Our Board

Mr Adam Hegedus

Executive Director

Managing Director

Mr Adam Hegedus is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Educating The Future Australia. Adam received the UNSW Co-Op Leadership Scholarship for a Bachelor of Commerce (Co-Op) Degree at UNSW Sydney and is currently completing his Honours Program within the Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney under an Ethics Scholarship. He has had professional experience with Origin Energy, Westpac Group and Westpac Foundation and Deloitte Social Impact Consulting. He has also worked in the Indo-Pacific with Project Child Indonesia and with the Ministry of Education HANDS Pre-School Programme Timor-Leste, supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade New Colombo Plan. He has completed his Governance Essentials for NFP Directors with the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He also speaks English, Hungarian, Indonesian, and Tetun Dili.

Mr Oscar Osborne

Executive Director

Oscar joined the founding team of Educating The Future in early 2016. In this time, he has held roles as an Executive Director, Co-Chairperson, and Treasurer. He has experience across the financial services, international development, and logistics industries, as well as, experience working on several small scale start-ups. Oscar holds a Bachelor of Business and a Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation from the University of Technology, Sydney. He is currently undergoing his Doctorate at the University of New South Wales, where he is researching the emergence of innovation ecosystems throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Ms Jenny Katrivesis

Non-Executive Director

Ms Jenny Katrivesis is the Director and Founder of Chilli IQ, a media company that develops leading events for the legal profession. In her role as Project Director – Conferences, she is responsible for the creation of each event; developing relevant content and sourcing leading speakers that drive its success. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) and has been nominated for the Telstra Business Awards. Chilli IQ was the recipient of the UK Legal IT Insiders award of Leading Conference company for Legal events in 2019. 

Mr John Cucinotta

Non-Executive Director

Treasurer

Mr John Cucinotta is an experienced Chartered Accountant and Solicitor with over 40 years of Accounting, Tax and Commercial experience. He is the principal of an accounting practice in Parramatta which specialises in Taxation, Accounting and Business Advising. He holds a Bachelor of Economic (Syd), Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Fellow of the Tax Institute of Australia, Graduate Diploma in Law (LPAB) and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the College of Law in Sydney.

Mrs Jessica Irving

Non-Executive Director


Mrs Jessica Irving is a senior legal professional with significant experience in multi-jurisdictional issues and advising many not-for-profit organisations on a pro bono basis to navigate a variety of complex legal issues. She was previously a Senior Associate at a leading international law firm, and now manages the Whistleblowing Program at a large financial institution. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Bachelor of International Relations from Griffith University and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the College of Law in Brisbane.

Mr Vivian Stephens

Non-Executive Director

Mr Vivian Stephens is a senior management consultant with over 10 years of commercial and consulting experience across the not-for-profit, retail, and banking sectors. He has extensive experience in strategy development, operating model design and operational improvement, with particular expertise in program evaluation and impact measurement. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) and a Bachelor of Arts (International Relations) and is also a qualified Social Return on Investment practitioner

Our Advisory Panel

Luciano


Louis Talay

Dr. Louis Talay met the two co-founders of Educating the Future in 2015 when he became their soccer coach for the mighty 2nd X1 at Waverley College. Shortly after that soccer season ended, he moved to Europe for 2 years, but maintained contact with his new friends Adam and Alexi and marveled at their burgeoning initiative. Since his return to Sydney in late 2017, he has been an active member of multiple ETF committees and was fortunate enough to have been a part of ETF’s 2018 trip to Timor-Leste. From early 2018 to the end of 2019, Louis was also the director of the Fursday Froffers social club that raised enough money for ETF to build another pre-school. Outside of his ETF commitments, Louis likes to play social Oztag, hack at 90s tunes on his guitar, wipeout on his bodyboard at Mackenzies Bay, and agonize over the Oranje’s obsession with Cruijffian philosophy. He currently works in data analytics for a government agency and has previous experience as a high school English teacher, an MP staffer and a refugee studies academic. He holds a PhD in Sociology (USyd) and speaks Spanish, French and Dutch at a C2 (fluent) level.

