ADVISORY BOARD
The new organisation structure calls for the implementation of an advisory board to assist the chair in managing the strategy.
The advisory board is a non-executive, non-statutory and non-fiduciary board of advisors comprised of the most eminent Sikhs within the network who have experience or resources to support the strategic direction of the organisation. The members below have been instrumental in the development of the new YSPN strategy, and the ongoing growth and development of the organisation
- Harinder Sidhu
- Inder Singh
- Karan Anand
- Luckbir Singh
- Dr Malvindar Singh Bains
- Pam Bains
- Sarv Girn
- Tarandeep Ahuja
- Vivek Bhatia
- Ramneek Singh
Harinder Sidhu
Deputy Secretary, DFAT
Harinder Sidhu is Deputy Secretary, Service Delivery Group in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In this role, she serves as the Department’s Chief Operating Officer. She is also the senior Champion for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse staff in DFAT
From 2016 to 2020, Harinder held the post of Australia’s High Commissioner to India and Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bhutan. Prior to her posting to India, she headed the Multilateral Policy Division in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Harinder brings over 30 years’ experience in government across several APS agencies. Between 2008 and 2013, she held the post of First Assistant Secretary in the Department of Climate Change. Before that, she was an Assistant Director-General in the Office of National Assessments (2004-2008). She also held Senior Adviser positions on Defence and on Fiscal Policy in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet between 1999 and 2004.
Harinder has served overseas at Australian Embassies in Damascus and Moscow, and was also posted to Cairo where she studied the Arabic language. She holds degrees in Economics and Law from the University of Sydney.
Inder Singh
Group CFO, QBE Insurance
Inder joined QBE in 2015 and was appointed Group Chief Financial Officer in 2018. His previous roles at QBE include Chief Financial Officer for Australian & New Zealand Operations, and Group Head of Corporate Development and Financial Planning & Analysis. Inder has more than 20 years’ experience in financial services spanning property & casualty, life insurance and banking. He started his career at Arthur Andersen before working in investment banking in Sydney and London with Deutsche Bank and UBS. Prior to joining QBE, he was Group M&A Director at Aviva plc in London where he led a number of transformational transactions.
Karan Anand
Managing Director, Hnry Australia
Karan is a management consultant and entrepreneur with a wide variety of interests and experience across both the profit and NFP sectors.
He has 10+ years experience in management consulting, with a focus on solving complex client problems related to corporate strategy, growth and market expansion and rapid profit improvement. His focus has been on the Financial Services industry, but has experience across most industries.
He co-founded and lead a technology start up focused on disrupting an industry through product innovation.
In 2012 he co-founded the Young Sikh Professionals Network (YSPN), an organisation he Chaired until September 2017. YSPN was formed to mobilise the first generation of Australian Sikh professionals to build their professional capacity. YSPN has chapters in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Auckland and led a national executive team of 12 people, who lead a management team of ~50.
Finally, he Chaired the Steering Committee of the Australia India Youth Dialogue (AIYD) in 2018-19. The AIYD is the pre-eminent track-two dialogue between Australia and India and each year brings together 30 young leaders to discuss matters important to the Australia-India relationship. Now in its eighth year, the AIYD boasts an incredible alumni of 200+ young leaders.
He currently also sit on Macquarie University’s Global MBA Advisory Board.
Previously he was a Director of the Indian Sub-continent Crisis and Support Agency; a delegate to the Brightest Young Minds forum; a delegate to the National Student Leadership Forum and part of an Australian delegation to The Hague International Model United Nations. In 2005, he was Darwin Young Citizen of the Year.
He hold a Bachelor of Commerce with majors in Actuarial Studies and Finance from the University of New South Wales and a Master of Finance with Distinction where he was the 2010 Goldman Sachs Postgraduate Award Winner.
Luckbir Singh
Director, Macdonnells Law
Luckbir Singh is a Director and Owner of MacDonnells Law. Luckbir became a partner of the MacDonnells Law in 2007 and was the youngest modern day partner appointment in the firm’s 135 year history. He has been recognised for his legal skills and client outcomes by Lawyer’s Weekly as a finalist in the 2016 Australian Partner of the Year Awards.
During his eight years as Practice Group Leader MacDonnells Law’s corporate and commercial team beat out a number of well known and major national and international law firms to be appointed to the whole of Government legal panel for corporate and commercial law advice. This expert panel has been established to provide advice for all Queensland Government Departments and various Statutory Authorities, making MacDonnells Law the only solely Queensland based law firm to be appointed to this select panel.Luckbir is the go to legal adviser and problem solver for CEOs, Directors and Business Owners who are seeking strategic legal advice which successfully navigates the interests of competing stakeholders and complex problems to achieve long term success.
