Africa, the United States and Europe.

Youth and development

Anna Powell | Youth Programs Manager
Areas of expertise: The role of young people in development and social change

Anna joined Oxfam Australia in 2004 and manages our national Youth Engagement Program and Oxfam International Youth Partnerships, a program that supports 300 young people from 90 countries to run local initiatives relevant to their community. Her work has given her particular insight into the impact of poverty on young people and the role that they can play to achieve positive change in their communities and beyond. Anna also has considerable field experience, having run Oxfam programs in Fiji, Zambia, Hong Kong and India.

Fundraising

Leigh Stewart | Creative Resources Manager
Areas of expertise: Fundraising, Oxfam Unwrapped and Oxfam TRAILWALKER

Leigh is Oxfam Australia's Brand Manager and can comment on our fundraising activities, particularly our online gift catalogue, Oxfam Unwrapped, and the team endurance event, Oxfam TRAILWALKER. Leigh has worked in our Marketing Department for six years and led the team responsible for making Oxfam Unwrapped Australia’s most recognised charity gift catalogue. She is a regular participant in Oxfam TRAILWALKER and has travelled with Oxfam to Cambodia and India.