Our Board of Directors

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.

Vicky McIver is currently the Deputy Chair of Bayley House, a disability support provider. She has been a Bayley House Board member and Chair of the Governance, People and Culture Committee since October 2023 and has held several other board and advisory roles across the education and community sectors. She has more than 30 years’ experience in strategy and change management in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. She has also contributed to the tertiary education sector. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Studies from the University of Otago and a Master of Management (Organisational Systems) from Monash University. She is also a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is an enthusiastic reader who enjoys attending writers’ talks and literary festivals

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.

Dorcas Maphakela is a multidisciplinary creative based in Melbourne who is originally from South Africa. She is the founder and producer of the award-winning Oz African TV, the first African lifestyle program in Australia. Her work has garnered wide recognition, including a Media Award from the Victorian Multicultural Commission. She has contributed to various platforms as an arts writer and journalist, exploring themes of culture, identity, and diversity. She holds a Master of Arts (Writing) from Swinburne University and a Certification in Holistic Counselling, and she seeks to empower others through creative expression.

Paul Standing works in philanthropy and grant development, supporting researchers and organisations to secure funding and create meaningful impact. Alongside his professional work, he is a writer with longstanding interests in identity, human relationships and the ways people adapt to change.

Across his work, writing, and board involvement, Paul is particularly interested in how people and systems evolve over time, how meaning is created, and how individuals and communities build capability for lasting change. He enjoys exploring the intersection of stories, systems, and human development, and is passionate about creating environments that support learning, connection and growth

Bridie is an Observer for the Board of Writers Victoria through the Observership Program for 2026. She is a lawyer in the Aged Care and NDIS regulatory compliance space. She has been a disability advocate since 2016, having been born with a vision impairment. She has recently lost functional vision in her right eye, making her legally blind. She is adjusting to this by rediscovering the joy of reading in all its form (written and audio).

Books and publishing has been, and will always be, the focus of my career. I am an experienced book industry professional whose career spans bookselling, publishing, printing, distribution and commercial bookseller relationships. I began at Dymocks as a bookseller, then moved into book production at Penguin Random House and later, Hardie Grant Books . Thereafter, I worked across onshore and offshore book printing with 1010 Printing and Opus Group. My current focus is managing commercial relationships with booksellers and channel partners across Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia at Ingram Content Group. This broad range of experience has given me a practical understanding of how books are acquired, produced, printed, and distributed in market. I bring current knowledge of trade and independent publishing pathways, strong industry relationships, and a belief that supporting writers is essential to the wider literary culture and book industry.

Melanie Joosten is a writer of fiction and non-fiction having published the novels Berlin Syndrome (2011), Gravity Well (2017) and Like Fire-Hearted Suns (2024), alongside the non-fiction A Long Time Coming: Essays in Old Age (2016). Her novel Wild Orchids is forthcoming in 2027.

Since completing a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Hon) in 2003, Melanie has been published in Meanjin, Kill Your Darlings, Going Down Swinging, the Guardian, Best Australian Stories and Sleepers Almanac. A Master of Arts (Editing & Communications) led her to a career in the arts, working at Adelaide Fringe Festival, Melbourne Theatre Company and Architecture Media (publisher of Architecture Australia, Houses and Artichoke). 

A Masters of Social Work meant a career pivot to social policy and research for non-profit and community organisations including the community legal centre Seniors Rights Victoria and the National Ageing Research Institute. Melanie currently works as a Senior Adviser, Policy and Advocacy specialising in law reform and restorative justice at the Centre for Innovative Justice, RMIT University.