Africa Day Forum 2024

Bedi is a passionate Human Resource professional with over 10 years of experience within the financial, legal, and public sectors. She’s currently the Head of Corporate Services at the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and studying for her Masters in Management at Monash University.

Bedi is a strong advocate for inclusion within the workplace and is the proud co-founder of DivTal, a HR consulting firm committed to assisting organisations in building diverse and inclusive workplaces.

She believes in breaking the barriers and the importance of representation in every industry. You may find her on the runway or in a campaign as she is also a fashion model.

Esther is an accomplished and driven policy and reform leader with extensive experience in the State Government , the non-profit sector and private industry. Her strengths are in strategy, policy, change management, people leadership and governance.

In her current role as Director, Strategy and Productivity, Infrastructure Division, at Department Treasury and Finance, she works on approaches to improve productivity and systemic improvement in delivering Victoria’s ambitious infrastructure pipeline. Prior to this, she worked in social policy and corporate strategy positions.

Originally from Kenya, Esther values working in collaborative ways to create positive impact and achieve enduring outcomes for the community. She is a strong believer that inclusive and diverse workplaces and communities lead to richer places where everyone can thrive and achieve better outcomes for all.

Chuol Puot is a Manager of Multicultural Strategy, Policy and Practice for Youth Justice at the Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) with extensive experience in policy development and working with young people in the criminal justice system. He has served as a Community Engagement Officer, Senior Practice Advisor in Youth Justice, Children’s Court Youth Diversion Coordinator at the Children’s Court of Victoria and Youth Justice case manager. He currently serves as a DJCS representative on the Youth Parole Board.

Chuol holds a Master of Criminology from the University of Melbourne – his thesis explored the perspectives of African Australians on the media’s ‘African gangs’ narrative. In 2020, Chuol was presented with the Victorian Police Community Exemplary Award for his outstanding contribution to advancing meaningful relationships between multicultural communities and the Victorian Police. Chuol was awarded the 2019–20 Dr Larry Osborne Victorian Youth Parole Board Scholarship, underscoring his commitment to advancing the rehabilitation and reintegration of young offenders into society.