On Thursday, 9 March 2023, HKA brought together clients at Sydney’s Rooftop at Botswana Butchery.

Members of the Asia Pacific Executive team including service line leads Shamila Neelakandan, Dr. Kourosh Kayvani and Amelia East, Head of Operations Alistair Mein, People Director Elle Weeden, and Sydney Partners Mike Pitt and Geoff Bell were joined by colleagues and guests from Sydney and beyond.

Kourosh welcomed guests with a short speech. He said, “Thank you all for joining us at our first networking event of the year. It’s good to see some familiar faces. I also welcome Malaysia-based Shamila Neelakandan and New Zealand-based Amelia East, both members of the Asia Pacific Executive team. I’m also pleased to welcome Phil Roberts, who joins HKA in the coming weeks. We’re very happy to have you all with us tonight, and we hope you enjoy catching up with peers and colleagues from across the industry.”

As part of our commitment to driving positive change in our communities, we asked guests to help us choose which charity should receive a $500 donation from HKA by dropping a mini egg in the relevant jar.

The charities were:

Women and Girls’ Emergency Centre (WAGEC)

WAGEC is a grassroots organisation that supports women and families in crisis and advocates for social change in the community. Every night, they support 200 women and children impacted by homelessness, domestic violence and systemic disadvantage.

Rural Aid

Rural Aid provides critical support to farmers affected by natural disaster through financial, well-being and fodder assistance. Supporting their Buy a Bale initiative will support Aussie farmers after they faced devastating flood events across the country during much of 2022, some of the most severe conditions on record.

WIRES

WIRES is Australia’s largest wildlife rescue organisation and has been rescuing and caring for sick, injured and orphaned native animals for over 35 years. They provide rescue advice and assistance for over 130,000 animals annually and rely on community support to operate their rescue and care services.

Perhaps influenced by International Women’s Day the day before on 8 March, WAGEC was the clear favourite to receive HKA’s donation.

Reflecting on the event, Kourosh shared, “It was a pleasure to welcome so many of our valued clients, partners and colleagues to the Botswana Butchery. It was a night of reconnecting with old friends and forging connections with new ones. We appreciate our clients’ support, and we’re excited for the year ahead.”

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend. We hope you had a wonderful time, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.