Changing who gets a seat at the table.

Four women standing outdoors by a body of water, smiling at the camera, with trees and a clear sky in the background.

Every day, boards make decisions that shape the organisations we rely on – influencing housing, health, community services, climate action and justice. Who sits on these boards shapes what organisations do and who they do it for.

Too often, the people most affected by those decisions aren't in the room.

Just Governance exists to make the knowledge of how boards and governance systems work more accessible, and to open a way in for the people who've been left out - young women and gender-diverse people, and people whose life experience is exactly what boards are missing.

A problem worth fixing

Most governance training is expensive, complicated, or written for people who already know the language and already feel welcome. If you've never been near a boardroom, there's no obvious first step - the way in is unclear, informal, or closed off.

The result: people with valuable and diverse perspectives never get near the table, and boards keep thinking the same way they always have.

Decisions don’t reach their full impact, and organisations can fail, because the people they are committed to serving never had a seat at the  table.

We think that's a problem worth fixing - for the people locked out, for the organisations missing out, and for all the communities that deserve their voices represented at the table.

The Board table has felt destined to look and operate one way… until now. 

Two women having a conversation outdoors in a park with green trees and sunlight in the background. The woman on the left is smiling and wearing a red shirt, and the woman on the right has long brown hair with purple tips.

Where we started

Just Governance was founded in 2025 by Dr Kath Hall, a former corporate law professor and internationally recognised governance expert.

Kath's research kept showing the same thing: the people running Australia's organisations don't look like the real Australia. Most directors are near retirement age. Very few are under 40. And boards keep asking for the one thing outsiders can't get - board experience.

Kath built Just Governance to change that - starting with Discover Governance, a program that opens the door to governance for young women and gender diverse people.

We ran our first program in early 2026. A few months later, we appointed our own board - young people, lived experience and diverse perspectives, all at the table.

A middle-aged woman with short brown hair, wearing glasses and earrings, smiling outdoors in front of a park with green trees.

Our impact

Results from Discover Governance, our signature training program:

“I now see governance as something I can shape, not just observe.”

- Discover Governance Participant

Five women sitting on a bench in a room with a painting on the wall behind them, smiling at the camera.

Meet Our Board

  • Smiling woman with short brown hair and glasses, wearing a brown blazer over a white shirt, outdoors with blurred green and yellow foliage in the background.

    Kath Hall

    Founder and Secretary

    Founder of Just Governance and an experienced governance specialist, Kath is dedicated to building practical pathways for young women, gender-diverse people and those with lived experience to step into organisational decision-making.

  • A woman standing outdoors near a body of water, smiling, wearing glasses, a maroon blazer, black and white striped shirt, and maroon pants, with trees and a clear sky in the background.

    Ariah Holmes

    Chair

    A volunteering specialist, trainer, facilitator and inclusion advocate. Ariah has a strong track record in volunteer strategy, inclusion and community capability building, and is Chair of Women with Disabilities ACT.

  • A smiling woman with long, dark, wavy hair wearing a black blazer with gold buttons and a green blouse, standing in front of colorful, abstract wall art.

    Bianca Tini Brunozzi

    Deputy Chair

    A passionate human rights advocate and Advocacy and Campaigns Advisor at YWCA Australia, with a background in law. Bianca models lived experience expertise and inclusion.

  • A woman with dark hair wearing a red pinstripe dress with a matching tie, standing against a plain peach-colored background.

    Annette Cole

    Co-Treasurer

    A deeply values-driven leader, Assistant Director with the Australian Government, Founder of Amplify Black Women, and former solicitor at the NSW Crown Solicitor's Office.

  • A woman with dark, braided hair, wearing glasses with black frames, earrings, a white top, and a cream-colored blazer, smiling against a plain brown background.

    Angelica Ojinnaka-Psillakis

    Co-Treasurer

    A leading youth health advocate, Manager of Future Healthy Countdown 2030 at Murdoch Children's Research Institute, researcher at Western Sydney University, and former Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations.

  • Close-up of a woman with light brown hair, green eyes, and earrings, smiling slightly. She is wearing a black top, and the background is plain and light-colored.

    Tessa Kerans-Clay

    Director

    Co-Founder of Sentiment Agency, Tessa brings deep experience in strategic communications and campaigns that shape culture and public conversation.

  • A young woman with long black hair and light skin smiling, standing against a purple and green blurred background. She is wearing a black top, purple pants, and a gold necklace.

    Michelle Lim

    Director

    A purpose-led leader, Michelle is a Non-Executive Director at Ability Options, Co-Founder and Director of the Asian Australian Professionals Collective, and works across organisational culture, ethics, and diversity, equity and inclusion.

  • A woman with long brown hair, wearing a black blazer and black top, smiling slightly, against a gray background.

    Grace McBride

    Director

    Creative strategist and Director of Growth and Partnerships at Sentiment Agency, Grace brings deep experience in storytelling, cultural campaigns and audience engagement.

  • Close-up of a smiling woman with straight brown hair, wearing a pink sweater, outdoors with blurred background lights.

    Melanie Philippou

    Director

    Appointed a Non-Executive Director at batyr at age 25, Melanie's work sits at the intersection of strategy, youth mental health and social impact. She's a Senior Strategist at creative agency, Sherry and Co-Founder of peried.

  • A young woman with long dark hair, smiling, wearing a dark green sweater with decorative buttons on the sleeves, standing outdoors with a blurred cityscape in the background.

    Adele Roeder

    Director

    One of Australia's young climate leaders, Adele is an Executive Assistant at Greenfleet and Youth Advisor at the Oceania Caribbean Climate Alliance, with a background in environmental science.