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Our Board & Advisory Groups

About Us

Our Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors oversee the strategic direction, governance and overall delivery of our mission, ensuring that no woman walks the path of miscarriage alone.

Katrina Groshinski

Competition and Regulatory Partner | MinterEllison

Katrina, our Chairperson, is a competition and regulatory lawyer for clients based in Australia and overseas. She has extensive experience working with clients on complex merger clearances, ACCC investigations and authorisations. Katrina specialises in heavily regulated industries and infrastructure.

Gabbi Armstrong

Co-founder | Pink Elephants Support Network

Using her own lived experience of both recurrent miscarriage and infertility, Gabbi co-founded the Pink Elephants Support Network along with Executive Director, Sam Payne. Gabbi firmly believes that all couples should receive validation of their loss, empathy for their grief and valuable connections for support when experiencing the heartbreak of miscarriage and associated infertility. She provides a strong voice and is a passionate advocate for much-needed support in this area.

Stephen Mally

Owner | FundraisingForce

Stephen Mally is a fundraising and technology consultant deeply embedded in the non-profit sector. The owner of FundraisingForce, a boutique Sydney-based consultancy, Stephen has over 35 years of experience in the non-profit sector in the United States, Asia-Pacific, and Europe. He has worked in a variety of leading non-profit organisations in fundraising and management roles and has served as a leading consultant for over 1,000 organisations in the sector. This combination of fundraising, management, and consulting experience allows Stephen to easily identify with client’s needs and help them develop solutions to their challenges, resulting in their ability to dramatically increase revenue and improve their operations. He was attracted to the Pink Elephants board due to personal experience with miscarriage.

Ethan Rishon Oberman

"My wife and I have been incredibly blessed with our three children and have been looking for a way to support others on their journey. We were introduced to Pink Elephants through a dear friend and immediately were attracted to the mission. I feel honoured to join the board and support Pink Elephants vision for the future.

I grew up in Chicago and spent most of my adult life between San Francisco, New York City and now Sydney. Throughout my professional career I have been involved in several different startups from technology to hospitality to real estate. During that time I also have had the privilege of working with several non-profits that ranged from HIV / AIDS advocacy to educational arts programs to raising awareness around homelessness. Throughout my life I have greatly enjoyed the energy and hard work that comes with bringing an idea from concept to reality and being a part of the team that makes it happen."

Chloe Fisher

Entrepreneur | Co-Host of Darling, Shine! Podcast

The ultimate poster girl for balance, Chloe Fisher juggles being a model, content creator, entrepreneur, and number one tour partner for her husband FISHER, the Grammy-nominated DJ.

Mainly situated on the beautiful Spanish island of Ibiza, she spends her time hopping between Europe, LA, and Gold Coast, working across multiple ventures, including Australian Seltzer brand Hard FIZZ and Darling, Shine! podcast. Chloe uses her powerful voice and social platforms alongside her best friend, Ellidy Pullin, grounding womanhood’s unspoken experiences into a reality that understands the big picture. Chloe’s authenticity and strength provide a voice for women struggling with infertility. Breaking the stigma of suffering in silence, Chloe spreads awareness about the challenges and trauma of undergoing IVF treatment and miscarriages that affect 1 in 4 pregnancies.

"Having lived through 4 miscarriages and almost 4 years of TTC (and counting), my purpose is to evolve my pain into power through my podcast Darling, Shine! and now The Pink Elephant Support Network. With lived in experience I can empathise and understand what these women (and men) are going through and in turn help to nurture and support them during these times of utter turmoil. I am also very passionate about helping our extended community better understand infertility, miscarriage, and pregnancy loss. I hope to bring a fresh set of eyes to the board and am excited to help evolve it into its next phase of life."

Fran Boyle

Associate Professor | Social Scientist and Health Services Researcher | University of Queensland

Fran is a health services researcher at The University of Queensland’s Institute for Social Science Research. She is also a Principal Investigator with the Australian Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth where she co-leads of the Care after Stillbirth Program. With a background in psychology and public health, Fran is committed to improving outcomes for women and families following all forms of pregnancy and infant loss through the implementation and evaluation of respectful and supportive parent-centred perinatal bereavement care in hospital and community settings. She has published widely and presented at many national and international conferences on the topic of perinatal bereavement care. Fran has a deep understanding of the essential role of organisations such as Pink Elephants in providing support following pregnancy loss, an understanding that stems from both personal and professional experience.

"I joined Pink Elephants to be part of the charge to ensure support, information and understanding is available for all who experience early pregnancy loss, and for those who care for them."

