Executive Director - Colleen Chen

Colleen Chen is an academic tutor at the University of Melbourne and has previously worked in academic research and as a researcher for a Melbourne Queen’s Counsel. With a background in creative industries and law, Colleen’s interest in the intern labour rights movement began when her experience in the arts exposed her to the scope and systemic nature of unpaid precarious work. A nationally recognised campaigner for fair and equitable internships in her role with Interns Australia, in 2015, Colleen will represent Australia at the G20 Youth Summit and has also been selected to present to the International Labor Organization in Geneva.

Deputy Director - Matthew Ng

Matthew Ng is a founding member of Interns Australia. A committed and passionate youth organiser, unionist and campaigner, he has previously worked with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Oaktree, Getup!, United Voice NSW, the Health Services Union NSW, the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney's Justice and Peace Office and the Sydney Alliance. While studying Business at the University of Technology Sydney, Matthew completed two unpaid internships, which informed his view of a need for greater representation and advocacy of Australian interns.

Operations Director - Lachlan Shields

Lachlan Shields is a business and staffing consultant who has worked across a number of industries including government, telecommunications, e-commerce and information technology. At Interns Australia, Lachlan is responsible for operational strategy, direction and execution. He brings with him an in depth knowledge of the government labour market, passion for youth employment and strategies to facilitate inclusion and fair treatment of young people.

Communications Director - Dimity Mannering

Dimity works in financial services, managing media, communications and stakeholder relations across Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Admitted as a lawyer, she has worked in employment law in corporate law firms and not-for-profit legal centres and previously advised on the communications for the European Union’s youth unemployment and justice strategies. During work and study in Europe and Asia, Dimity became interested in the phenomenon of internships after witnessing the impact of economic fragility on young and vulnerable workers.

Human Resources Director - Jack Kenchington-Evans

Jack is in his last semester of Arts/Law at Monash University, and will commence work as a trainee lawyer mid-year. He has experience in workplace relations, working in trade unions as a researcher and industrial officer. He has delivered legal education seminars to university students on their rights at work, and written a paper examining the interaction between labour laws and vocational education in Australia.

Communications Officer - Fiorella Rafael

Fiorella Rafael is Interns Australia’s Communications Officer. She has previously worked with organisations such as the Australian Youth Climate Coalition and Getup!, providing fundraising strategy, event planning and campaign support. Fiorella became interested in internship-related issues after witnessing how unpaid and unstructured programs were affecting young people and reducing the availability of paid work. Fiorella is a strong advocate for social enterprises that give individuals the ability to gain the right skills to enter the workforce. Fiorella holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a major in public relations.