Open Doors Youth ServiceOpen Doors Youth Service
Hamish Bessant,
Chairperson
Hamish (he/him) is a senior executive within the Queensland Government with experience across housing, health and treasury portfolios. Hamish specialises in designing solutions to complex social and economic policy challenges.
Hamish has volunteered with Open Doors Youth Service since 2024 and in 2026 commenced as the organisation’s Board Chair.
Hamish holds an MBA from the University of New South Wales AGSM Business School.
Brayden (he/him) is a seasoned finance and operations leader with
extensive experience across corporate, not-for-profit, and government-funded
sectors. With expertise in financial strategy, corporate governance, and government
funding implementation, Brayden has successfully guided organisations through
financial turnarounds, managed significant assets, and delivered strong
financial outcomes.
Bringing a strategic approach to board-level
decision-making, Brayden’s background includes overseeing financial
performance, risk management, and operational efficiency, with a strong focus
on ensuring financial transparency and long-term sustainability.
Brayden is committed to enhancing organisational performance
and financial health. He is deeply committed to social justice, particularly in
advocating for the rights and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ communities, serving on both
the Open Doors Youth Service board and the LGBTQ Domestic Violence Awareness
Foundation board.
Josie (she/her) is a social worker and counsellor with additional experience in clinician development and practice supervision. Josie has largely worked in health care, human rights, and youth mental health. Currently working at yourtown, which operates Kids Helpline and other services that support young people, children and adults at risk. She has worked as a counsellor and social worker and more recently as a Learning and Development Consultant to support therapeutic and clinical staff to develop their skills to best support young people in virtual and face to face services. Josie is passionate about improving mental health literacy, decreasing barriers and stigma attached to help-seeking and increasing representation and respect for lived experience.
I am honoured and excited to be working alongside Open Doors Youth Service. So often I talk to young people who are struggling with belonging, identity and safety. This organisation presents an amazing opportunity for young people to seek a space of connection, celebration and the important opportunity to explore who they are and how they experience the world.
Kate (she/they) is a senior executive and strategist driven by a deep commitment to housing security, homelessness prevention, and social systems that enable people to live with safety, dignity, and opportunity. Kate works at the intersection of government, corporates, peak bodies, and the community sector to influence policy, funding, and system design in ways that deliver lasting public value.
Kate brings a clear-eyed understanding of how power, policy, and public narratives shape real-world outcomes. They are skilled in navigating complexity, managing risk, and building coalitions across sectors to unlock change in contested environments. Their work is grounded in pragmatism, integrity, and a focus on outcomes for people and communities.
Shaun (he/him) is a pro bono and human rights lawyer at one of Australia’s leading law firms.
Prior to transitioning into his current role, Shaun practiced in his firm’s corporate, M&A and capital markets group for 5 years.
Managing his firm’s pro bono practice in Queensland, Shaun’s practice spans across a range of areas including employment and discrimination law, financial abuse, victims compensation, dispute resolution, NFP advisory and general human rights matters.
Having been a board member for other NFPs, Shaun has extensive experience with governance, operational and regulatory matters in the NFP sector.
Ebony (she/her) is a proud Wiradjuri woman, lawyer and strategic policy leader with a strong commitment to social justice and systemic reform. With a career spanning corporate law, government and the community sector, she specialises in navigating complex social policy challenges and translating evidence into meaningful reform. Her expertise spans trauma-informed policy and practice, suicide prevention, youth mental health and wellbeing, and domestic, family and sexual violence. She has held senior roles within the Queensland Government, including leading statewide reforms to strengthen responses to trauma and its impacts on individuals, communities and service systems..
Ebony currently works within an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled family violence prevention legal service, contributing to state and national policy advocacy to advance the rights, safety and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victim-survivors. Her experience in frontline youth mental health services and national youth advocacy background underpins her commitment to challenging systemic inequities and advancing the rights, wellbeing and meaningful participation of LGBTIQASB+ young people.
Fraser (he/him) is a Brisbane-based LGBTQIA+ advocate and leader with experience across organisational transformation, governance, risk, and people leadership in the superannuation industry. He is actively involved in Brisbane’s LGBTQIA+ community through volunteering, advocacy, and community events. Fraser’s own experiences growing up near Brisbane have shaped his commitment to visibility, belonging, and accessible community support. He is passionate about creating safer, more inclusive communities where LGBTQIA+ people can feel connected and thrive, bringing together lived experience, community advocacy and professional expertise to contribute to meaningful and sustainable outcomes for LGBTQIA+ young people.
Ella (they/them) is a young professional working in the Australian Public Service, with experience across community engagement, strategic project delivery, data analysis and organisational governance. Their work has focused on supporting initiatives at the local, state and federal level to improve participation and representation among minority groups, particularly LGBTQIA+ and culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
They hold a Bachelor of Information Technology and Bachelor of Science (Psychology) from the University of Queensland.
As a second-generation immigrant and member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Ella is passionate about improving representation, challenging systemic barriers and supporting young people to have access to safe and affirming spaces where they can be empowered to explore and celebrate their identities.
This Strategic Plan belongs to everyone who helped create it. The volunteer ODYS Board warmly thanks the young people, ODYS team members, sector partners, funders and community members who shared their ideas, experiences and aspirations through an extensive co-design process that included surveys, interviews, workshops and stakeholder consultations. Your insights, lived experience and willingness to engage openly have been instrumental in shaping our direction for the years ahead. We also extend our sincere thanks to MinterEllison for their generous pro bono support and expertise throughout the development of this Strategic Plan.
Open Doors Youth Service Inc. acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First people and Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters where we meet, live, learn and work. We acknowledge and celebrate the rich and thriving diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, the oldest continuing living cultures in the world.