Writing NSW is managed by our CEO and staff who are responsible to a volunteer Board.
Staff
CEO
Sophie Groom
Sophie is responsible for the overall strategic direction and management of the organisation.
Finance Manager
Jeanne Kinninmont
Jeanne is responsible for the organisation’s financial management and governance.
Operations Manager
Andrew Glassop
Andrew manages our member services and the operation of our location at Garry Owen House.
Program Manager
Katharine Pollock
Katharine manages our program of courses, festivals and events.
Professional Development Officer
Libby Bramble
Libby coordinates the facilitation and planning of the diverse Writing NSW course program.
Caretakers
A team of caretakers is responsible for the upkeep of the Writing NSW building and facilities including cleaning, gardening, room set-up and maintenance.
Board
Adam van Rooijen – Chair
Adam van Rooijen completed a BA in Communications (Media Arts & Production) at UTS in 2005 and began his career in digital advertising before moving to London in 2009, where he transitioned his career into becoming a digital marketer for Random House. He has worked on campaigns for recognised brands like Lee Child, Bill Bryson, Dan Brown. He returned to Sydney where he worked at HarperCollins Publishers as Head of Digital and Marketing for the Harlequin division, developing book and author marketing campaigns for Rachael Johns, Tricia Stringer, Tea Cooper and in nonfiction for Naomi Simson, to name a few. He has worked on successful recognised collaborations and was recognised as a 2018 Mumbrella BEFEST finalist for the Mills & Boon meets The Bachelorette campaign. Currently, he is working at Apple, as marketing lead for Apple Music and Apple Podcasts.
Shankari Chandran – Co-Deputy Chair
Shankari is a lawyer and author of Song of the Sun God (Perera-Hussein Publishing, 2017), The Barrier (Pan Macmillan Australia, 2017) and Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens (Ultimo Press, 2022) winner of the 2023 Miles Franklin Literary Award. Song of the Sun God is being adapted for a six-part TV series. Her work has been long-listed for the International Dublin Literary Award (2019), and short-listed for the Fairway National Literary Award (2018) and the Norma K Hemming Award for Speculative Fiction (2018). She won the Blake-Beckett Trust Scholarship (2019) and the Create NSW Writers’ Fellowship (2018/2019), essential support that enabled her to write Chai Time. Her stories reflect her ancestral Tamil background and its impact on contemporary Australia.
Sophie Stern – Co-Deputy Chair
Sophie is a legally-trained policy and strategy advisor with expertise in governance, culture and accountability. Her experience spans the private and government sector, both in Australia and the United Kingdom. She currently works in financial services and previously held roles with the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Financial Conduct Authority (UK) and Herbert Smith Freehills, and was a Board Observer with the Sydney Jewish Museum in 2022. She holds degrees in International Studies and Law, and is an avid reader and aspiring writer.
Eliza Twaddell – Treasurer
Eliza Twaddell is a Chartered Accountant and policy and stakeholder engagement professional with a focus on producing good outcomes for people experiencing vulnerable situations and circumstances. With a decade of experience in government, the private sector and not for profits, Eliza brings a diverse set of financial and strategic skills to the board. Eliza is a resident of Sydney’s inner west, a keen reader and supporter of local organisations and causes.
Jarrah Dundler
Jarrah lives in Kyogle, Bundjalung country, Northern NSW. His debut novel, Hey Brother, was shortlisted for the Vogel Literary Award. He was the recipient of a Writing NSW Early Career Writers grant in 2017, has worked as a peer assessor for the Varuna Writers Fellowship program, co-edited and published Fire Stories, and played a lead role in the planning and implementation of the inaugural Kyogle Writers Festival in 2021. Jarrah also has extensive experience in grant and tender writing for not-for-profits, including six years with Australian Red Cross. He is excited to bring his diverse experience to the board to help contribute to organisational growth, sustainability, and expanding the Writing NSW footprint in regional NSW.
Laura Eadie
Laura Eadie is a dynamic and accomplished leader with a robust 20-year track record spanning public and private sectors, top-tier consulting, and startup ventures. Known for strategic guidance, leading value-based investment decisions, driving delivery of transformative initiatives and fostering cross-functional teams. She has helped organisations secure substantial funding, structure organizational strategies, develop customer-centric initiatives, and navigate challenging policy reforms within contested landscapes. Laura is a member of Writing NSW and keen creative writer in her spare time.
Fiona Hazard
Fiona Hazard is a publishing professional focused on promoting writers, nurturing literary careers and creating non-traditional publishing pathways for emerging creators. Always an avid reader, her love for books drew her to the publishing industry and she has built an outstanding publishing career with a wealth of experience in both the UK and Australia, including as Group Publishing Director for Hachette Australia and New Zealand. There she was a key leader in growing their lists, worked with award-winning authors and illustrators including Geraldine Brooks, Michael Robotham and Jessica Townsend, and led their partnerships with the State Library of Queensland’s black&write! program and the Emerging Writers Festival. She was also Co-Convenor of Hachette’s annual literary prize, The Richell Prize, which has launched several literary careers. A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), she is currently Head of Global Strategy & Development for new publishing house, Keeperton.
Chloe Michele
Chloe Michele is an accomplished fundraising expert with 13+ years spanning the not-for-profit, higher education and private sectors. In her current role at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), she leads strategic partnerships for the School of Design and serves as an Executive Committee Member for the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Fashion and Textiles, a collaboration between TAFE NSW and UTS. Previously, Chloe held the position of Trusts and Foundations Manager at the Black Dog Institute, where she secured multiple philanthropic gifts exceeding $1 million. Chloe holds degrees in Communication, Creative Writing and Visual Arts. Her writings have been published in respected Australian journals, including New Australian Fiction, Rabbit Poetry and many editions of the UTS Writers Anthology, including the special 40th Anniversary edition which celebrated the most outstanding work featured since the collection debuted. Chloe is passionate about the power of philanthropy to support and bolster an inclusive writing community in NSW. She has a keen understanding of the writing and publishing industry and is dedicated to supporting and developing writers across the region.
Kajal Narayan
Kajal is the head of marketing at social purpose publisher, Pantera Press. She has been working in publishing for 10 years, and has a passion for working with new voices in Australian literature. She started her publishing career at Rockpool Publishing and joined Pantera Press in 2020 after working at HarperCollins for five years and has vast experience in fiction and non-fiction publishing.
Christine Shamista Ratnasingham
Christine is a human rights practitioner who has worked in not-for-profit, government and philanthropy organisations. She holds a doctorate in law and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) specialising in literary studies. Her book of poetry, Soft Side of Red, was published in 2023 (Gazebo Books). Her writing has been published in a number of journals and anthologies, and explores the themes of family, romance, connection and diversity. She is passionate about human rights, good governance, creativity, and writers accessing quality support.
Nardi Simpson
Nardi Simpson is a Yuwaalaraay writer, musician and educator from NSW’s north west freshwater plains. As a member of Indigenous duo Stiff Gins, Nardi has travelled nationally and internationally for the past 20 years, performing in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Vietnam and the Pacific Islands. Nardi is the recipient of the 2018 Black&Write! Indigenous Writers Fellowship with the state library of Queensland where she is currently editing her debut novel, Song of the Crocodile. In 2019 Nardi will commence work with Ngarria Burria – the Indigenous Composures initiative and commence her tenure as musical director of Barayagal, a cross cultural choir of Indigenous and non-Indigenous singers to be run out of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2019. Nardi is also a Gamilaraay Language teacher and cultural consultant heavily involved in the teaching and sharing of culture in both her Sydney and Yuwaalaraay communities.