Staff
World Wide is managed by three directors with extensive project management and consulting experience. With combined national and international experience of over 40 years, they provide clients with a wealth of discipline-specific Australian and international project experience.
Catherine Deane – Director
Cathy Deane holds an Economics Degree from the University of Adelaide and is a qualified librarian. Her Australian and international project experience includes project management and technical assistance in the governance, health, financial, educational, agricultural and fisheries sectors, covering economic, physical and social planning. Cathy places strong emphasis on encouraging and supporting Partner engagement and in applying participatory mechanisms.
Cathy has worked on a large number of development assistance projects for donor agencies that include AusAID, the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and UNDP. In addition, she has successfully completed project work and consultancy services for private sector clients. Cathy understands the social, cultural and economic factors that are important to sustainable development and change.
click here to view CVPaul Verwoert – Director
Paul Verwoert, MA BA(Hons), is a Director and senior consultant of World Wide with 16 years experience in the international aid industry, particularly in business development, project management and emergency relief logistics. He has implemented numerous capacity building projects and major humanitarian relief programs in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Balkans on behalf of international donor agencies and NGOs. As a senior staff member, Paul is responsible for business development, international competitive tendering, as well as strategic and business planning. His project management responsibilities include project design, contract and financial management, monitoring, reporting and client liaison.
Paul’s field experience includes the delivery of large scale emergency relief operations in Iraq, Yemen, Croatia and Bosnia for CARE International, UN Agencies, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. He was awarded a Medal for Overseas Humanitarian Service in 2002 by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet for work in Iraq.
click here to view CVPaul Tippett – Director
Paul Tippett, MAppSci BEd, is a Director and senior consultant of World Wide. He has extensive Australian and field experience in project design and management, following a successful career in the national and international education and training sector. He has expertise at all levels across the education sector and is an Adjunct Professor (Project Management) at the University of South Australia.
Paul has expertise in teaching and in executive-level management in education and training institutions, in Australia and overseas. He has delivered staff development and HRD programs, has experience in facilities design and has been a member of several national Task Forces.
Paul has skills in project design, analysis of needs, monitoring and evaluation, and the field management of projects for strengthening Partners, institutions and systems.
click here to view CVAnnette Mitchell – Accounts/Administration Officer
Annette Mitchell has been Accounts/Administration Officer at World Wide since July 2005. Annette is responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the company’s financial and administration systems. She works closely with the Directors and project management staff to strengthen the existing in-house financial reporting and evaluation capabilities.
Annette has a varied business background, having worked in both retail and small business. Her experience includes software-based accounting systems, financial reporting, and small business accounting. Annette brings to the team at World Wide her extensive administration experience from various retail, accounting and financial positions held in Victoria, the Northern Territory and South Australia.
Aida Ravaie-O’Sullivan – Project Coordinator
Aida started work as an Administrative Assistant (casual) with World Wide in March 2006, became a permanent part time employee in May 2006, and a full-time employee in July 2007 and has now been promoted to Project Coordinator.
Aida’s responsibilities include project administration and coordination, supporting bid preparation, maintaining World Wide’s administrative systems; supporting the implementation of training programs for international participants); administering all corporate and project travel arrangements; and supporting the Company Directors to fulfill their project and corporate requirements.
Janne Laukkala – Project Manager
Janne Laukkala has a MSc, MA, BSc and a Grad Dip Ed. He has a strong background in international business and in the education sector. Janne’s responsibilities at World Wide include management of project activities, administration, logistics and liaison with stakeholders as well as providing support for senior staff to secure new business opportunities through the development of tender proposals. Janne holds graduate degrees in business administration and economics as well as intercultural communication and international relations. Additionally, he has a teacher’s qualification, specialising in adult education.
Before joining World Wide, Janne has worked as a university lecturer, researcher, and in different roles in business development and consulting. He has worked in Finland, Canada and Australia and has extensive travel experience around the world. He has also completed the EU civilian crisis management core course and the local governance specialisation course.
