Team
Freya Gaunt
CEO
Freya’s first introduction to Indonesia was a language program in Salatiga, Central Java, in 2014. From this experience, her love for Indonesia’s cultures, languages and landscapes was strongly cemented. Since then, Freya has continued her engagement with the region by undertaking a year-long exchange in 2015 at Gadjah Mada University and Parahyangan Catholic University, where she completed her thesis on artist communities in Bandung. Freya is a former Vice President of AIYA ACT Chapter and was Cultural Performance and Events Coordinator for the Australia Indonesia Youth Exchange Program 2016-2017.
Upon graduation from ANU with a Bachelor of Arts in Asia-Pacific Studies/Science in 2017, Freya worked in health, advocacy and women’s microfinance organisations across Indonesia. Freya currently works as an International Advisor at the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
Riyantisa Fikautsara
COO
Fika is a communications professional who currently works at the University of Melbourne’s Indonesia office, where she focuses on the university’s communication strategies and engagement with stakeholders in Indonesia.
She previously worked at McKinsey & Company and Australia Awards in Indonesia, where her experience encompassed public relations, stakeholder engagement and marketing communications.
Apart from her professional activities, she likes exploring new readings, enjoying movies and songs, and learning how to make healthy and nutritious dishes.
Aaron Bronitt
Program Coordinator
Aaron is a final-semester Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and International Security Studies student studying at ANU. Aaron is currently undertaking an exchange semester at Gadjah Mada University as a 2022 New Colombo Plan recipient.
Aaron has developed a deep in Australia-Indonesia relations since first starting Indonesian language studies at ANU in 2019. Aaron hopes to work closely with Indonesia during his career, whether that be in the private or public sector.
Aaron has accepted a graduate role at a leading commercial law firm in Melbourne for 2024, where he will be placed in the intellectual property, competition and consumer law team. During the second half of 2023, Aaron hopes to undertake a range of internships in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia focusing on commercial law, international trade and disaster management.
Amadeo Ardisa
Program Coordinator
Deo is an experienced climate change and sustainability professional based in Melbourne. He has a keen interest in connecting international and grassroot youth communities, especially within the Australia-Indonesia space. Having studied a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Environment and Sustainability at Monash University and worked in both Jakarta and Melbourne, Deo hopes to share his multicultural experience and passion for a climate-conscious Australia-Indonesia community through CAUSINDY.
Anggun Dwi Kusumawati
Delegates Manager
Anggun has a great interest in collaborating at the intersection between sustainability, technology and inclusion. She also has a passion for youth empowerment and community development, which was the focus of one of her projects when she joined the ASEAN Foundation’s Empowering Youths Across ASEAN Program in 2019.
Anggun began volunteering for CAUSINDY in 2021. She is committed to promoting cross-cultural connections and looks forward to continuing her contributions to the Australia-Indonesia youth sphere through her involvement with CAUSINDY.
Desrina Sitompul
Program Coordinator
Desrina is a public health practitioner currently employed at a global development organisation on an antimicrobial resistance project. She received her Master of Public Health with majors in epidemiology and biostatistics from the University of Melbourne in 2017. Desrina became interested in the Australia-Indonesia space after developing fond memories of studying in Melbourne. She is passionate about public health and international development.
Evelynd
Communications Lead
Evelynd has been with the CAUSINDY team since 2017. She is a lecturer at Padang State University, where she spearheaded the development of the communication science study program.
Previously, Evelynd worked at the Australia-Indonesia Centre as a Digital Content Producer. She is also involved in the research-to-policy team in the field of Young People, Education and Skills as part of the Partnership of Australia-Indonesia Research (PAIR) program. Her experience as an academic began with teaching at Universitas Padjadjaran in Bandung, where she specialised in journalism, television and film studies.
Evelynd holds a Masters in Communication and Media Studies from Monash University. While in Melbourne, she did an internship at the ABC in its international development division, and sought professional experience in digital media. Being actively involved in bilateral organisations, Evelynd has also served as President of AIYA West Java. Currently she is developing Sumbar Connect, an online activism platform for youth and local communities in West Sumatra, which reflects her passion to connect people via education, entrepreneurship, and social and cultural activities to have a positive impact on society.
