Australian Governance Team

James is the Chairman of Kickstart Kids International in Australia, and a trustee of Nanga Organization (our Kenyan implementation partner for Olturoto Children’s Village). James has been based in Nairobi for the last 11 years. Outside of Kickstart, James is a Chartered Accountant and partner at KPMG Africa.

David joined Kickstart’s board in 2012 and is Kickstart’s representative to the Nanga Finance Committee which reviews and approves all finance activities at Oltourto Children’s Village. David is a Chartered Accountant and works in the real estate sector in Sydney.

Daniel is a senior country officer for the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group, International Finance Corporation (IFC). Prior to joining IFC, Daniel worked as a consultant to the Gates Foundation, the United Nations and the World Economic Forum. After completing a Masters in Development at the University of Cambridge as a recipient of the Chevening Scholarship, Daniel worked as a Development Advisor to Australia’s former Prime Minister, The Hon Kevin Rudd MP. He is also a former award-winning journalist for the Nine Network Australia Pty. Ltd. where he focused on wide-ranging global development issues. Throughout Daniel’s professional career he has worked with numerous charitable organisations in championing the rights and needs of the poor.

In her role as treasurer, Alexandra Schebesta is responsible for financial control and reporting over Kickstart’s activities in accordance with various regulatory frameworks. Alex is a Chartered Accountant and Partner at BDJ Partners in North Sydney.  Alex has also been associated with other not for profit organisations within Australia; she served for seven years on the committee of Dressage NSW Inc and is currently the accountant for Gunawirra Limited, an organisation which focuses on improving the welfare and education of aboriginal children between the ages of 0 – 5 years across NSW