Odile Ruijs – Project and Systems Coordinator
Odile Ruijs has a background in development economics and Asian studies. She has over 15 years of experience in development assistance, focused on the Asia/Pacific region. This includes 5 years working on advocacy issues with the EU and Dutch parliaments, related to multilateral organisations, areas of conflict (Indonesia, Afghanistan, Great Lakes), and economic issues, such as illegal timber imports. She also chaired the policy and advocacy group of a major European NGO network. Earlier, in Vietnam and Laos she worked as an independent consultant for NGOs, business and the Attorney-General’s, before becoming director of the INGO Resource Centre, based in Hanoi.
At World Wide, she project manages several contracts, and is responsible for ensuring that all organisation-wide systems are geared towards maximum quality delivery. She is also assisting senior staff to secure new business opportunities.
Kate Whelan – Project Coordinator
Kate Whelan has a Bachelor of Social Sciences, Diploma in Languages (German) and Honours in Anthropology, and is currently completing a Masters of Health and International Development. In addition, she has studied on a scholarship as part of an exchange program to Konstanz University in Germany.
Kate has extensive volunteer and work experience in Australian NGOs, including developing and coordinating numerous projects and providing casework as part of settlement assistance to migrants and refugees. This was funded by the Australian Government, as well as the SA Government and various private/philanthropic bodies. In this role, Kate has worked with clients from a range of backgrounds including Africa (Sudan, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Burundi, the Congo, Liberia, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea) the Middle East (Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan) and Asia (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China, Vietnam and Burma).
Kate also has experience in developing research and project funding proposals for government and aid agencies and the private sector. Kate has been a volunteer on a community development project in Vanuatu and has recently returned to Australia from Samoa, where she was working with a local non-government organisation providing family planning and sexual and reproductive health services. This assisted the Samoan NGO to strengthen its capacity and expand its services and youth programs.
We look forward to working with Kate as she applies her skills and expertise to supporting the various international consultancies, projects, programs and the specialised training activities that will be part of her daily life here at World Wide.
Senior Associate: Jessie Ponce
Jessie has more than 12 years’ supervisory/managerial and consulting experience working with the Government of the Philippines, international NGOs, ADB, UNHCR, AusAID, USAID and other donors. Much of his work has focused on post-conflict environments and poor and marginalized communities, including in Mindanao, Indonesia and Mongolia. A key component of his experience is the design and implementation of training programs for local NGO capacity building, including development of teaching and training techniques, training materials and visual aids that have been adopted for program-wide use. Jessie’s consulting engagements includes acting as trainer-consultant on project identification and development for local government units in the Province of Bohol, Philippines and well as for government agencies in Nauru and Mongolia. He has also worked for the UN in East Timor, and for the ADB in Mongolia on a Social Welfare program. In 2006 Jessie took on the role of Director of Aceh Programs for an NGO International Relief & Development, Inc in Indonesia. He was responsible for the development and management of IRD’s US$15-20 million/year program portfolio for tsunami and/or conflict-affected communities in Aceh Province. He has participated in other consulting missions for AusAID, ADB, and USAID in the Philippines, Mongolia, Indonesia and Nauru, covering a broad range of topics including community/rural development; poverty alleviation; NGO/civil society capacity building; project identification, development and management; and monitoring and evaluation, among others.
Senior Associate: Ian Teese
Ian Teese, B.Ag.Ec. (Hons) has more than 30 years experience in development and agribusiness project design, implementation and evaluation. He has operated and managed his own large scale commercial farming enterprises in Australia and advised agribusinesses in Australia and overseas. Ian has worked in transition and developing countries from the Pacific and PNG through Asia and the Near East to West Africa in development and capacity building projects. Development and implementation of M&E systems for and evaluation of infrastructure (water supply, sanitation and roads) and community driven development projects have been a major focus of his recent work.
Ian is committed to facilitating participatory learning approaches to evaluations to ensure experiences and lessons are incorporated into ongoing project and agency activities.
Clients have included AusAID, ADB, Cadbury Schweppes, the Australian Dairy Research and Development Corporation, IFAD, Nestle, UNDP, USAID, USDA and the World Bank.