A recent client comment sums up Luckbir’s skills: “Luckbir, you possess a tremendous ability to succinctly summarise and pursue only the very best negotiating option, which I applaud. As we all know, this was a slow, tedious and very complex deal, but in the end we very much needed for it to complete.”Luckbir was also awarded the Queensland Law Society Outstanding Achievement by a Young Lawyer award in 2008. Luckbir sits on a number of high profile Boards in health, business and governance sectors.
Speciality Areas of Practice
- Commercial law including specifically advice to entrepreneurs
- Business acquisitions and disposals including due diligence and mergers
- Corporate advisory including corporate reconstructions and shareholder disputes
- Not for profit advisory including governance
Dr Malvindar Singh Bains
Neuroscientist, University of Auckland
Dr Malvindar Bains is currently a Research Fellow at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research, co-chair and founder of the Huntington’s Disease Youth Organisation of New Zealand, and science commentator for Radio New Zealand.
Dr Malvindar was named one of the five top women in Health and Science as well as one of the top 30 women in New Zealand for the NEXT Woman of the Year award 2019. She was the recipient of the Kiwi Indian Young Achiever of the Year at the Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame Awards in 2016, and recipient of the 2019 KiwiBank Hero Award Medal, 2x top 3 finalist for Young New Zealander of the Year and nominee for the New Zealander of the Year in 2019.
Dr Malvindar is currently the recipient of the Leo Nilon Huntington’s Disease Research Fellowship, which is dedicated to the advancement of innovative treatments for Huntington’s disease, a fellowship awarded by the Governor-General of New Zealand.
Pam Bains
Group Executive Network, Aurizon
Pam was appointed Group Executive Network in March 2020. Prior to this appointment, Pam held the position of Chief Financial Officer and Group Executive Strategy since 2017.
Pam has been with Aurizon since 2010, and has held various senior management roles at the company during this time. She played a key role during Aurizon Holdings’ initial public offering and listing on the ASX, capital restructuring and separation of Aurizon’s Network business, as well as support for various regulatory reforms which have improved the financial performance of Aurizon’s Network business.
Pam has broad experience in finance and leadership roles in both Australia and globally over the past 25 years. Prior to joining Aurizon, Pam was the Head of Finance, Customer Service at Telefonica O2 UK — a subsidiary of one of the largest global integrated broadband and telecommunications providers. She has also held senior management roles at Next PLC, General Electric and Arthur Andersen.
Pam holds a BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.
Sarv Girn
CIDO, Cuscal Payments
Senior executive and non-executive director with a 30 year career in financial services across UK, Australia and Asia. Proven track record in business change enabled by digital platforms for service, productivity, innovation and revenue goals.
Renowned for expertise in strategy and an ability to apply technology to transform businesses through innovative digital platforms, whilst maintaining a sound focus on risk management.
Demonstrable business acumen in commercial strategy and establishing contracts to drive sustainable service and cost benefits through strategic sourcing.
Successfully changed culture of teams, and built people and talent capability to drive large delivery programs and transform businesses.
Fellow of the AICD, with credible experience of engaging Boards during times of intense change, including the Westpac Board for strategy, risk and merger imperatives, and in the past CBA Board for strategy, transformation and security matters.
Tarandeep Ahuja
Partner, McKinsey & Company
Tarandeep is a Partner at McKinsey & Company’s Melbourne Office. He leads McKinsey’s Procurement practice across Asia Pacific, and leads the Energy practice in Australia/New Zealand.
He serve clients in Energy, Resources and Industrial companies on a wide range of topics – Strategy, Operations, Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Mergers and Acquisitions, and large scale performance transformations.
Vivek Bhatia
Managing Director and CEO, Link Group
Vivek Bhatia served as Chief Executive Officer – Australia Pacific of the Company. Before joining QBE, Vivek was inaugural Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of icare, the NSW Government public financial corporation managing the State’s insurance and care schemes. Vivek has more than 20 years’ experience in the insurance and management consulting sectors. Vivek was previously the Chief Executive Officer of Wesfarmers Insurance in Australia, where he was responsible for leading the multi-brand, multi-channel insurer through a significant transformation journey. He has also co-led McKinsey & Co’s Asia Pacific Restructuring & Transformation practice.
Ramneek Singh
Senior Consultant, Monitor Deloitte
Ramneek is an experienced leader and entrepreneur, with a passion for delivering client value.
He was the YSPN Chair from 2018 to 2021 and led the digital strategic refresh of the organization catering for a more vulnerable migrant cohort
and further digital transformation of the organization.
