Anaab Rooble

She has 20 years of public services experience and currently is the Manager, Diversity and Inclusion for the Department of Families and Fairness and Housing. She migrated to Australia from Somalia 25 years ago, spoke no English when she arrived, and a civil war prevented her from an education beyond Grade 5.

Anaab enjoys revamping workplace cultures, driving diversity and inclusion initiatives and learnt that organisational change often relies on the individual to have the courage to speak up and highlight where inequality exists and to challenge the status quo and hopes to see a world where us and them no longer exists.

Anaab has lived experience of intersectionality which she regards additional strengths or says, she wears many hats. She is a woman who wears a hijab as she belongs to the Muslim faith, an African migrant, a person with disability and a woman of colour! In general, women need to break the glass ceiling but when you add other diverse layers such as migrant, person of colour and disability the layer gets thicker.

She is a strong advocate of disability employment and shared her lived experience in many forums. She is a proud member of the VPS Women of Colour Network, Board Director for the Personnel Group, a member of the Victorian African Communities Committee providing advice to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs on issues relevant to the Victoria's African communities, a member of Community Advisory Committee for the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Consumer Representative for the Northern Hospital.