What are Ministerial Councils?

A Ministerial Council provides advice and feedback to the Minister for Small Business and Employment on a broad range of issues affecting small businesses in Victoria. Councils provide a voice for small business across government and offer an opportunity to make a positive impact for Victorian business owners.

Multicultural Business Ministerial Council (MBMC)

The Multicultural Business Ministerial Council (MBMC) provides government with a means to consult and communicate directly with business operators with a view to:

  • acting as a sounding board for government policy and services relating to the multicultural business sector
  • facilitating government’s understanding of emerging issues affecting the multicultural business sector
  • acting as conduit between government and the multicultural business sector
  • promoting the multicultural business support activities of Small Business Victoria to their networks.

Board members

Council Chair: Ms Bihong Wang
Ms Wang brings leadership skills and multicultural business engagement experience as the President of the Asian Business Association of Whitehorse and in her role on the Premier’s Business Council.

Deputy Chair: Dr Angraj (Raj) Khillan MBBS, MD, MIAP, FRCPCH (UK), FRACP 
Dr Khillan is the 2023 Australian of the Year for Victoria and brings extensive experience to the role through his experience as Director and Consultant Paediatrician at the Western Specialist Centre, and Founder and former Co-Chair of the Australia India Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Council members :

The council members bring a mix of skills, business experience and multicultural business perspectives to inform successful operation of the council. The members are:

  • Dr Angeline Achariya, (CEO of Innovation GameChangers, Non-Executive Director of Wine Australia and Board Member of the Australian Government’s Industry Innovation and Science Australia)
  • Ms Lynda Cavalera GAICD FAMI CPM (General Manager, Growth at Teach For Australia)
  • Mr Nicholas Kalogeropoulos (Director/COO of Global Hospitality Group and Director/Founding Partner of Calibre Feasts)
  • Mr Ibrahim Ozdemir (Managing Director, Picnic Foods Pty Ltd).
  • Mr Hy (Andy) Tran (Head of Business Development, Interscale,  Co-Vice President of Vietnamese Australian Professional Network)