Scholar and Karen

Scholar was the Senior Radiographer at PNG's Kavieng General Hospital before she took up her masters. In this role, she realised that she already is an example of what a woman can achieve in her own career and that she has a platform to reach, influence and mentor the youth in her community.

Scholar plans to work with couples, particularly those entering civil unions at very young ages and who are illiterate and lack community support. She will offer counselling and work with them on issues of fertility, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, and domestic violence. She will encourage young women to feel comfortable in being vocal in village settings and workspaces, while helping men to understand the importance of women's roles and voices in PNG, and educating both on self-care. She plans to embed the idea that you need to know yourself in order to be an effective leader of others.

Karen has worked for over 25 years at senior executive management level, in large international organisations in Australia, Asia, Africa and the Pacific, including PNG, Fiji, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. Since 2010, Karen has run her own international development consulting firm, providing project management, strategic planning and business development services for organisations.

She has designed bilateral and multilateral development programs for DFAT, Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank, and supported commercial consulting firms with business development and strategic planning. For five years, Karen was the general manager of development at Save the Children Australia, managing a portfolio over AU$ 24 million and over 200 staff across over 16 offices in 8 countries. She also has worked with Melbourne-based organisations to create health, wellbeing and youth suicide prevention programs and action plans.