I am a first-generation Australian living in London, born to Jewish Ukrainian parents and speak Russian with my children at home. My parents and my older sister escaped communist USSR and arrived as refugees to Melbourne in 1981, where I was born two months later.
I am currently a Director in BDO’s Financial Services team leading our client engagement programme. I am also a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leader. I started my career at KPMG in Australia and have worked across professional services and the not-for-profit sector for over 18 years.
I have always been passionate and active in my community because I strongly believe in two things; 1) no one chooses a life of disadvantage and 2) different is better!
From working on strategic initiatives that help break the cycle of welfare dependency in Indigenous communities in Australia, to feeding the homeless, mentoring in schools with the Princes’ Trust, disaster response with the Red Cross, volunteering for the Salvation Army, to helping hundreds of Ukrainian refugees find homes in the UK, these experiences have framed my perspective and given me a voice to promote equity and inclusion in Financial Services.