Leadership Team
Clare Mullen – Executive Director
Clare joined HCC in September 2018 and took on the role of Executive Director in May 2023. Her passion for consumer advocacy comes from her own experience of an adverse event in the UK and how difficult she found it to get answers for herself when she was seen to be challenging “the system”.
Clare’s background is in change management and communications in the health and social care sector in the UK and Australia. At the WA Department of Health she worked with Health Networks, Activity Based Funding and Management and in the safety and quality team. At the WA Primary Health Alliance she was the Operations Manager for Perth North Primary Health Network. In the UK, she worked on a national frontline leadership program in the National Health Service which brought frontline staff and consumers together to work on improving health services in their local area.
She is passionate about creating opportunities for people who use the health system and people who work in the health system to work together to improve health outcomes. She is trained in change management, project management, facilitation and Gestalt therapy.
Clare oversees HCC’s involvement in The WELL Collaborative – a forum which brings together consumers and people with lived experience, with clinicians, academics and policy makers to change and improve how we talk about and manage healthcare for people with overweight and obesity.
Outside of HCC, she Chairs the national Weight Issues Network, a consumer-led advocacy group for people impacted by weight issues, and is Chair of the Medical Advisory Board at Curtin University. She is a member of the Advisory Board for the Australian Centre for Value-Based Healthcare. In her spare time, she loves listening to podcasts, watching British crime dramas, and doodling with thread.
Connect with Clare on LinkedIn
Bronwyn Ife – Systemic Advocacy and Engagement Lead
Bronwyn joined the HCC team in January 2025. She has a BA in Anthropology and History, a graduate diploma in Education and a Masters in Public Health. She started her career working in the state and then commonwealth public sectors in various roles connected to the health system, including complaints management, which sparked an interest in social justice and a desire to address health inequities. After having children, she spent a number of years following her other passions and worked in the music industry, before she became one of those people who saw the COVID-19 pandemic as a chance to refocus and reprioritise, completing her Masters in 2023. She has experience as a carer and advocate for a family member who is now recovering from complex health issues.
When not working, she serves as a councillor and Deputy Mayor at the Town of Victoria Park and sits on the board of Victoria Park Primary School. She enjoys reading, spending time with her family, long walks in the beautiful Perth hills, baking, camping with friends, and discussing politics.
Sally Harrison – Development Manager
Sally is a marketing, communications and business development professional with extensive experience helping organisations grow their brands, attract new clients and identify strategic opportunities across corporate and not-for-profit sectors.
She spent 15 years in the finance industry, working in institutional and retail investment in London and at Macquarie Bank in Australia, before transitioning to the not-for-profit sector in 2012. Since then, she has held roles with Mission Australia, Centacare, EON Foundation, and Kiind (formerly Kalparrin).
At Health Consumers’ Council WA, Sally focuses on building and nurturing key partnerships, identifying new business opportunities and supporting initiatives that drive sustainable growth.
Having supported family members through complex health and aged care systems, Sally understands firsthand how critical the right guidance and support are in navigating these often complicated and frustrating processes, particularly when patients and their loved ones are at their most vulnerable.
Passionate about empowering health consumers and their families, she finds it deeply rewarding to work alongside a small but dedicated team committed to helping people understand their rights, access essential care and confidently advocate for themselves and their families.
Sally holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Heriot-Watt University, Scotland and is a proud mum of two.
Samantha – Advocacy Manager
Sam first came to HCC in February 2019 as a social work student on placement within the advocacy team, and was later offered a permanent position within the team. In late-2021 Sam started as the Acting Senior Advocate, and formally moved into the role in 2022. Previous to Sam’s experience at HCC, she spent nine years working in the disability field as an education assistant and a community support worker. Through Sam’s experience, she recognises the importance of having the consumer at the heart of the situation, and brings with her a strong sense for social justice.
Tania Harris – Advocacy and Engagement Manager, Aboriginal and Disability Engagement Lead
Tania is an Aboriginal woman originally from Queensland. Prior to coming to the Health Consumers’ Council, Tania worked on various Aboriginal programs from ear health to parenting support. She has a special interest in the areas of disability and young people, and how their engagement and empowerment in the health system can be supported and encouraged from an early age. In addition to her role as Engagement Manager, Tania is also covering the role of Advocacy Manager while Samantha is on maternity leave.