He has a background spanning Design, Financial Services and Social Impact, with most recent work experience in building and scaling a social impact NFP, concurrently with a design agency from scratch. Prior to that, a career spent across financial services. His experience encompasses strategy, business development, client and project management, marketing, risk management, and financial analysis for investment decision making.
In addition, he is also an Advisory Board member for Multicultural NSW.
Harinder Sidhu
Deputy Secretary, DFAT
Harinder Sidhu is Deputy Secretary, Service Delivery Group in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In this role, she serves as the Department’s Chief Operating Officer. She is also the senior Champion for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse staff in DFAT
From 2016 to 2020, Harinder held the post of Australia’s High Commissioner to India and Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bhutan. Prior to her posting to India, she headed the Multilateral Policy Division in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Harinder brings over 30 years’ experience in government across several APS agencies. Between 2008 and 2013, she held the post of First Assistant Secretary in the Department of Climate Change. Before that, she was an Assistant Director-General in the Office of National Assessments (2004-2008). She also held Senior Adviser positions on Defence and on Fiscal Policy in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet between 1999 and 2004.
Harinder has served overseas at Australian Embassies in Damascus and Moscow, and was also posted to Cairo where she studied the Arabic language. She holds degrees in Economics and Law from the University of Sydney.
Inder Singh
Group CFO, QBE Insurance
Inder joined QBE in 2015 and was appointed Group Chief Financial Officer in 2018. His previous roles at QBE include Chief Financial Officer for Australian & New Zealand Operations, and Group Head of Corporate Development and Financial Planning & Analysis. Inder has more than 20 years’ experience in financial services spanning property & casualty, life insurance and banking. He started his career at Arthur Andersen before working in investment banking in Sydney and London with Deutsche Bank and UBS. Prior to joining QBE, he was Group M&A Director at Aviva plc in London where he led a number of transformational transactions.
Karan Anand
Managing Director, Hnry Australia
Karan is a management consultant and entrepreneur with a wide variety of interests and experience across both the profit and NFP sectors.
He has 10+ years experience in management consulting, with a focus on solving complex client problems related to corporate strategy, growth and market expansion and rapid profit improvement. His focus has been on the Financial Services industry, but has experience across most industries.
He co-founded and lead a technology start up focused on disrupting an industry through product innovation.
In 2012 he co-founded the Young Sikh Professionals Network (YSPN), an organisation he Chaired until September 2017. YSPN was formed to mobilise the first generation of Australian Sikh professionals to build their professional capacity. YSPN has chapters in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Auckland and led a national executive team of 12 people, who lead a management team of ~50.
Finally, he Chaired the Steering Committee of the Australia India Youth Dialogue (AIYD) in 2018-19. The AIYD is the pre-eminent track-two dialogue between Australia and India and each year brings together 30 young leaders to discuss matters important to the Australia-India relationship. Now in its eighth year, the AIYD boasts an incredible alumni of 200+ young leaders.
He currently also sit on Macquarie University’s Global MBA Advisory Board.
Previously he was a Director of the Indian Sub-continent Crisis and Support Agency; a delegate to the Brightest Young Minds forum; a delegate to the National Student Leadership Forum and part of an Australian delegation to The Hague International Model United Nations. In 2005, he was Darwin Young Citizen of the Year.
He hold a Bachelor of Commerce with majors in Actuarial Studies and Finance from the University of New South Wales and a Master of Finance with Distinction where he was the 2010 Goldman Sachs Postgraduate Award Winner.
Luckbir Singh
Director, Macdonnells Law
Luckbir Singh is a Director and Owner of MacDonnells Law. Luckbir became a partner of the MacDonnells Law in 2007 and was the youngest modern day partner appointment in the firm’s 135 year history. He has been recognised for his legal skills and client outcomes by Lawyer’s Weekly as a finalist in the 2016 Australian Partner of the Year Awards.
During his eight years as Practice Group Leader MacDonnells Law’s corporate and commercial team beat out a number of well known and major national and international law firms to be appointed to the whole of Government legal panel for corporate and commercial law advice. This expert panel has been established to provide advice for all Queensland Government Departments and various Statutory Authorities, making MacDonnells Law the only solely Queensland based law firm to be appointed to this select panel.Luckbir is the go to legal adviser and problem solver for CEOs, Directors and Business Owners who are seeking strategic legal advice which successfully navigates the interests of competing stakeholders and complex problems to achieve long term success.
A recent client comment sums up Luckbir’s skills: “Luckbir, you possess a tremendous ability to succinctly summarise and pursue only the very best negotiating option, which I applaud. As we all know, this was a slow, tedious and very complex deal, but in the end we very much needed for it to complete.”Luckbir was also awarded the Queensland Law Society Outstanding Achievement by a Young Lawyer award in 2008. Luckbir sits on a number of high profile Boards in health, business and governance sectors.
