Our Board
Monique Ritchie
Chair of the Board
Monique is an experienced general manager with a legal and international business background in the education sector. Her senior leadership experience includes leading high-performing teams across borders, change management and stakeholder engagement.
She’s worked in a range of not-for-profit organisations and is currently a practicing lawyer for a boutique law firm.
Monique combines her professional experience with a commitment to delivering high level services and programs that enhance opportunities and empower communities.
She recognises that education is the foundation for building better lives and enriching individuals. As Chair of the Board, she enjoys contributing and making a difference to the children and community Shine supports.
Gavin Choong
Board Secretary and Youth Advisor
Gavin is completing his Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Biomedical Science at Monash University.
As a Board Member and Youth Advisor for Shine Cambodia, Gavin brings a background in not-for-profit compliance and governance. In his role, Gavin hopes to engage with young Australians in high schools and universities to highlight educational inequities which extend beyond our borders.
Gavin is a human rights advocate and is particularly passionate about climate justice, Indigenous justice, and refugee rights. He’s currently a global youth spokesperson for Amnesty International and a New Colombo Plan Scholar under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Ry Lumdsen
Treasurer
As a financial services professional, Ry has experience in leading a team in the successful delivery of various financial services requirements and projects in the funds management industry.
Ry is passionate about helping kids improve their prospects in life. He’s volunteered in schools, delivering mentoring programs to further childhood development and give the best chance at a bright future.
Guided by volunteering and professional experience, as well as current MBA studies through Melbourne Business School, he’s committed to positively impacting the lives of children in Cambodia.
Sarah Day
Board Member and Fundraising Team Lead
Sarah Day is a sustainability enthusiast, currently working as a senior consultant at Edge Environment, focused on enabling sustainable food and agriculture systems.
Sarah brings her skills in project management, law and sustainability, in addition to her love for social connectivity, to Shine Cambodia in her role as Board Member and Fundraising Lead.
Meg Argyriou
Head of Youth Programs and Board Member
Daniel has been with Shine since the beginning of 2018 developing the Melbourne youth program. He has already taken multiple trips into the South-East Asian regions to understand and work with local communities. Currently studying a double degree of Law and Global Studies at Monash University, Daniel is working to ensure that the emerging generations of young people, globally, are passionate and conscientious change-makers.
Alex McDonald
Board Member
Alex is a second-year student at Monash University studying a Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics and a Bachelor of Arts. She’s been volunteering for Shine Cambodia since 2018 participating in numerous fundraising campaigns to support the charity. She visited the Cambodian staff in 2019, an experience that cemented her commitment to supporting them long-term.
Alex is passionate about providing education and support to the children in Cambodia to improve their quality of life and support the community of Otres in breaking the poverty cycle. As a board member, Alex intends to utilise her experience and skills in fundraising and continue to make a positive impact in the lives of children.
Operations
Samantha McLaughlan
Samantha McLaughlan
With a background in media analysis and account management Samantha has extensive experience in developing and managing various projects and programs. Prior to moving to Cambodia she worked with UK central and local Government charities and public relations companies on numerous public health behavioural change campaigns.
Her dream is that every child has access to quality education and a safe space to learn and develop.
Samantha joined the Shine team in 2017 and is proud to have seen first hand the benefits and opportunities that are opening up to the young people of Otres. ‘Education will give young people access to opportunities that will allow them to dream big and follow their dreams’. It’s her own dream that Shine will grow, develop and expand their reach to support more young people in Cambodia.
The Shine Cambodia Teaching Team
Our Teaching team
We’re grateful for the dedication and commitment of our team in Otres. Their passion and resilience ensure that we are able to deliver our programs effectively.
Let us introduce the team.
Starting from the left is Narith, our Community Outreach Officer and teacher.
Next to him, is Vida, our English teacher.
Thorn, our longest serving teacher, teaches Khmer and mathematics.
Molika, cooks student lunches in the morning and teaches in the afternoon.
Next is Sarith, our Head Teacher and Program Director.
And on the right is Samantha, our Project Manager.
We believe in employing local Khmer staff. They’re all passionate about making positive change in their community.
Our Founders
Suzanne Wright & Piseth Sen Neary
C0-Founders
Suzanne Wright
Teaching for two decades in the UK, Asia and Australia, with a degree in humanities and English and a Masters in Education, Suzanne has extensive experience working with young people in many contexts.
As a forward thinking, dynamic classroom teacher, she’s inspired many students to succeed through her infectious energy and ability to connect in a meaningful way.
Leading departments and creating innovative courses, she has a proven track record in creativity, resourcefulness and creating effective outcomes in an educational context. This skill set has been transferred, utilized and developed from the conception of Shine, through leading the organization as the CEO for three years, as Office Bearer for three years and now as the Founder.
Her passion for creating change in Cambodia was ignited whilst living there for two years, running a backpacker hostel and volunteering with a children’s project whilst on a career break.
Her passion is to create change on a global level, by inspiring and empowering young people to reach their full potential. She’s experienced the joy of altruism and wants to ensure others feel this by giving back to their communities.
Piseth Sen Neary
Piseth was employed by the project that Suzanne helped whilst living in Otres from 2013 to 2015. They became colleagues and friends and stayed in touch after Suzanne moved to Melbourne.
Piseth has a teaching career spanning primary and secondary education. He’s passionate about community projects and devoted himself to helping the children of Otres.
He moved on to work for another passion project, working with disadvantaged children in his home province.