Peter Allwood

Former Chief Operating Officer for the National Breast Cancer Foundation

Peter is an experienced board director and senior executive who has more than 25 years’ commercial experience across a broad range of industries in Australia and internationally.

Most recently Peter was in the role of Chief Operating Officer for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Previously, Peter was with Lendlease for 19 years, including 10 years based in London leading the organisation’s European retail property business.

Peter is passionate about assisting organisations achieve impact and sustainability through a focus on the development of people and culture. Peter currently mentors a number of young leaders in the not-for-profit sector.

Peter was appointed to the Board of Pink Elephants in 2023 and is also a Non-Executive Director of Sydney Fringe, The Sydney University Settlement, and Board Chair of Woodville Alliance. Peter is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).

Emma Costello
Associate Partner | Communications | SEC Newgate Australia
Emma is a public-affairs specialist with nearly 20 years’ experience working across the media, state politics and corporate consulting. She supports her clients in the national health and infrastructure sectors with expert crisis communications, strategic positioning and government relations support, with outstanding results. Emma has worked across numerous state and federal election campaigns and played a pivotal role in helping the government navigate challenging and contentious reforms during her time as chief of staff in the NSW Government. Following her own experience of recurrent miscarriage, Emma began supporting the work of Pink Elephants in 2021, in her position as Associate Partner at SEC Newgate.
"I met the wonderful Pink Elephants team a few years ago and have worked closely with them, providing public affairs support and advice, in my role as Associate Partner at SEC Newgate. While I am blessed to have two beautiful young daughters, I experienced a number of miscarriages on my own journey and can attest to the significant need for better support and understanding for women and their families during a difficult early pregnancy loss. The passion of the Pink Elephants team and the huge difference they’ve been able to make to the lives of thousands of women experiencing early pregnancy loss, has been incredible to be a part of.
I am now delighted to join the Board and very much look forward to supporting Pink Elephants to achieve even greater things and grow in its reach and capacity over the coming years."

Our Clinical Advisory Group

Coming soon

Our Workplace Advisory Group

Our Workplace Advisory Group was formed in September 2023. These are a group of individuals who can provide advice and support for our Workplace Support Program. Pink Elephants draws on their expertise, knowledge, and skills from their various professional and demographic backgrounds.

Nicole Karagiannis

Chief People & Culture Officer | harrison.ai

Nicole is the Chief People & Culture Officer at harrison.ai with over 15 years of experience in Human Resources. Nicole leads a team of Talent, Business Partners, Learning and Development, and IT professionals who enable harrison.ai to grow meaningfully, whilst fostering a culture of innovation and inclusion.

Knowing she had a love for working with people, Nicole kick-started her career by completing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, majoring in Human Resources. Her early career in HR was forged working at Westpac for 6 years where she experienced what great leadership looks like and attributes her career to the role models who believed in her when she had no prior knowledge or experience.

Following her time with Westpac, Nicole worked with Calvary Health Care, a purpose-driven organisation with services in public and private hospitals, aged and community care settings. She held a number of national and regional leadership roles before she transitioned to further leadership roles in transport, disability and fintech, leading people & culture teams that were purpose-driven. Nicole is also an Executive Coach with accreditation from the Institute of Executive Coaching and leadership (IECL) and the International Coaching Federation (ICF). She was most recently a finalist in the 2022 Outstanding Leadership Awards for Leadership HQ.

Harrison.ai is a health-tech scale-up dedicated to impacting millions of lives a day through comprehensive AI solutions as medical devices. The company operates two joint ventures: annalise.ai and franklin.ai. In her current role at harrison.ai, Nicole led the design of the organisation’s innovative “Becoming a parent” program which provides support for employees and their partners through early pregnancy loss and miscarriage.

Nicole is a strong advocate for education, and diversity and espouses the words of her father: that we are always learning and growing; and will be doing so until the day we draw our last breath.

Ann-Maree Imrie

Social Worker | Executive Assistant | Deloitte

Ann-Maree is a Social Worker, trained in grief and loss, Ambassador for Stillbirth Foundation Australia, and a mum to three boys – the first of whom was stillborn in January 2015. This experience was a pivotal moment in her life, which led to campaigning in the media and speaking engagements on grief support. In 2018 she published a children’s book, ‘You Could Have Been…’ for bereaved families to read to the baby who lives in their heart. She has seen firsthand, the value in workplace support when her son was stillborn, which has led to her focus on this area of support for other grieving families.