Speciality Areas of Practice
- Commercial law including specifically advice to entrepreneurs
- Business acquisitions and disposals including due diligence and mergers
- Corporate advisory including corporate reconstructions and shareholder disputes
- Not for profit advisory including governance
Dr Malvindar Singh Bains
Neuroscientist, University of Auckland
Dr Malvindar Bains is currently a Research Fellow at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research, co-chair and founder of the Huntington’s Disease Youth Organisation of New Zealand, and science commentator for Radio New Zealand.
Dr Malvindar was named one of the five top women in Health and Science as well as one of the top 30 women in New Zealand for the NEXT Woman of the Year award 2019. She was the recipient of the Kiwi Indian Young Achiever of the Year at the Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame Awards in 2016, and recipient of the 2019 KiwiBank Hero Award Medal, 2x top 3 finalist for Young New Zealander of the Year and nominee for the New Zealander of the Year in 2019.
Dr Malvindar is currently the recipient of the Leo Nilon Huntington’s Disease Research Fellowship, which is dedicated to the advancement of innovative treatments for Huntington’s disease, a fellowship awarded by the Governor-General of New Zealand.
Pam Bains
Group Executive Network, Aurizon
Pam was appointed Group Executive Network in March 2020. Prior to this appointment, Pam held the position of Chief Financial Officer and Group Executive Strategy since 2017.
Pam has been with Aurizon since 2010, and has held various senior management roles at the company during this time. She played a key role during Aurizon Holdings’ initial public offering and listing on the ASX, capital restructuring and separation of Aurizon’s Network business, as well as support for various regulatory reforms which have improved the financial performance of Aurizon’s Network business.
Pam has broad experience in finance and leadership roles in both Australia and globally over the past 25 years. Prior to joining Aurizon, Pam was the Head of Finance, Customer Service at Telefonica O2 UK — a subsidiary of one of the largest global integrated broadband and telecommunications providers. She has also held senior management roles at Next PLC, General Electric and Arthur Andersen.
Pam holds a BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.
Sarv Girn
CIDO, Cuscal Payments
Senior executive and non-executive director with a 30 year career in financial services across UK, Australia and Asia. Proven track record in business change enabled by digital platforms for service, productivity, innovation and revenue goals.
Renowned for expertise in strategy and an ability to apply technology to transform businesses through innovative digital platforms, whilst maintaining a sound focus on risk management.
Demonstrable business acumen in commercial strategy and establishing contracts to drive sustainable service and cost benefits through strategic sourcing.
Successfully changed culture of teams, and built people and talent capability to drive large delivery programs and transform businesses.
Fellow of the AICD, with credible experience of engaging Boards during times of intense change, including the Westpac Board for strategy, risk and merger imperatives, and in the past CBA Board for strategy, transformation and security matters.
Tarandeep Ahuja
Partner, McKinsey & Company
Tarandeep is a Partner at McKinsey & Company’s Melbourne Office. He leads McKinsey’s Procurement practice across Asia Pacific, and leads the Energy practice in Australia/New Zealand.
He serve clients in Energy, Resources and Industrial companies on a wide range of topics – Strategy, Operations, Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Mergers and Acquisitions, and large scale performance transformations.
Vivek Bhatia
Managing Director and CEO, Link Group
Vivek Bhatia served as Chief Executive Officer – Australia Pacific of the Company. Before joining QBE, Vivek was inaugural Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of icare, the NSW Government public financial corporation managing the State’s insurance and care schemes. Vivek has more than 20 years’ experience in the insurance and management consulting sectors. Vivek was previously the Chief Executive Officer of Wesfarmers Insurance in Australia, where he was responsible for leading the multi-brand, multi-channel insurer through a significant transformation journey. He has also co-led McKinsey & Co’s Asia Pacific Restructuring & Transformation practice.
Ramneek Singh
Senior Consultant, Monitor Deloitte
Ramneek is an experienced leader and entrepreneur, with a passion for delivering client value.
He was the YSPN Chair from 2018 to 2021 and led the digital strategic refresh of the organization catering for a more vulnerable migrant cohort
and further digital transformation of the organization.
He has a background spanning Design, Financial Services and Social Impact, with most recent work experience in building and scaling a social impact NFP, concurrently with a design agency from scratch. Prior to that, a career spent across financial services. His experience encompasses strategy, business development, client and project management, marketing, risk management, and financial analysis for investment decision making.
In addition, he is also an Advisory Board member for Multicultural NSW.