Our Board of Directors

Dorcas Maphakela is a multidisciplinary creative based in Melbourne, originally from South Africa. Her journey has been shaped by her roots in the Bapedi culture and her passion for storytelling through various mediums, including writing, visual art, and holistic wellbeing advocacy. With a Master of Arts (Writing) from Swinburne University and a certification in Holistic Counselling, she blends creative expression with a deep commitment to community engagement.

As the founder and producer of the award winning OZ AFRICAN TV, the first African lifestyle show in Australia, Dorcas celebrates the richness of the African diaspora through impactful storytelling and programming. Her work has garnered recognition, including a Media Award from the Victorian Multicultural Commission, reflecting her dedication to fostering cross-cultural understanding.

In addition to her media endeavors, Dorcas has contributed to various platforms as an arts writer and journalist, exploring themes of culture, identity, and diversity. She continually seeks opportunities to empower others through creative expression, whether through teaching or engaging with communities to promote cultural events.

Gavan is a highly experienced strategy executive with over 30 years’ experience in corporate advisory. He began his career in the audit division of Arthur Andersen & Co before working for 12 years at several investment banks in their corporate advisory teams focusing on mergers and acquisitions in the food and agriculture sector. Since 2000 he has worked at major corporations General Electric, EBOS Group and Wesfarmers Health in business development roles across a broad range of sectors including healthcare, financial services, power generation and distribution, oil and gas, transportation and mining.

While primarily experienced with corporations, he has held roles involving government such as a steering committee for an R&D joint venture between the CSIRO and GE and as Treasurer of his local state government primary school during extensive building development.

He has been a passionate reader of Australian and New Zealand authored fiction for many years. When not reading he will be riding his bike, drinking wine, attending motor sport events or playing hockey. Gavan holds a Bachelor of Commerce (majors in accounting and economics) from the University of Melbourne.

With more than 25 years’ of experience in executive search and recruitment, Janice began her career with Accenture in South Africa as Head of Recruitment, she then joined Investec as Head of Talent to support their global growth strategy. Janice then moved into executive search roles and set up three businesses – a satellite office for a European firm in Johannesburg, the Melbourne office of an Asia Pacific search company, and Gobey Executive Search. Creativity is a key strength and stems from her love of art, holding a Masters’ in Visual Art and Post Graduate Diploma in Visual Art from the University of Melbourne’s Victorian College of the Arts, a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Industrial Psychology and Sociology, as well as a Diploma in Human Resources.

Louise Falconer is a writer and senior leader within the not-for-profit sector, where she heads an evaluation and impact team for a national social justice organisation. Louise has vast experience navigating political environments and in building relations with government. Her achievements include influencing government and other partners through advocacy and attracting new funding to vital programs. With years of board-level and executive experience, Louise has a strong understanding of governance, budget and risk management, strategic planning and a demonstrated commitment to inclusive leadership. A long-time member, Louise holds a deep appreciation for the support the organisation provides the writing community. She credits Writers Victoria with giving her the skills and boost to pursue writing through its Writeability program, after which she published several pieces and was awarded a Varuna Residential Fellowship. Louise will soon complete a PhD in Creative Writing. She holds a Bachelor of Arts/ Law and a Master of Laws.