Niki has worked in international development for over 20 years. She worked in the NGO sector for 10 years, supporting in-country teams and local partner organisations to design projects, secure funding, manage, monitor and evaluate programs in education and training, food security, water and sanitation, community mobilisation, and development. She has travelled extensively, working with vulnerable communities, including those affected by landmines, refugees, and displaced persons in Asia and Africa. At Austcare, Niki oversaw its humanitarian work, including response to the Boxing Day Tsunami in Sri Lanka and Aceh (2004) and Timor-Leste crisis (2006). She took Austcare through DFAT accreditation.
At UniQuest International Development, Niki led the company’s work in education, governance, gender equality, child protection, and community development, overseeing all tenders and programs. She secured UniQuest’s position onto eight DFAT Panels. She established strategic alliances with University of Queensland (UQ) academics to work on UniQuest overseas programs, including delivery of short courses for government representatives from across Asia Pacific and Africa. She negotiated UniQuest’s role in the delivery of UQ’s Master of Development Practice and delivered interactive lectures to students. She established and managed an internship program for UQ students at UniQuest as part of their Masters program.
Niki is currently the DT Global Asia-Pacific Practice Leader for Human Development, driving business and revenue growth in the Human Development Practice Area (with a focus on education, social development, and women’s empowerment) and contributing to the ongoing improvement of quality delivery of programs.
If you could change something in the world, what would it be?
Elimination of violence against women and girls.
Do you volunteer anywhere?
I’m a judge for Technovation Girls, a program that equips teenage girls around the world to become tech entrepreneurs and leaders. I’m a non-executive Director of Brisbane Women’s Club, an organization that enables Brisbane women to exercise leadership around issues of public importance and that supports projects that improve the lives of women. Finally, I’m on the Program Advisory Committee for the Australian Himalayan Foundation, an NGO that works with communities in the Himalaya region on education, health, environmental and cultural projects.
