Meet our experts

Natasha is recognised nationally and internationally as a human rights, equality and inclusion expert. She is a Sessional Commissioner at the Victorian Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Commission.

While specialising in the rights of women at work, Natasha brings to this a holistic and intersectional understanding of racial equality, disability rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, and age discrimination.

As Principal of Intersection Natasha is a sought-after expert advisor on cultural reform initiatives across the public and private sectors. In this role Natasha led the Safe, Respectful and Inclusive Workplace Review of Chevron Australia, the Independent Review of Workplace Culture of the Productivity Commission and Out in the Open: Changing the Culture at Nine Entertainment.

Prior to establishing Intersection, Natasha led significant national policy reforms including: 


• Set the Standard: the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces (2021) and

• Respect@Work: the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces (2020).

Natasha’s deep workplace culture experience covers a wide range of sectors and includes leading partnerships with the Australian Defence Force, Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force; working with sporting codes including the AFL, Cricket Australia, Golf Australia, Basketball Australia, Football Australia and FIFA; supporting change efforts in the resources and mining sector; and in the arts and entertainment sector, among others.

Natasha is currently a: 

• Non-Executive Director at Plan International Australia

• Board Advisor, Teach Us Consent

• Basketball Australia Board Nominations Committee Member


• Human Rights Steering Committee Member, AFL Players’ Association


• Human Rights Advisor, Sport Integrity Australia

• Non-Executive Director, Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College.

Maria leads Intersection’s education and training offering, iAcademy. She is an expert in human rights, gender equality and discrimination, with 15 years’ experience in policy and strategy development, education and training across the non-government and government sectors.  

Maria has led a range of gender and workplace equality, diversity and education initiatives working with a diverse range of private and public sector organisations. At the Australian Human Rights Commission, Maria led the Commission’s training and education portfolio which develops and delivers customised training and education modules for public and private sector organisations on bullying, discrimination, harassment and sexual harassment, and human rights in the workplace.   

Most recently Maria has led a multi-disciplinary program of work focused on the prevention of inappropriate workplace behaviour at a large State government department. The program focused on the implementation of the positive duty, leadership capability and embedding processes to manage related psychosocial safety risks.

Maria also has significant experience in leading independent organisational cultural reviews into the universities sector, the sporting sector, and the mining and extractives sector.  

While at the Australian Human Rights Commission Maria led:

• Change the Routine: Independent Review into Gymnastics in Australia (2021)

• Racial Equality Review of Basketball Australia (2021)

• Independent review of residential colleges at the University of New England (2019)

• Everyone’s Business: Survey on Sexual harassment of members of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (2019).

Maria was previously an adjunct lecturer at UNSW Law School, a senior policy officer at the Australian Pro Bono Centre and a solicitor in private practice.

Afton is an experienced social policy professional with a decade of experience in the government and not-for-profit sectors. She has led significant state and national policy projects with a particular focus on gender equality, disability rights, and the prevention of sexual harassment. 

Prior to joining Intersection, Afton led a program of work in the government sector focused on supporting leaders to understand their positive duty obligations and undertaking targeted cultural reviews.

While at the Australian Human Rights Commission Afton led the development of the Everyone’s business: Survey on sexual harassment of members of the Shop, Distributive, and Allied Employees’ Association (2019) and wrote the community guide for the Respect@Work report (2020). Afton has also developed national guidance on Australia’s Federal anti-discrimination laws for the sporting, health and transport sectors.  

Afton was previously a Senior Associate at a top tier law firm where she advised clients in the mining, property, transport, technology and not-for-profit sectors. 



Trish is a highly-regarded workplace consultant and employment lawyer.


For more than two decades, Trish has worked in private legal practice, executive level government policy and research roles, and as a trusted workplace investigator and advisor.


Trish was a senior member of the team responsible for delivering the Australian Human Rights Commission’s landmark Respect@Work report as part of the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces. She also played an integral role in the Set the Standard report, following the Independent Inquiry into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces.


