Our Team
Her Excellency Betty B. Pavelich
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
The Republic of Croatia to Australia and New Zealand
LIFETIME HONORARY MEMBER & CO-FOUNDER
Betty Pavelich assumed her duties as Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Australia and New Zealand in November 2018. Born in Zagreb, Croatia, Ambassador Pavelich moved to Toronto, Canada with her family as a young child. After residing in Canada for 33 years, she returned to her Homeland of Croatia in December 2005, where she raised her three children as a single mother.
Ambassador Pavelich joined the Croatian Foreign Service in December 2005, as an Advisor for International Promotion to then Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, following a 15-year career with the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa, where she had served as Chief of Staff and Legislative Advisor to several Canadian Members of Parliament.
Throughout the course of her diplomatic career, the ambassador has held a number of senior positions in the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia including: Director for North, South and Central America and the Caribbean, Foreign Policy Advisor to the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Croatia to NATO and Director for North America. She has served as Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration to the Global Women Leaders’ Summit (November 2007) and to the European Union Institute for Security Studies Conference on Women and Security in the Western Balkans (October 2006). She was a Member of the Republic of Croatia’s NATO Public Awareness Communications Committee (2006-2007) and has represented Croatia during numerous negotiations of bilateral agreements with the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Ambassador speaks Croatian, English and French, has a working knowledge of German and beginner knowledge of Spanish
Sonja Palic
CHAIRPERSON & CO-FOUNDER
Sonja is passionate about People, Business, the Building/Construction industry and Women in Leadership and the ever changing roles and challenges that present themselves today. She has been a business owner for over 25years and currently is Co-Owner of Entrax Commercial Interior Fitouts with her husband.
Sonja Palic is the first female Chairperson of the Sydney Hills Business Chamber in the Chamber’s 28-year history and served on the Board for 5 years. With the effects of COVID upon us, an area that needed a lot of help in the Community was Mental health so this year she joined the Board as Deputy Chair of the “Mind Connections Foundation” – an NFP hoping to make a difference to people suffering from Mental Health issues.
Sonja also sat on the Board of the ACCC -Aust-Croatian Chamber of Commerce for two years as Secretary and is also a co-author in a book called “Think Big”, inspirational stories of thought leaders and their success.
Sonja was named “Baulkham Hills Woman of the Year 2021” for all her Community contribution.
Cindy Drake
DEPUTY CHAIR
Cindy J. Drake is a business and leadership coach with over 30 years of experience across the private, nonprofit, and government sectors in four countries. Her career is defined by a commitment to empowering others and driving meaningful change through leadership, technology, and financial expertise.
Cindy’s international work includes impactful roles in Bosnia and Kosovo, where she collaborated with MicroFinance organisations and implemented financial systems for the Kosovo Treasury, fostering transparency and growth. As the founder of Practice Prosperity, she helps business owners strengthen leadership skills, understand their numbers, and leverage technology to achieve measurable results.
Inspired by her Croatian heritage, Cindy continues to support the community as the former President of the Victorian Croatian Chamber of Commerce, fostering connections and empowering future leaders through initatives such as the STEMM Youth program . She is passionate about creating environments where businesses and individuals can thrive.
Antonia Razborsek
TREASURER
Antonia is a banking professional with over 17 years experience specialising in Collections Strategy, Credit Risk and analytics. Having studied a Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance and then a Masters of Finance her strong technical skills have led her to banking. Working in highly analytical teams and knowing what it's like to not fit in, she is passionate about gender diversity and supporting women in STEM and male dominated careers.
In her spare time Antonia volunteers and participates in community events including being a Board member for Australian Croatian Club - Braca Radic Sydney
Amela Barisic
SECRETARY
Amela Barisic is an accomplished commercial lawyer recognised for her pragmatic and strategic legal counsel. Currently in the role of Special Counsel at The University of Adelaide (UoA), Amela leads the legal function within the Integration Management Office, overseeing the historic merger of the University of South Australia and UoA to create the new Adelaide University—a university for the future.
Her appointment to this role highlights her adaptability, effective leadership, and collaborative nature. Amela excels in resolving complex issues with decisive solutions. Known for her strong commercial acumen, she specialises in negotiating and drafting complex contractual arrangements, consistently achieving favourable outcomes across diverse projects.
Amela’s passion for leadership developed during her tenure leading a legal team specialising in research and commercialisation at UoA. In 2023, her team supported over $260 million in external research income. Selected for the 2024 Leadership Accelerator Program and honoured with the 2021 Professional Staff Scholarship at UoA, Amela demonstrates a commitment to excellence through her effective leadership.
Outside of her legal career, Amela is a co-founder of an electrical business specialising in renewable energy and continues to support this venture. Her strong work ethic and business acumen stem from her background growing up and working in her family's business.
