As Maluk Timor continues to grow, the people guiding our organisation behind the scenes are just as important as the teams delivering our programs across Timor-Leste.
Strong governance helps us make responsible decisions, plan for the future and ensure the organisation has the right mix of skills and experience to support our work. Just as importantly, leadership at Maluk Timor needs to reflect the way we approach healthcare itself: working collaboratively, building capability and supporting Timorese people to lead and strengthen their own healthcare system.
We are therefore delighted to welcome three experienced leaders into new governance roles across Associação Maluk Timor (AMT) and Maluk Timor Australia (MTA).
Fernanda Borges has joined AMT as its new Board Chair, while Asha Puvan and Wendy Brooks have joined the MTA Board as Directors.
Each brings a very different professional background and set of skills, from Timorese policy and economic reform to accounting, risk, compliance and fundraising. Together, their appointments add valuable experience to the leadership supporting Maluk Timor as the organisation continues to grow.
Welcoming Fernanda Borges as AMT Board Chair
When looking for a new Chair for Associação Maluk Timor, we wanted to find a strong Timorese leader who could help guide AMT and its Board through the next stage of the organisation’s development.
Fernanda Borges brings extensive experience across finance, policy, advocacy and public life in Timor-Leste.
Fernanda was born in Dili and spent her early childhood in Ermera, where she attended primary school. Her connection to Timor-Leste has remained central throughout her life. After leaving the country as a child during the conflict, she lived as a refugee in Portugal before moving to Darwin with her family in 1979. Even while building her education and career in Australia, she remained closely connected to the Timorese community and continued supporting Timor-Leste.
After completing a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Economics at the University of Wollongong, Fernanda began her career in banking. She later returned to Timor-Leste after the 1999 referendum and contributed to the development of the country’s emerging national institutions. Her career has since included senior work across finance, economic reform, public policy and governance, including serving as Minister of Finance and as a member of the Timorese Parliament.
Her experience and deep understanding of Timor-Leste make her well placed to support Maluk Timor’s focus on strong Timorese leadership and locally led healthcare.
Our approach is to work alongside Timor-Leste’s healthcare workers, government partners and communities to strengthen the country’s existing primary healthcare system and build local skills, confidence and capability.
Fernanda says joining Maluk Timor gave her another opportunity to continue contributing to Timor-Leste in a meaningful way. She was particularly drawn to the organisation’s community-level work and the potential for improvements in healthcare to have a direct impact on people’s lives, particularly women and children.
“I’m really pleased to be joining Maluk Timor as Chair. The organisation is doing such important work at the community level, and I’m looking forward to supporting the team and using my experience to help strengthen health services for people across Timor-Leste.”
Why Timorese leadership matters
A central part of Maluk Timor’s strategy is supporting the development of Timor-Leste’s own healthcare system and health workforce.
Much of our day-to-day work involves sharing skills, developing local expertise and working alongside Timorese health professionals so improvements can be led and sustained from within the country. Having Timorese leadership throughout AMT is an essential part of that approach.
Maluk Timor also sees strengthening governance skills for current and future Timorese leaders as an important part of building long-term local capability.
Fernanda brings significant experience to this role, along with formal governance training. She completed the Foundations of Directorship course and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. As AMT Chair, she will provide stewardship and strategic direction to executive management and work closely with MTA Chair Julie Hamblin to help align the two organisations and support the funding needed to deliver Maluk Timor’s work.
Her background across policy, advocacy, finance and public leadership, combined with her deep knowledge of Timor-Leste, places her in a strong position to help guide AMT as it continues to grow.
Asha Puvan joins the Maluk Timor Australia Board
Asha Puvan is already familiar with Maluk Timor, having contributed as an external member of MTA’s Finance, Risk, Audit and Governance Committee before joining the Board.
Her professional training and experience span accounting and audit, as well as grants, risk and compliance. These may be areas of Maluk Timor’s work that supporters rarely see, but they play an important role in helping an organisation like ours operate effectively.
Behind every health program, training initiative and partnership is a much wider organisational structure. Funding needs to be managed responsibly, risks need to be understood, governance obligations need to be met, and the organisation needs appropriate systems to support its work.
Asha’s appointment builds on the contribution she has already made to Maluk Timor while strengthening the Board’s expertise across these important areas.
Wendy Brooks brings extensive fundraising experience
Wendy Brooks also came to know Maluk Timor through her professional work before joining the Board.
We first met Wendy when she provided advice to Maluk Timor as an independent fundraising consultant. We are delighted that she has now agreed to continue that relationship as an MTA Director.
Wendy is one of Australia’s leading fundraising experts and brings significant experience in an area that is critical to Maluk Timor’s ability to continue its work. She has a strong commitment to social justice and equity and has served on many community sector boards. Wendy served as Chair of Human Rights Watch Australia for over 10 years.
Our programs rely on the generosity and commitment of donors, grant funders, partners and supporters who believe in strengthening healthcare in Timor-Leste. Building and maintaining those relationships requires careful planning, clear communication and a strong understanding of the fundraising environment.
Wendy’s experience will provide important expertise as Maluk Timor continues to develop its fundraising work and looks at how we can sustainably support our programs into the future.
She also brings a deep understanding of working across cultures, developed through the many years she and her family spent living in Africa.
Different experience, one shared purpose
Fernanda, Asha and Wendy each bring something different to Maluk Timor, but all three will play an important role in helping us continue our work in Timor-Leste.
Their experience spans Timorese leadership, policy and advocacy, finance, governance, risk, compliance and fundraising. While much of this work happens behind the scenes, it provides the foundation our teams need to keep delivering and strengthening healthcare programs across the country.
Our work in maternal and child health, HIV, tuberculosis, rheumatic heart disease, oral health and workforce development relies on more than clinical expertise alone. It also depends on strong leadership, responsible governance, sustainable funding and people who understand how to support an organisation for the long term.
By bringing these different perspectives together, our Boards are better equipped to support the people and programs at the heart of Maluk Timor’s work and help guide the organisation through its next chapter.
Looking ahead
A central part of Maluk Timor’s approach is working alongside Timorese people and strengthening the systems, skills and leadership that already exist within the country.
Fernanda’s appointment as AMT Chair reflects that commitment. She hopes to use her experience to strengthen governance, systems and people across Maluk Timor while supporting better access to healthcare at community level. Welcoming Asha and Wendy to the MTA Board also brings additional expertise in finance, governance, risk, compliance and fundraising.
Strong leadership across both AMT and MTA will help us continue working towards a shared goal: a quality primary healthcare system for all Timorese, supported by a capable and confident Timorese health workforce.
We are very pleased to welcome Fernanda, Asha and Wendy to their new roles and look forward to the experience and perspective they will bring to Maluk Timor.
If you’d like to support Maluk Timor’s work and help strengthen locally led healthcare across Timor-Leste, you can make a donation here.