Chief Executive Officer

Bec Kotow is our Chief Executive Officer.

Bec was appointed to the CEO role this year, having joined the Community Hubs Australia team in 2020 as the Head of Operations.

As a senior leader with extensive experience in the leadership of highly effective teams across program and product design, corporate responsibility, operations and change management, and communications, Bec has gained this knowledge through organisations including NAB, Telstra, Australia Post, and MYOB.

Bec holds a Bachelor of Business in Marketing and Human Resource Management from the University of Southern Queensland and is a Board Director, St Bede’s College.

Head of Program

Hiranthi Perera is our Head of Program.

Since 2017, Hiranthi has supported hubs to expand the breadth of programs and services offered nationally by creating opportunities for networking and sharing knowledge, skills and experience among the hub network.

Hiranthi has over 10 years of experience in the community development sector. She holds a Masters of Business Administration from RMIT University.

Hiranthi is currently on parental leave and will be back with us in 2025.

Operations Manager

Maurice Syber is our Operations Manager.

Program Manager

Julianne Gardiner is our Program Manager. 

Jules (as she prefers to be called) joined the CHA team in 2023 as Program Manager, to support the network of community hubs across Australia.

Jules has worked in the not-for-profit sector for more than 18 years, and has a background in teaching English as a second language. Jules holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Linguistics from Macquarie University.

Government Relations & Program Manager

Natasha Gomi is our Government Relations & Program Manager.

Natasha joined the CHA team in 2024 to manage our government relations strategy and specific projects. Natasha has more than 17 years experience working in the not for profit and community development sector, and has experience in teaching English as a second language. Natasha holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from RMIT University and a Bachelor of Forest Science from the University of Melbourne.

Program Officer

Maia Nelson is our Program Officer.

Maia joined the CHA team in 2022 and is responsible for supporting the delivery of our program, working directly with schools, their hubs and support agencies as part of this.
Maia has a background working in medical practice management and administration and holds a Bachelor of Public Health and a Bachelor of Global Studies from the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne.

Data Analyst

Nathan Carter is our Data Analyst.

Nathan joined the team in 2023 to make sure the data we collect from community hubs is clean and something we can play back to our funders in a meaningful way. Nathan also supports our network of hub leaders and support coordinators with any day-to-day data requests they have.

Nathan’s background lies in software development, data analytics and electronic engineering. He holds a Bachelor of Computer Science from Swinburne University of Technology.