As a first-generation Croatian and a founding member of the Croatian Sports Centre in Adelaide, Amela actively engages with the Croatian community by attending and volunteering at various events.
Angela Batisitch
BOARD DIRECTOR NEW ZEALAND
Angela has an extensive career in the Financial Services Industry as a Technology Leader with a dynamic and constantly evolving approach. She is currently Tech Area Lead - Wholesale Technologies at ANZ and also a passionate support of Women in Technology, actively involved in various mentoring programmes and leadership forums. For Angela being a Tech Leader is not just about the Technology, its about the people, the experiences and opportunities it provides to be vehicles of change beyond and above where we are today and into the future.
Ema Saric
BOARD DIRECTOR SA
Ema Saric is a leader in People & Culture, with a career focussed on developing integrated talent solutions, aligned to business vision and strategy. With the majority of her professional experience working for Deloitte and BAE Systems, Ema is recognised as an insightful Human Resources leader, with the ability to develop deep understanding her clients, their business and the markets they operate in. She has a passion for partnering with leaders to create an inspiring and inclusive workplace, where all employees have the ability to bring their best self to work.
Ema is a first generation Croatian-Australian and has been an active member of the South Australian Croatian community throughout her life including HFS Lenek Folkloric Ensemble, the Adelaide Croatia Soccer Club, the Croatian Sports Centre and the Festa – The Croatian Food and Wine Festival.
Ema was the youngest and first female Co-Director of Festa, a nationally acknowledged festival which attracts up to 5,000 attendees annually. Ema continues to play an active role in the community, through volunteering in various committees, and mentoring members of the community, as they navigate making the best of having a multicultural background, in Australian society.
Francika (Jelavic) Roberts
BOARD DIRECTOR WA
Spanning nearly forty years in both private and large State government organisations specialising in financial accounting, change management, contract administration, interpretation of relevant Government Legislation and Financial due diligence.
One of the first WA Croatian woman in the Australian Airforce, as well as services for inaugural woman in seismic ocean oil exploration in WA. A qualified NAATI Interpreter (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters), a certified practising translator.
Croatian born, migrated to Perth 1971, with a goal to assist and support women in leadership roles as well as giving back to the Croatian Community.
Currently Vice-President of the Western Australian Croatian Chamber of Commerce and also a Certified Croatian/English Interpreter.
Miriana Cavic
Board Director ACT
Miriana was born and raised in Canberra and has well established links to the Canberra community through her past business endeavors and charity work. For the past 20 years Miriana has owned and run a number of restaurants in Canberra.
Miriana is a dynamic individual with a warm and engaging manner, high energy and positive approach to everything she undertakes. Miriana understands the importance of hard work, commitment and care for clients and, with her strong history in the community and business acumen, is a great asset to vendors.
Miriana takes immense pride in being open and honest when communicating, and always looks for opportunities to go above and beyond. Miriana's background in the hospitality industry and her genuine love of interacting with people positions her perfectly in real estate.
When not working in real estate Miriana has a strong passion for personal training and her charity supporting seriously ill children and their families as a committee member for the Canberra Starlight Ball.
Nikolina Tully
Board Director QLD
Nikolina Tully (née Orlic) is a second-generation Australian born Croatian female. Nikolina is a personal injury lawyer, entrepreneur, and law firm owner of Tully Law from Brisbane. While she was born in Australia, her parents soon returned to Croatia where she lived as a child for several years before she and her family eventually moved back to Australia permanently. She received a scholarship to go to University in year 12 at the Queensland University of Technology, so completed her last year of schooling while also commencing her first year of study at University. She completed a double Degree in a Bachelor of Justice and a Bachelor of Laws. She was a trainee lawyer by the time she was 22 years of age. Soon after, she was admitted as a lawyer in the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia. Nikolina’s law firm, Tully Law is also a proud sponsor of the AUS-NZ Croatian Women in Leadership organisation for 2023.
Tanja Vukasovic
Board Director VIC
Understanding one’s ancestry is important. Born in Melbourne, Tanja takes great pride in her heritage and has always felt a deep connection to Croatia, often dreaming of relocating there someday.
Tanja is an experienced business development and marketing professional with extensive experience across the professional services, banking, retail, and pharmaceutical industries. She is currently a Director at BDO, where she collaborates with teams nationwide to develop and drive market strategies for significant pursuits, key accounts, and sectors.
From a young age, Tanja has been deeply involved in the Croatian community through sporting clubs, church, language school, and social events. She is committed to preserving and promoting Croatian culture for future generations, especially her three children.
Passionate about empowering women and fostering leadership, Tanja is excited to join a team dedicated to shaping a brighter future for aspiring leaders.