International Needs Australia is a Christian international aid and development organisation that empowers marginalised women and children through transformative local community partnerships. We focus on sustainable ‘hand-ups’ and foster innovation and scalability to help women and children from diverse backgrounds realise their full potential.
Our Team
Dr. Andrew Catford
chief executive officer
Andrew has extensive experience in the international development sector, having lived and worked for over 20 years in Asia, the Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, and South America. He has a proven track record of leading organizations to grow and tangibly impact the lives of vulnerable children, youth, men, and women.
Andrew has worked for non-governmental organizations including Hagar International, World Vision and Build On, and for the consulting company, Hassall GHD, successfully securing and implementing large scale international development projects for a wide variety of donors. Andrew has 10 years’ experience as a Country Director in Senegal and the Solomon Islands, and he has been a Board Member of the Solomon Islands Development Services Exchange and Board Chair of the microfinance institution, Vision Fund.
Andrew holds a PhD focused on effective community development approaches in Vietnam. He has also been a master’s degree lecturer at RMIT University in Melbourne on project design, monitoring, evaluation and gender, all subjects for which he has a strong passion.
Davide De Micheli
International Programs manger
Davide joined INA in November 2023 as a Programs and Compliance Officer, leveraging extensive field experience in the NGO sector. By July 2024, Davide stepped into the role of International Programs Manager, where he now leads the management of INA’s development and relief portfolio. In this capacity, he is instrumental in nurturing relationships with local implementing partners and crafting support plans tailored to their needs. Additionally, Davide serves as the primary liaison for INA’s collaboration with DFAT and the ANCP program, ensuring that donor contributions are effectively aligned with INA’s impactful work across the countries they serve.
Prior to his time at INA, Davide honed his skills as a Programs Coordinator in South Sudan. there, he developed robust management expertise, focusing on grant development and implementation across a wide spectrum of sectors and donors. His expericences ignited a deep passion for community-led approaches, dedicated to providing sustainable solutions for marginalised communities and advancing the broader mission of localising aid and development.
With a Master’s Degree in International Cooperation, specializing in development and emergency contexts, Davide was naturally drawn to INA’s mission of valuing local partners and prioritizing the most marginalised communities. His unwavering commitment to social justice and intersectional feminism fuels his drive to support INA and its partners in breaking the cycle of poverty and fostering lasting change.
Silvia Theodoridis
DONOR AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS OFFICER
Silvia has over ten years’ work experience in global health and international development, with specific expertise in advocacy, communications, fundraising, project and relationship management. Having travelled extensively and seen first-hand the realities from the field, she is passionate about social justice, human rights and making a difference in people’s lives, especially the most vulnerable.
Silvia has an impressive work history in an international setting, and engaged with a range of stakeholders, including Government officials (Ministers), European/Australian institutions, international/UN organisations, academia, donors, Members of Parliament, NGOs, health professionals, and the general public – to ultimately achieve positive policy and funding changes in the international development sector.
Before joining INA, Silvia was the Policy and Advocacy Manager at Vision 2020 Australia and worked as a fundraiser for Unicef Australia. Prior to that, she spent six years at PATH in Geneva in the role of Advocacy Manager. She also spent four years as European Union Advocacy Officer with the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development in Brussels. Silvia is now a key member of the Donor relations team and the first point of contact for INA’s supporters.
Silvia’s successfully completed a Master of Arts (Public Comparative Law) and Bachelor of Arts (International and European Law) at the University of Paris and is fluent in four languages (French, Greek, English, and Spanish).
Iris Farina
DONOR AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS OFFICER
Iris is exploring communication and philanthropy from an International Development practitioner’s point of view. Prior to joining INA, she had a background in Feature Writing for publication alongside English Language teaching. She also worked as the active point of communication throughout her work so far. Ever curious and passionate about the next digital frontier of connectivity, she strives to keep INA’s social media platforms and digital communication aligned with the organisation’s values.
Iris completed a Master’s in International Development Practice from Monash University. She also has an MBA degree, which focused on communication, management, and technology and innovation. In addition, she is a CELTA certificate holder — a qualification from Cambridge to teach English to speakers of other languages. Combining her educational experiences as well as 5 years of creative writing, she aims to use her skills in creating barrier-free connectivity through a wide cross-section of individuals. She is a firm believer of change as the only constant in this current, ever-connected world.
Kate Pincheira
Education Advocacy Officer
Kate is passionate about living a happy healthy life and aims to uplift those she interacts with. She has a range of experience in Early Childhood and Primary Education and Bachelor of Education Major in Child Development and Visual Arts from RMIT. She has also completed a Certificate II in Community Health Education.
Kate is a mother of 5 and constantly learning about life, health and happiness from raising them. She is an artist, an art teacher and applies creativity and innovation to all aspects of her life, often reflecting advocacy and justice in her artwork. She loves to share ideas and learn from others and has been passionate about mentoring young people since beginning her teaching career. She has a heart for those who are vulnerable in our communities and abroad.
Kate highly values the implementation of innovation and advocacy in Education as well as targeting important areas of education that create greater empathy in students related to human rights, justice and poverty. She eagerly advocates that a Christian faith expresses these values as demonstrated by Jesus
Janita Nelson
Board Secretary
Janita has a proven track record in high touch personal support to Executive leaders, Boards and senior teams in both non-for-profit and business environments. She is highly organised, efficient and adept at producing quality results. Janita’s 20 years of extensive experience allow her to bring a seasoned perspective to INA’s governance, executive support and administrative processes.
Early on in her career Janita embraced her gift as an enabler, passionate in supporting the success of others. Janita builds trusting relationships with key stakeholders, and brings a deep understanding of discretion, confidentiality and sensitivity to her work. Janita’s excellent interpersonal skills facilitate ease in liaising with Boards and senior staff. With a wealth of experience in the areas of finance, travel compliance implementation, project and event management, Janita brings a diverse set of skills to assist INA’ office management, administration and mission more generally.