Columbia Association of Australia
Kate Racovolis ’12JRN (Co-President) holds a Master of Science in Journalism from Columbia Journalism School, where she graduated in 2012, and a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Melbourne and a. Kate Racovolis is an experienced business journalist, editor and corporate communications specialist with 15 years’ experience in the media in Australia and the UK. She was previously editor of The Growth Agenda at The Australian newspaper and a former Forbes contributor.
Arpana Giritharan ’24CS (Co-President) attended Columbia Climate School where she graduated with an Master of Arts. She holds a Bachelor of Science from University College London. She is currently an Adviser at the Australian Energy Market Commission. Before Columbia, Arpana worked in climate policy in London at Green Alliance, UNEP-WCMC and Chatham House where she contributed to research and a range of publications across climate and nature-related themes.
Jackson Hewett '10JRN/'11BUS (Board Member) attended Columbia on a Knight Bagehot Fellowship for Business and Economics journalists where he attained a Masters of Science in Journalism and a MBA. Prior to Columbia, Jackson was a reporter and producer for the BBC in the UK, the Middle East and the US. He is currently Senior Manager of Consumer Campaigns and Content at the Australian Securities and Investment Commission.
Shabarika Ajitkumar ‘11LLM (Board Member) attended Columbia Law School where she graduated with a Master of Laws as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. She also holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney. She is a Partner in the Corporate Group of Corrs Chambers Westgarth, one of Australia's leading independent law firms, where she advises clients on complex mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions and corporate advisory matters.
Ashish Mehta ’14SIPA (Board Member) attended Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, graduating with a Master of Public Administration in 2014. Over the past five years, he has served as a trusted advisor to Cornerstone OnDemand customers headquartered across Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific. Prior to Cornerstone, Ashish co-founded Training First, a digital learning consultancy whose projects were funded by the likes of Google, The World Bank, The Commonwealth of Learning and the Government of India.
More information on Chapter Leadership Committees can be found on the Chapter pages.