Anu Wettasinghe

Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing Manager | QBE

Anu Wettasinghe is the Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Manager at QBE Insurance Australia Pacific. Anu is passionate about fostering a thriving workplace culture, where people are valued for their contribution, feel a sense of belonging and are treated with fairness and respect. Families come in all shapes and sizes, facing their own unique set of circumstances including those who sadly experience pregnancy loss, which is why Anu believes that workplace support and being part of the Pink Elephants Workplace Program Advisory Group is so important.

Niti Nadarajah

Founder, Coach, DEI Consultant, Facilitator & Speaker | Coaching by Niti

Niti is an award-winning coach, freelance general counsel, DEI consultant and keynote speaker and facilitator, with a passion for authentic and inclusive leadership. She advocates for a range of issues including gender and racial equity, and through her business, Coaching by Niti, helps to empower women who are feeling stuck in their careers to get unstuck by connecting them to their inner compass.

She was recognised as a LinkedIn Top Voice (Gender Equity) in 2022 and was awarded Coach of the Year (Silver) and Emerging Leader of the Year (Gold) at the Women Changing the World Awards 2023 and Future Women Mentor of the Year at the Future Women Summit 2023. She is also a certified Master NLP practitioner, Executive Coach with Grace Papers, DEI practitioner on the NASA Astrophysics IDEA practitioner database, legal adviser to, consultant and mentor with, The Creative Co-operative, an angel investor at Nobody Studios, a founding member and DEI Ambassador at Human Leaders, a Mentor at Future Women, a Peer Support Companion at The Pink Elephants Support Network, a Community Partner for White Ribbon (Australia) and mum to two.

"Having suffered two pregnancy losses while working full-time, I know all too well the heavy impact that my silence at work had on my health – physically, mentally and emotionally. I believe that we need to equip people managers and leaders with the tools to be able to hold space for the grief and pain of their employees when they experience the trauma associated with pregnancy loss and infertility. And that, by encouraging more open dialogue about that trauma within workplaces, we can start to dismantle the cone of silence and make the unspoken, SPOKEN."

Anita Thompson

Head of Business Operations | LOD Lawyers

Anita is a HR, Operations and Marketing & Communications professional with over 20 years’ experience in the professional services industry, having worked in both Sydney and London. Her HR experience spans all aspects of the function, from talent management and career development through to engagement and building a strong corporate culture. In her current role with LOD (Lawyers on Demand) she works with stakeholders across Australia, Asia and the Middle East, and is accountable for the HR, Marketing and Business Operations functions.

Anita also created and hosts the ‘Heartache to Hope’ podcast, where she interviews ordinary women who have become extraordinary through their fertility and pregnancy loss journeys. Her purpose is to ensure other women don’t feel alone during what is an incredibly isolating and complex part of life for so many.

"My fertility journey was long and complicated and after suffering a number of miscarriages while working full time, I am passionate about helping other women navigate the emotional roller coaster. Pregnancy loss is heartbreaking, complicated and relentless and there is so much more that organisations can do to support their women and men through this time. I believe that organisations have barely scratched the surface to shed a light on this, give it a voice and remove the stigma and I want to do what I can to help."

Joanna Romeril

Head of Talent Management - People & Culture | Allianz Australia

"Having lost two babies and then having ongoing fertility treatment I know how overwhelming the grief and sadness can be. I came across The Pink Elephants Support network when I attended a local fundraising event. I was compelled to play a part in supporting other women by making them feel heard, supported and never alone, especially as this was not something I had when I went through my journey. I have been a Peer Support Companion for over a year and feel privileged to have the opportunity to do more by leveraging my professional work People & Culture, particularly DIB, Wellbeing and People Experience."

Jess Mayers

Senior Relationship Manager | ACON / Pride in Diversity

Jess (she/her) joined Pride in Diversity from The Star Sydney, where she developed a number of skills across a range of roles, including people management, stakeholder engagement, project management and strategy and planning.

In her work with Pride in Diversity, Jess acts as a trusted advisor in matters ranging from policy review, communication, strategy and planning. She works with senior executives, HR professionals and employee led networks to further inclusion in the workforce, and effect organisational change.

Growing up in a regional area with no LGBTQ representation and frequent casual homophobia, Jess knows what it’s like to feel you’re the odd one out and the pressure to stay hidden. She is passionate about helping her members to create workplaces where others can feel confident to be the visible role models they wish they’d had.

Outside of work Jess and her wife are proud but tired parents to two passionate, energetic, and spirited young people. Jess loves parenthood but dreams longingly of the days she could spend a weekend reading a book or saving the world in Assassins Creed.

She hopes that by the time her kids are entering the workforce, organisations like PID will be a thing of the past.

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