Engagement Team
Aimee Riddell – Engagement and Advocacy Coordinator
Aimee has worked in the not-for-profit health sector since 2006 in a variety of customer service, corporate support, and management roles, and joined the HCC team January 2023. She brings a for-purpose focus to her work and strives to make a positive impact in the community by supporting organisations to deliver on their vision and purpose.
Her interests focus on increasing equity in the health system, reducing barriers to accessing health care and support, and advocating for ongoing psychosocial support to those impacted by cancer (treating the whole person not just the disease).
When Aimee isn’t at work you will find her cooking up a feast, creating the perfect cheese board, or bingecasting Brené Brown podcasts.
Kieran Bindahneem – Engagement Coordinator
Kieran joined our team in late 2022 in a full-time role, but he’s been a part of the HCC team far longer having helped deliver our Empowering Health Consumers with Disabilities project in 2019, and our Electronic Medical Record Consumer Charter project in 2021. Kieran has a background in facilitation and marketing. He has worked as a facilitator within the social services sector in WA and has been involved in the development of many statewide policies and not-for-profit strategic plans. Kieran enjoys travelling, board games, and is a bit of a ‘green thumb’ in the garden.
Nadeen Laljee-Curran – Cultural Diversity Engagement Lead
Nadeen initially came to HCC in 2017 as a Master of Public Health student volunteer and she returned as a staff member in 2019. Nadeen holds and Bsc(hons, first class) in Chemistry from Cardiff University and a Master of Public Health from UWA. Nadeen had a corporate career before she decided to pursue her passion for health and what she considered to be a more meaningful career.
Nadeen’s own lived experience with a rare, systemic disease and navigating the health system in that context has made her passionate about patient-centred healthcare, health literacy, and patients understanding and managing (where possible) their own healthcare.
Nadeen is of Indian heritage but grew up in the UK, born to parents who had come there from East Africa. As such she is aware of some of the issues faced by migrants and refugees, and she enjoys to helping people newly arrived from overseas to understand their health rights and how to fully benefit from health services. She is excited by Australia’s growing multiculturalism and is enthusiastic about communities making Australia home, integrating whilst maintaining cultural identity.
Nadeen has a young daughter and enjoys spending time with her family, enjoying the Aussie outdoor lifestyle, and traveling overseas when possible.
Qistina Taufiq – Cultural Diversity Engagement Officer
Having been diagnosed with chronic asthma at the age of seven, Qistina spent a lot of time in and out of the hospital where the healthcare staff who cared for her left a lasting positive impression. Their care and professionalism inspired Qistina to find a way to make a meaningful impact in healthcare. This deep passion led her to pursue a Diploma in Optometry and a Diploma Plus in Humanitarian Affairs from Singapore Polytechnic. Qistina worked as an optometrist in Singapore for three years, where she also volunteered for eye screenings on World Sight Day and was part of the student optometry committee. She continued to nurture her commitment to healthcare by volunteering as a befriender at Alexandra Hospital in Singapore. In WA, Qistina also gained hands-on experience working in allied health as an optical dispenser, where she assisted in patients by providing eyewear solutions and recommended eyecare tips.
Driven by a deeper interest in healthcare, Qistina pursued a bachelor degree in biomedical sciences majoring in Anatomy and Human Biology at the University of Western Australia (UWA). While at UWA, she did a McCusker internship at HCC as the cultural diversity engagement intern where she worked on a Visa Health Project with Nadeen. Being someone with a mixed Malay Indian cultural background, Qistina feels privileged to have rejoined HCC in 2024 as a cultural diversity engagement officer where she attends network meetings involving the multicultural organizations, community outreach and assists in facilitating cultural trainings. She is looking to reach out to youths from diverse backgrounds. Her long-term goal is to contribute to society as much as she can in the healthcare sector, and to achieve a great positive impact with excellence.