Trish provides practical workplace diversity and employment law advice, conducts sensitive workplace investigations and cultural reviews, and designs and delivers practical and engaging workplace education programs on diversity, appropriate workplace behaviour and employment law.






Alexandra (Alex) has extensive experience in leading large-scale sector and organisational cultural reviews of national significance. Since 2011, Alex has led a range of cultural reviews that have resulted in significant change, for clients including the Australian Defence Force, the Australian Federal Police, Qantas, Air Services Australia, the University of Sydney’s seven residential colleges, the Victorian Courts, Rio Tinto, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and EY Oceania. 


In 2022, Alex led the groundbreaking review into Sexual Harassment, Sexual Abuse and Systemic Discrimination in the Australian Contemporary Music Industry, resulting in the Raising Their Voices report.


Alex is a thought leader on the impact of workplace bullying, sexual harassment, racism and other forms of discrimination, and the importance of psychologically safe workplaces.



Lauren is an experienced public sector professional with 16 years of experience in the NSW and Commonwealth government public services.  She has led significant State and Commonwealth government policy initiatives, with a particular focus on gender equality and the prevention of workplace sexual harassment. She also has expertise across the NSW Health portfolio, and in the national security and immigration spaces.


Most recently, Lauren was the Director of the Sex Discrimination team at the Australian Human Rights Commission under former Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins AO. She co-directed the Respect@Work: National Inquiry into Workplace Sexual Harassment (2020) report and led high performing teams to deliver other ground-breaking reports including Equality across the board: Investing in workplaces that work for everyone (2021), and Everyone’s
Business: Fourth national survey on sexual harassment in Australian workplaces (2018).





Tanaya has extensive experience in inquiries and reviews into systemic and cultural issues at national and State level. Tanaya was the Director of Respect@Work at the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), as well as the Director of the AHRC’s Indigenous Project within the Defence Collaboration. 


Most recently Tanaya has been working with Intersection on a range of cultural reform initiatives including the Safe, Respectful and Inclusive Workplace Review of Chevron Australia.


Tanaya previously led investigations as part of the Special Projects Taskforce at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, examining responses to child sexual abuse in religious institutions. Prior to this, Tanaya led teams within the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce, focusing on systemic issues and responding to complaints of sexual and physical abuse, sexual harassment, and bullying and harassment, within ADF institutions.  





Ashley is an experienced senior public policy and human rights professional, and Respect@Work Educator. She has led the development and delivery of human rights education for a range of audiences.


Ashley held senior roles within the Australian Human Rights Commission’s (AHRC) education, training and knowledge translation function for a period of 8 years. During this time Ashley led and implemented the education and training related recommendations from Respect@Work and the AHRC’s human rights education partnership with Vietnam.


Ashley also has experience working on workplace cultural reform initiatives, with a focus on gender equality and Respect@Work, for the Australian Federal Police. 



Ryan is an experienced adult educator and facilitator. For the past 17 years, Ryan has worked as a lecturer in higher education, with expertise in creating safe and inclusive learning environments for learners of all ages and backgrounds. He has won several commendations for his teaching and is recognised as a leader in virtual and online education.

Prior to taking on his role in higher education, Ryan worked as an adult educator in the construction industry, and has held various training roles in private and government organisations, both in Australia and overseas. He holds a PhD from the University of New South Wales, and a Master of Education from the University of New England. Ryan is also a Senior Lecturer in English literature at Macquarie University in Sydney.

Amandine is an Arts/Law student at the University of Sydney, with an interest in politics and international relations.


In 2024, she completed an internship at the prestigious Berkeley Law School’s Centre on Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law, focusing on issues of harassment and violence. During this time, she wrote and edited a report on Australian Workplace Health and Safety and Anti-Discrimination Law responses to bullying and sexual harassment alongside Ann Noel, co-director of the gender violence and harassment working group and book editor of ‘The Global #MeToo Movement.’