Deloitte consulting partner and social change advocate joins SSI Board as independent director

A partner of leading management consulting firm, Deloitte, who leads the firm’s Social Impact Consulting practice has today joined the board of Settlement Services International (SSI) as an independent director.

Tharani Jegatheeswaran, who begins her appointment on November 30, 2021, brings more than 15 years of strategy and transformation experience to the board role.

Ms Jegatheeswaran is passionate about SSI’s vision and work to “achieve a society that values the diversity of its people…”, as a first generation immigrant herself, who came to Australia after her parents left Sri Lanka due to the civil war.

She holds a Bachelor of Business degree from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and is a certified Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Australia (ICAA).

While at Deloitte, she has helped many of Australia’s leading social sector organisations, government agencies and businesses to deliver greater social impact aligned to their vision and mission.

Ms Jegatheeswaran is also a Board Director of UNICEF Australia, the United Nations Children’s Fund. She has also previously been a Director of the Deloitte Foundation and a judge for the Good Design Australia Social Innovation Awards.

SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis AM said she was excited to welcome such a talented and passionate advocate for social sector collaboration and diversity and inclusion to the board.

“We will benefit greatly from Tharani’s expertise and renown for bringing the latest trends in strategy, technology and innovation from adjacent industries and globally, and applying them to the community and social sector.”

“We are always looking for new ways to create value for the communities we serve and to articulate that in a meaningful way, and we look forward to tapping into Tharani’s knowledge and experience in this area.”

While welcoming Ms Jegatheeswaran, Ms Roumeliotis also acknowledged that the terms of SSI board chair Elisabeth Shaw and board member Professor Lucy Taksa had come to an end. She thanked them both for their valuable contribution to the board.

“I would like to express my gratitude to Elisabeth, whose leadership as the chair of SSI has seen us successfully navigate both prosperous and challenging times,” Ms Roumeliotis said.

“I would like to thank her for being a generous chair with both her time and extraordinary intelligence and the lasting legacy she has left on SSI’s culture.

“As an independent board member, Lucy has brought real depth to our discussions, with insightful questioning and unique perspectives that have enhanced the way we think about our organisation and the decisions we’ve made.”

Ms Jegatheeswaran joins Alex McCauley and Voula Messimeri, who were appointed as independent directors of the company by the board on February 16, 2021.

For more information about the SSI board please visit our website.

Media enquiries: SSI Senior Communications Officer Rebeka Selmeczki; 0468 998 300 rselmeczki@ssi.org.au