Individual Advocacy Team
Chrissy – Senior Advocate
Chrissy is passionate about being master of your own health. Ensuring people know their rights and what tools are available in our healthcare system can improve their journey through the WA health system. Chrissy enjoys supporting consumers while they navigate challenges in the health system.
In 2011 Chrissy joined HCC. Before this she was advocating for people with Hepatitis C and drug/alcohol issues, ran a successful natural therapies clinic called Head for Health Natural Therapies for 7 years, completed general nursing training, and assisted people with an intellectual disability to become more independent. She also is a mum and grandmother.
Chrissy believes healthy eating and keeping active is the cornerstone to health. She cycles almost every day, swims, and loves to dance.
Helen – Senior Information and Advocacy Officer
Helen is a new addition to the HCC team starting in January 2023. Helen has a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Psychology. Helen has worked in the community sector for many years in Perth, in the North West WA – East Pilbara, and in Queensland. This includes a number of years in Mental Health Advocacy. Helen believes that “knowledge is power” and assisting people to gain relevant knowledge, skills and support will provide greater equity and improve consumers experiences in the health care system.
Jenni – Senior Information and Advocacy Officer
Jenni has worked at Health Consumers’ Council since early 2018 in a number of different roles. Jenni has a passion for advocacy. She comes from 20+ years working for non-profit organisations in roles which have all required some form of social advocacy, including victim support, housing support, DV support worker, paralegal and claims manager. She also has a medico-legal background having worked in medical negligence for 6 years and enjoys utilising her experience in the medico-legal and not for profit sector to help consumers to be empowered to overcome the many barriers they face whilst navigating our health care system.
Kerrie – Senior Advocate
Kerrie joined HCC in August 2017. After working for 9 years for the medical health industry as a laboratory technician, she gained knowledge of the physical ailments that affect patients in the hospital system. Driven by a passion for helping others, a career change saw her achieve a degree in social science, specialising in counselling. Kerrie is dedicated to supporting people with their health and well-being and has a strong desire to help vulnerable people in the community.
As a member of the advocacy team, Kerrie can use her knowledge of both the medical health industry, and her mental health profession to assist consumers to navigate the healthcare system. Kerrie is passionate about self-care for herself and others. She believes that keeping a healthy balance of eating well, exercise, enjoying the great outdoors, and spending quality time with family and friends is the foundation of her own well-being.
Corporate, Communications and Development Team
Emma – Project and Program Support Officer.
At HCCWA, Emma works across the organisation’s engagement, operations, and advocacy teams, supporting projects from early planning through to implementation. With a background in environmental management, sustainability, and community development, she brings practical experience in facilitation, consultation, and community-centred project design.
Emma has worked in both the homelessness and FDV not-for-profit sector and in environmental consulting, contributing to a wide range of engagement, education, and project delivery initiatives. A key project included her role in Indigo Junction’s Social Housing Economic Recovery Package (SHERP), where she helped coordinate and implement five WaterWise garden installations as part of broader home refurbishments for families and young people. She has also assisted in coordinating workshops, supporting cross-sector partnerships, and delivering events that elevate community perspectives in planning and service design.
Emma is particularly passionate about the health rights of women and gender-diverse people. She recognises that many of the health issues affecting these communities have historically been under-reported, under-researched, and under-represented in policy and service delivery. This drives her commitment to ensuring their experiences are heard, respected, and reflected in decision-making. Through her work, she continues to advocate for greater visibility of women’s health needs and more equitable access to care.
TA – Communications & Marketing Coordinator
TA is the Communications and Marketing Coordinator at the Health Consumers’ Council WA. She leads the organisation’s marketing and digital communication work. She shares clear, accurate and accessible information with health consumers across Western Australia. She manages website content, social media activity, e newsletters and campaign planning. She also supports the promotion of advocacy, engagement and fee for service projects.
She brings experience in strategic communication, content creation and community focused marketing. She holds a BA in Graphic Design and a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration. She is motivated by seeing the impact of HCCWA’s advocacy on people’s lives and by working with a team committed to fair and consumer centred health care.
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