Hammad Shahin
EFL Coordinator
Hammad, a Bachelor of Laws/International Relations student at La Trobe University, is currently living and studying in Yogyakarta, as part of his 2021 New Colombo Plan Scholarship journey. His fascination with Indonesia was ignited after taking an elective course early in his degree, leading him to pursue a Diploma of Languages (Indonesian). Hammad is now undertaking the ACICIS International Relations Program at Gadjah Mada University and honing his Indonesian language skills at Wisma Bahasa.
Passionate about photography and editing, Hammad secured a Social Media Ambassador role with ACICIS, where he captures and shares Indonesia’s dynamic culture and landscapes. On his Instagram, he regularly posts about life in Indonesia using his trusty Ricoh GR IIIx, creating a vivid catalogue of his time there. His ongoing experience in Indonesia is deepening his appreciation for the Australia-Indonesia bilateral relationship and the warmth and hospitality of Indonesians.
Hammad is committed to using his NCP journey to inspire fellow Australians to explore Indonesian language study throughout formal schooling, university and beyond, playing his part in reversing the decline of Indonesian language enrolment in Australia. In his spare time, he enjoys indulging in audiobooks, hitting the gym, journaling, photography and savouring seafood (especially salt and pepper calamari). With so many arcs in Hammad’s Indonesian odyssey yet to unfold, join him to see whether the lure of seafood nasi goreng will prevent him from coming back to Australia for good!
Jake Turvey
Delegates Lead
Jake is a public health research professional currently working with the Institute for Health Research at the University of Notre Dame. He has a strong passion for practical research that seeks to address issues of social and health inequity throughout Australia and the Indo-Pacific region. He holds a Master of Public Health with a specialisation in infectious disease control from the University of New South Wales.
Jake’s keen interest in Indonesia first began in 2016 when he spent a semester abroad studying at Gadjah Mada University during his undergraduate degree. After graduation, he spent six months backpacking across Indonesia and has been highly active in the Australia-Indonesia space ever since, including as a delegate in the Australia Indonesia Youth Exchange Program.
Jake also has a background in international aid and development, with much of his previous work focusing on the implementation and evaluation of small-scale aid and development projects in Nusa Tenggara Timur and Sulawesi.
Lachlan Haycock
Website & Technology Lead
Lachlan is an Arts (Honours) graduate in languages and creative writing, a former volunteer for the Australia-Indonesia Youth Association and the National Australia-Indonesia Language Awards, and an alumni of the New Colombo Plan and the Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program.
He works at a Sydney communications, publishing and content marketing agency, where he writes for clients in areas as diverse as small business finance, veterans’ affairs and engineering.
Nicholas Basan
Program Coordinator
Nicholas is a New Colombo Plan Scholar who currently works at the Asian Development Bank’s Indonesia Resident Mission. He has previously completed two semesters abroad in Yogyakarta at Universitas Gadjah Mada and Universitas Islam Indonesia. Nicholas is passionate about Australia-Indonesia relations and keenly interested in the potential collaboration between the two nations in the green economy.
Nisa Ashila Ghaisani
Communications Manager
Shila has a Master of Letters Degree in Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art) from Glasgow School of Art and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Bandung Institute of Technology. Owing to her experience in the arts and creative industries, Shila was previously employed by British Council Indonesia and now works for the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara.
Seluz Fahik
Digital Content Producer
Seluz is an experienced quantitative analyst with a demonstrated history of working in project management in an international development context, and who is skilled in quantitative research, survey design and statistical analysis. He is currently working as a Data Officer at Australia Awards in Indonesia, an Australian Government-funded program from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for scholarship opportunities and the Australia Global Alumni network. He has a Master of Science in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Melbourne. Upon returning from his postgraduate training, he initiated a community called Let’s Talk to help young people in his hometown of Kupang, Nusa Tenggara Timur, to learn and speak English. He actively promotes the Australian education system and opportunities to study in Australia through his personal YouTube channel. Travelling and writing are the ways he enjoys life.