James de Vires


Pedro Ximenes


Our Team

  • Communications
  • Fundraising
  • Operations, Policy and Finance
  • Partnerships
  • People and Culture
  • Technology
  • Timor-Leste Programs
Communications

Alessandro Piovano

Alessandro co-founded ETF in 2016 after a high school immersion program two years prior. The immersion program allowed him to understand and contextualise the value and power of education to brighten future outlooks for disadvantaged youth.

Alex Gomez 

Alex is passionate about graphic design and illustration and leads our Design Team, supporting the wider organisation on all things design. Alex has been able to bring life to the organisation through playful and contemporary design. 

Audrey Renwick

Audrey joined ETF in April 2021 after the devastating floods that hit Dili and surrounding areas. Her passion for ensuring good health and equal opportunity for all people aligns with ETF’s mission. Audrey brings marketing and stakeholder engagement skills to our Communications Team. 

Josh Donovan

Joshua joined ETF in 2018 as a Communications team member. After visiting Timor-Leste in 2016, he was inspired to contribute to improving the education system in Timor-Leste, and Educating The Future is an inspiring initiative that aims to do just that.

Lukito Freitas

Lukito joined ETF in August 2021 as a member of the Communications Team. As a young Timorese graphic designer  he is passionate about communicating with the community through the art of design. He was inspired to join ETF because of the outstanding activities and projects ETF has produced over the years within Timor-Leste's early childhood education. 

Nicola Varudo

Nicola joined ETF as a Communications Team member in 2021 and has always wanted to be a part of something that will impact not only her own life but other people’s lives and make a long-term difference. Being East-Timorese herself, she wants to be included in making a difference in Timor.

Fundraising

Alec Lesmond

Alec Lesmond has been with ETF since 2018, predominately working in the Fundraising Team. He has led the team in applying for the Friendship Grant at DFAT, organised three Touch World Cups, and represented ETF at the Beijing University Innovation and Entrepreneurship conference alongside Oscar Osborne. Alec spent two years as the company secretary, but is now focusing solely on the Fundraising team

Ben Gabriel

Ben joined ETF in September 2019 and is a member of the Fundraising Team, organising campaigns and events for ETF. Ben was inspired to join ETF by co-founders Adam and Alexi’s amazing initiative to make a positive difference to the quality of education in Timor-Leste. 

Carter Killigrew

Carter joined ETF fundraising team in 2021, working on events and raising awareness. Visiting Timor-Leste in 2018, Carter was impelled to help in any way possible. The student-based charity seemingly became the perfect environment to give back.

Grace Falconer

Grace joined our Fundraising Team in 2021. She is passionate about grassroots development and was inspired by the incredible youth-led work they had achieved to ensure every child has the right to a quality education.

Jie Rui Lin

Jierui joined ETF as a member of the Fundraising Team in 2022. He regards the act of giving back as both an antidote to global inequalities and the purest means of empowerment. Jierui aspires to truly make a difference by extending a helping hand to the less fortunate children in Timor-Leste.

Katrina Hegedus

Katrina joined ETF in 2018 as a member of the Fundraising Team. Katrina is passionate about driving change through fundraising efforts. Katrina has played an instrumental role in organising the 2022 Trivia Event and Gala Dinner. Katrina hopes that one-day education will be more accessible in Timor-Leste in light of the work that the team does. 

Lachlan Colgrave

Lachlan joined ETF in 2019 after meeting co-founders Adam and Alessandro in Indonesia. Inspired by the power of a youth-led initiative in achieving change for disadvantaged youth, Lachlan wanted to help share ETF’s mission in Melbourne.

Matthew Ko

Matthew joined ETF on April 2022 working under the Fundraising Team. He is a motivated and passionate student studying a Bachelor of Commerce/ Bachelor of Advanced Studies at the University of Sydney, keen to empower Timorese youth and communities through access to education. He's driven to help others out and make a positive impact on the world.

Sophie Gardner

Sophie joined our Fundraising Team in 2021 after hearing about ETF through her university degree. Sophie was inspired to join ETF from her belief that everyone should have the right to education.

Tanisha Daluz

Tanisha joined ETF in 2021 because she has always had a strong passion for helping others, especially those less fortunate than herself. Tanisha is East Timorese and really appreciates the work being done at ETF for the Timorese community.

