Breakfast of Champions for Gender Equality 2026

Speaker Bios

• More details about Georgina Byron AM

  Georgina Byron AM

  Chief Executive Officer of Snow Foundation Georgina Byron AM is Chief Executive Officer of Snow Foundation, a family philanthropic foundation. Since 2006, she has led its growth from Canberra origins into a nationally recognised organisation supporting communities, leaders and systems change. Georgina brings a strong commitment to social justice and accountability and has shaped the strategy to combine place-based partnerships in Canberra, Sydney and NSW with national efforts to address complex and neglected challenges. Their major work spans Gender, First Nations, Youth, LGBTIQ+ and Community, alongside a focus on backing social change leaders and strengthening the for-purpose sector. A passionate advocate for gender equality, reconciliation and human rights, Georgina has played a leadership role in major reforms including marriage equality, Raise the Rate, the Voice Referendum, and efforts to eliminate rheumatic heart disease and crusted scabies in First Nations communities. She has also championed the growth of social impact investing. She is Co-Chair of Deadly Hearts Ltd, Deputy Chair of Sydney Community Foundation, Chair of the Sydney Women's Fund Advisory Council, and a board member of Philanthropy Australia. In 2021, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia. Georgina lives in Sydney with her husband and four daughters.

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• More details about Michelle Steele

  Michelle Steele

  Chief First Nations Officer at the Paul Ramsay Foundation Michelle Steele (Craigie) is a First Nations leader from the Kamilaroi people of the Gomeroi Nation, originally from Moree, NSW, and is the Chief First Nations Officer at the Paul Ramsay Foundation (PRF). Michelle works to support First Nations-led initiatives and incorporates community perspectives and cultural knowledge into the Foundation’s activities. Before joining PRF, Michelle spent 18 years in the public sector, contributing to policies affecting First Nations peoples across areas such as social welfare, employment, justice, health, and ageing. As Assistant Secretary for the COVID-19 Indigenous and Remote Policy and Implementation Branch, her leadership was recognised as a best-practice model for effective engagement with First Nations peoples and communities. Michelle also participates in international collaborations focused on global equity issues. She is a Fellow of the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity and serves as Co-Chair of the Global Fellows Advisory Board at the Atlantic Institute, Oxford University, where she works on cross-cultural leadership and global connections. Further, she is a founding Board Member of the Walking the Talk for Dementia global initiative supporting dementia awareness, prevalence and healthy ageing, highlighting experiences and challenges specific to First Nations communities in this area. Michelle holds an Executive MBA from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where she received the Community Impact Award at the 2024 MBA Australasia Awards and a Highly Commended finalist of the Association of MBA global awards for the Postgraduate Leadership category. She is also a Board Member for Hands Across Canberra, a community foundation.

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• More details about Darrell Wade

  Darrell Wade

  Co-founder and Chair of Intrepid Travel and The Intrepid Foundation; Chair of Philanthropy Australia Darrell Wade is a visionary leader who has proven that successful businesses can be both purpose-led and profitable. His unwavering commitment to improving the lives of others drives his approach to both life and business. Darrell is Chair of Philanthropy Australia, the Intrepid Foundation and his family foundation, the Dawn Wade Foundation, which funds environmental campaigns, international development and education programs globally. He has also personally raised over $100,000 through several years of walking the annual Blue Dragon Marathon Walk, which aims to end human trafficking in Vietnam. Having co-founded Intrepid Travel almost 40 years ago, Darrell remains the company's Chair, overseeing its continued growth into the world's largest adventure travel company. Under his leadership Intrepid became a leader in climate-conscious travel, responsible tourism and a certified B Corporation in 2018 – one of the first in its industry. His previous roles also include Chair of Travalyst; Vice Chair, and Chair of Sustainability of the World Travel and Tourism Council. Darrell is recognised as a leading voice in responsible tourism globally and plays an active role in advancing the industry’s innovation and sustainability agenda through advocacy and philanthropy. In 2018, he also co-founded Skalata Ventures, an investment firm providing pre-seed funding and support to small businesses, extending his entrepreneurial spirit to help causes and communities around the world. As an avid traveller who has visited over 120 countries, Darrell's favourite Intrepid trip is Jakarta to Ubud, inspired by the overland route he took backpacking from Australia to England in 1984.

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• More details about Moderator: Virisila Buadromo

  Moderator: Virisila Buadromo

  Co Lead at Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights - Asia & Pacific Virisila Buadromo is a Fijian feminist, catalyst, bookworm, and dreamer. She is the Co Lead of Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights Asia and the Pacific. She focuses on strategic partnerships and activating philanthropy. In her previous avatars, Virisila freelanced as a feminist facilitator, trainer and gender advisor in the Pacific and Asia focusing on organisational strengthening and supporting feminist coalitions and movements in the two regions. Virisila’s feminist beginnings were nurtured at the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement, a cutting-edge feminist organisation that she led for more than 13 years. When she’s not at work disrupting the patriarchy, she can be found buried under a mountain of books, or on a walk in the park with her three-year old.

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