The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) today announced the appointment of Mr. Mohammad Al-Khafaji as the new Chief Executive Officer of the organisation.
Mr. Al-Khafaji has served FECCA in various roles since October 2015. He served on the FECCA executive first as the Youth Chairperson, then as Honorary Secretary, before joining the FECCA secretariat as the Director of Strategy and Engagement. He has served as Acting CEO of FECCA since November 2018.
FECCA Chairperson Ms. Mary Patetsos congratulated Mr Al-Khafaji on his appointment as CEO.
“Mohammad has a proven track record as a successful emerging executive.
Prior to joining FECCA, Mohammad was the inaugural CEO of Welcome to Australia.
“Fluent in three languages, Mohammad’s personal experiences as a former refugee from Iraq and as a migrant also mean he can uniquely relate to so many Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.
“In addition to his experience working with numerous multicultural groups and on many community boards, Mohammad has a Bachelor of Software Engineering and worked for several years in the corporate sector.
“Mohammad has also serves on the SBS Community Advisory Committee and the Advertising Standards Bureau community panel, and was a finalist in the SA Young Australian of the Year awards 2018.
“Mohammad was invited to participate in the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in the US, and recently spoke at the Global Dialogues conference on migration in Buenos Aires at the invitation of the Argentinian Government.”
Mr Al-Khafaji said he was excited to be taking on the role of CEO at FECCA at such a critical time for CALD Australians.
“This is a very challenging time for Australians from diverse backgrounds, as we all work together to ensure that Australian values of a just and fair society prevail,” he said.
“The best thing we can do is to ensure that all Australians, regardless of where they come from, are able to contribute fully to Australia, to live productive and fulfilled lives and to reap the rewards of their hard work. I look forward to achieving that goal in my role as FECCA CEO.”
FECCA is the peak, national body representing Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. FECCA’s role is to advocate and promote issues on behalf of its constituency to government, business and the broader community.