Operations, Policy and Finance

Eliza McGowan

Eliza joined ETF in July 2020 under the Fundraising Team and has recently moved into the Chief of Finance role given her background in Finance and Accounting. Eliza joined ETF as she believes the organisation is structured to deliver context appropriate solutions to alleviate educational poverty within Timor-Leste and promote major societal progress.

Emma Newman

Emma has a passion for ensuring access to education and establishing equal opportunities for growth and development aligns with the constitution of Educating the Future. Emma strongly believes in the importance of universal access to education as a basic human right. Emma joined ETF in February 2019 and now is our Chief Policy and Compliance Officer facilitating change on a legal level at ETF.

Lillian Yana

Lillian joined ETF in 2018 and since then has been involved in the charity’s management of workshops and projects, business development, and the finance, audit and risk committee.

Partnerships

Nick Basan

Nick joined ETF following an exchange program in Indonesia with Co-Founder Adam Hegedus in 2019. As Western Australia’s Team leader, Nicholas is responsible for building a team of volunteers and sharing ETF’s vision.

Ryan Lewis

Ryan joined ETF in July 2019 and is currently Chief of Partnerships. Ryan was inspired by Adam and Alexi’s Schoolies For Schooling initiative, and joined with the desire to make a positive difference to the quality of life of people in Timor-Leste. 

People and Culture

Maddi Aldereuccio

Maddi joined ETF in 2020 because she was inspired by the youth-led organisation and their aspirations to help provide education to children in Timor-Leste. Maddi leads our People & Culture team, ensuring the supportive onboarding process and facilitates workshops for the team.


Technology

Lachlan Stewart

Lachlan joined ETF in July 2019 and is our Technology Team Leader, responsible for improving the efficiency of ETF’s internal processes utilising digital platforms and technologies. Lachlan joined ETF to apply his skills and knowledge gained from university courses.

Jamie Ferreira

Jamie is passionate about how technology can be used to drive impact and change. He joined the ETF technology team in 2021 as he believes that education is one of most important contributors to a strong community.

Timor-Leste Programs

Grace Harding

Grace joined ETF in 2018 with an interest in sustainable international development and the desire to use her own education to help close the disparities between Australia and Timor-Leste. Grace is the co-leader of the Programs Team and had the opportunity to visit Timor-Leste in 2019. 

Harrison Delaney

Harrison joined ETF in 2019 and is a member of the Timor-Leste Programs team, focused on supporting construction initiatives in Timor-Leste. Harrison enjoys being able to play a role in providing quality education to Timorese communities

Jivan Naganathan

Jivan joined ETF in 2022, as a member of the Programs team. He is passionate about combating global inequalities and has been inspired by the organisation's direct action and sustained community collaboration with Timorese communities.

Matthew Dunne

After travelling to Timor in 2014 and experiencing Timor-Leste and the disadvantages Timorese people face, Matt was inspired to help make a difference. Matt joined ETF in 2017 and now supports our programs team to implement preschool constructions and in-country trips.

Milo Fatima

It was in July 2019 Milo joined us, supporting the team as a translator on a visit to Timor-Leste and has become our in-country correspondent ever since. Milo is building relationships between Educating The Future and Ministry Advisors, supporting our mission to improve the educational outcomes of Timorese children.

Santino Frenky de Araujo

Frenky began volunteering with ETF in 2021 as has seen a lot of issues encountered in the field of education and that inspired him to take action.

Sarah Galligan

Sarah joined ETF in August 2021, and is a member of the programs team. She has always had a strong passion for education and strongly believes in everyone's right to access an education. She was inspired by what ETF had already achieved and wanted to be a part of their mission.

Linda Puc

Linda was inspired to join ETF after hearing about it from fellow team member, Liz. Being Timorese herself, Linda was highly motivated to support an organisation that focused on Timor-Leste and to give back to her country. 

Tyler Von Der Heyden

After travelling to Timor in 2015 and experiencing the disparity between Australia and Timor-Leste, Tyler was inspired to help make a difference to the lives of the Timorese people and joined the ETF team in 2017.