Rikki Hendon🇦🇺🇳🇱

Secretary, UnionsWA

Rikki Hendon has dedicated the past 17 years of her career to the Western Australian union movement, with more than 12 years in positions of elected leadership. She is committed to developing effective strategies that enable unions to grow membership and capacity, build influential alliances and exercise collective power to win for workers in Western Australia. Rikki has held roles including Lead Organiser, Delegate and Branch Secretary for the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU). She holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Curtin University.

Karla Benitez, MPA🇦🇺🇲🇽

Director, Multicultural Workers Collective

Karla Benitez, MPA, is a multi-award-winning community and political activist, cross-sector connector and strategic leader with more than two decades of experience across government, politics, unions, business and community sectors in Australia and internationally. For more than a decade, she has worked alongside culturally and linguistically diverse communities to advance inclusion, political participation, workplace rights and systemic change. Her expertise spans organisational development, governance, public policy, advocacy and community organising. Karla founded Australia's first political organisation dedicated to advancing the leadership and representation of culturally and linguistically diverse Australians. She has served on government, community, business and industry advisory bodies and boards. She is also a consultant, keynote speaker, facilitator and co-author of Undefeated: The Story of Influential Migrant Women in Australia. She holds a Master of Public Administration and an Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management.

Her guiding philosophy is simple:

"If we don't have a seat at the table, we create it."

Huey Lim🇦🇺🇲🇾

Community Engagement Specialist

Huey was born in Malaysia and came to Australia as an international student, where she completed her studies in Journalism and Human Rights. She has worked with trade unions in WA and international unions and organisations advocating for workers' rights and equitable workplaces across Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and the Netherlands. Being a trained counsellor, she is passionate about providing culturally responsive and trauma informed support to vulnerable workers and the community. As a migrant who speaks English, Chinese, Malay, and Dutch, Huey brings a multicultural perspective and lived experience to her work. She is committed to empowering individuals and communities through advocacy, support and education.

Valentina Gonzalez🇦🇺🇨🇴

Communications and Media Specialist

Valentina Gonzalez is a Colombian journalist, digital communications specialist and consultant with more than fifteen years of experience across media, private, government and community sectors in Australia and internationally. Originally from Colombia, she is a native Spanish speaker who brings a multicultural perspective to her work. Her career spans radio, television and written press, and her work in community radio was nominated for Multicultural Radio Program of the Year in Australia. For more than six years, Valentina has championed marketing for diversity as a consultant, helping multicultural businesses communicate their cultural strengths. She has been involved in political activism and not for profit projects centred on human rights and multiculturalism, and is an advocate and speaker on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in community and organisations. Valentina holds a Bachelor in Journalism, a Master in Political Science and Government, a Diploma in Marketing and Communications, and is certified as a Communications Strategist.

Sean Levy🇦🇺

Workplace Rights Officer

Sean Levy is an industrial relations and workplace rights professional with more than three years of experience across union representation, employer advisory work and community support. After beginning his career in psychology and custodial support, Sean moved into industrial relations as an Industrial Officer at the Australian Nursing Federation WA, representing nurses, midwives and carers across public health, private health and aged care. He then worked as a Workplace Relations Adviser at the WA Police Union, and as an Employee Relations Consultant with CCIWA on major Rio Tinto construction and mining projects in the Pilbara. Sean joined the Multicultural Workers Collective to be back in the corner of workers who genuinely need it, and he is passionate about making workplace rights accessible to people who face the greatest barriers to asserting them. He holds a Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) from the Institute of Social Neuroscience and a Bachelor of Science (Double Major) from the University of Western Australia.