Our board
An experienced and passionate board with diverse skills in finance, law, community, education and literature governs 100 Story Building to ensure its successful operation.
Sandeep Varma
Sandeep Varma (Chair) is an award-winning leader, and is the Founder and CEO of SAARI Collective, a media startup and high-calibre member community that amplifies the visibility of South Asian (subcontinental) Australians. A former political speechwriter, corporate employment lawyer, child safety expert and youth human rights advocate, Sandeep won the Impact25 Award, given to the top 25 Australians in social impact. He has also been recognised with the Department of Justice Secretary’s award for his crisis communications work during the Black Saturday bushfires, the Lord Mayor of Melbourne’s award for his work supporting the community during the COVID-19 lockdown, a Victorian Government Multicultural Media award, and a Tech Diversity award for SAARI Collective’s list of the top South Asian Australian tech founders, the first list of its kind.
Sandeep has spent his life mentoring and helping young people, and loves building community, encouraging creativity, advocating for diversity and inspiring adventure. Sandeep was born in Altadena, California and grew up on a steady diet of tacos, hip-hop, Hindu mythology and superhero comics. Sandeep is the father of two witty boys, speaks Hindi and Spanish, loves cooking and has won the Australian Chilli Cook-Off Championship three years in a row.
Hilary Badger
Hilary Badger is a Board Member of 100 Story Building and a communications professional with nearly 25 years’ experience in advertising agencies across Melbourne and New Zealand. She is currently Executive Creative Director at Leo Australia, a creative agency. Hilary's expertise is not only in creating advertising but in business strategy, commercial growth and how to use communications to change minds, move people and further the mission of a diverse range of brands. Her work has been recognised at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity and with the Grand Effie at the APAC Effie Awards for the most effective campaign in 2024.
In addition to storytelling in advertising, Hilary is the best-selling author of books for children and teenagers. Her best-known series, Zac Power, was developed with Hardie Grant Egmont and is now being made into a feature film. She is also the author of the Space Scout series, a young adult novel and a biography of cyclist Cadel Evans.
Hilary is the mother of two neurodiverse creative children. She truly believes that creativity can change the world for them and all kids.
Emily Wrigglesworth
Emily Wrigglesworth has twenty five years experience as a specialist in public relations and communications, primarily working in the cultural, education, not-for-profit and government sectors. As head of public relations for Museums Victoria she helped share the amazing stories hiding in objects, exhibitions and research, and over her career she has worked on campaigns around obesity, violence against women, workplace exploitation and climate change.
A passionate believer in the value of education, Emily has taught and worked within the university sector and is currently part of the Teach for Australia program, studying a Masters in Teaching whilst based at a school in Melbourne’s west. She lives with a mini-crew of adventurers and pets, and plenty of books.
Kartik Iyer
Kartik Iyer is a strong advocate for the role business and finance can play in solving some of our most complex social challenges. He is currently the CFO at AbilityMade, a social enterprise that uses technology to empower children with disabilities. Outside of this, he holds several leadership positions, Board Deputy Chair at Climate for Change, Alumni Council Chair at the Melbourne Microfinance Initiative and President of the Young Alumni Committee, FBE at the University of Melbourne. As a dedicated contributor to the for-purpose sector, Kartik is always willing to support the development of young professionals and emerging changemakers through mentoring, leading masterclasses and facilitating connections to create a more collaborative ecosystem.
Simonne Michelle
Simonne Michelle is a Board Member of 100 Story Building and the Head of Philanthropy at Lifeline Australia where she leads a $20 million national capacity campaign focused on creating a more connected, responsive mental health system for young people and families.
Simonne is a specialist in major gift philanthropy with over 15 years’ experience across the not-for-profit sector, primarily in mental health and children’s services. Alongside her philanthropy career, she is a writer with a background in theatre and creative writing, known for bringing together strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and a strong commitment to equity and inclusion.
An autistic woman and the parent of an autistic child, Simonne has seen firsthand how powerful creative spaces like 100 Story Building can be for children who don’t always fit easily into traditional systems. She is passionate about ensuring every child has access to storytelling, creativity and belonging - and is deeply committed to helping 100 Story Building reach as many young people as possible.
Shilpa Jhunjhunwala
Shilpa Jhunjhunwala is a Board Member of 100 Story Building and a senior strategic leader with over 20 years’ experience driving growth and impact across media, technology and climate solutions. She currently works as an advisor, fractional commercial leader and angel investor, supporting early-stage organisations in education and climate innovation.
Previously, Shilpa held senior leadership roles at Google Asia-Pacific, where she led partnerships and go-to-market strategy for Google’s news products across Australia, Southeast Asia and India. She also brings deep strategy and business development experience from earlier executive roles at major media organisations. Shilpa holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Shilpa has a long-standing commitment to youth empowerment, shaped by 14 years of volunteer leadership in education and mentorship. She believes storytelling and imagination are powerful tools for building confidence, belonging and agency, informed by her own childhood experience of writing and sketching to find her voice. She is inspired by 100 Story Building’s collaborative approach and is passionate about creating and strengthening partnerships that amplify young voices for lasting impact.
Abhilash Mudaliar
Abhilash Mudaliar has 20 years of experience across a variety of roles in social enterprise, impact investing, philanthropy and nonprofit management. Abhilash is currently founder and Managing Director at Grey Area Partners, where he advises ‘for purpose’ leaders on key strategic issues. Previously, he held a variety of analytic and leadership roles globally including at the Paul Ramsay Foundation, Global Impact Investing Network, Elevar Equity, the World Bank and Bain & Company.
In addition to serving on the Board of 100 Story Building, Abhilash is a non-executive Director on the Boards of Myriad Australia and First Australians Capital.
Abhilash has Honours degrees in Commerce and Arts from the University of Melbourne and an MPA in International Development from Harvard University.
