LINK is a not-for-profit community based social enterprise.
LINK’s purpose is to serve – to help you remain safe, happy and healthy in your own home – living well – connected to services and community.
Living well at home needs a village of support. LINK connects you to an Integrated Community of Care of volunteers, services, transport, health systems, outings, and friendships.
Care at home is more than what happens within four walls. It is the small things as well as the big things. Someone to share a meal with, or someone worth going for a walk with. Help getting out of the house with friends, or help through the confusing maze of a hospital visit.
LINK looks after the every day basics. We provide the ever changing fit-for-purpose services you need to be the best you can be throughout a 30 year journey from active retirement onwards.
LINK keeps you well, keeps you active, supports your needs, and helps avoid small incidents that could become larger problems.
We’re here to help.
LINK serves greater Northern and Western Melbourne.
LINK operates Victoria’s largest community transport fleet of accessible vehicles, specially trained drivers, mobility assistants and in home carers. We operate out of four community hub / vehicle depot locations in Melbourne.
Culture, Language and Diversity
LINK recognises and works to match and support the wonderful diversity of community that is Melbourne. Our staff and volunteer community speak over 25 languages including:
English, Afrikaans, Arabic, Cantonese, Dutch, French, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Lebanese, Maltese, Mandarin, Nepali, Newari, Pakistani, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Urdu, Vietnamese and Auslan.
LINK reaches out to engage with cultural, language and special interest communities – to make sure their members are getting the services they need and the support they are entitled to. We work with community groups to maintain people’s connection with community, culture, family, events, language and rituals. Getting older should not mean losing connection.
LINK celebrates the richness of diversity of everyone in our community, for all people in equal measure. We celebrate, respect and embrace diversity of language, culture, gender plurality, and the joy of individual personality, interests and expression that makes us each who we are. We celebrate life.
LINK personalises its services to meet the specific interests, needs, and capabilities of each of our clients – matching them to appropriate activities that support them in being the best they can be.
When going on group outings, we match participants to maintain old friendships, and build and nurture new friendships to help grow the reality of community where everyone has a place, and everyone is welcome and at home.
Board and Leadership Team
Director
Danny Davis, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
Cliff Abbasi
Business Development Manager
Maurice thaung
Volunteer & Community Manager
Cassandra Barrett
Finance Manager
Usman Shamim
HR & Administration Manager
Aff Ferrante
Fleet Manager
Nick Harris
LINK Community and Transport has been operating as a not-for-profit community service organisation for over 40 years.
LINK was originally formed in the Northern Suburbs by two mums of disabled children who had no other options to get their kids to schools or services. The organisation they built has grown through many phases and many programs to become the thriving organisation it is today.
We are proud of our history and thank those who have contributed so much for so long to build the potential of this organisation. LINK is a community asset that has been built up over many years. It exists to serve community.
It is our duty and our privilege to work every day to see that potential realised.
Stephen Pritchard
Stephen Pritchard works in the Victorian Public Service as a strategy, policy and governance leader.
He has experience across a broad range of portfolios, including the interface of Victorian and Federal Government programs and community organisation delivered services across justice, policing, health and human services.
He has lead numerous major reform and business improvement programs, including the transition of disability services from the state to the NDIS for Victorians engaged in the criminal justice or forensic service systems; information management and coordination between state and health sector response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and the strategic positioning and forward plan for the Victorian Road Safety portfolio.
Prior to working in the public sector, he was an academic at Monash University.
Bridget Thakrar
Bridget is a People and Operations executive currently working for Sensand and responsible for all facets of human resources, payroll, employee experience, and operations. She brings a wealth of experience in the people field, gained across various industries including utilities, construction, manufacturing and technology.
She is the Co-Founder of In The Game, a game-based leadership consultancy and is an Activator as part of the SheEO movement. An AICD qualified board member, Bridget has a passion for driving high-performance outcomes by way of cultural transformation.
From a personal perspective, Bridget is a staunch feminist, mum of two and aspiring Muay Thai fighter.
Mike Lescai
Mike is Immediate Past President for Council on the Ageing (Victoria) and Past President of The Network of Consulting Professionals. He is an experienced chair and director in the NFP and commercial sectors.
Mike has an MBA (International Management) with RMIT University and was the winner of the Asian Association of Management Organisations prize for top MBA Intake Student. He was awarded ‘General Manager of the Year’ by the Victorian Transport Association and is a Junior Chamber International Senator.
In 2006, after returning from 5 years in Singapore, Mike started his own consultancy practice, the Meerkat Group, specialising in strategy, leadership, supply chain and procurement. Mike is married with 3 daughters. His personal interests include family, friends, not for profits, AFL, cricket, NFL, walking, wine & economics.
Ian Sanders
Ian is an experienced senior executive with a career in managing customers and complex growth businesses in Australia and overseas. He has significant specialised experience in finance, health and aged care, professional services and retail sectors.
After thirty years in finance, Ian decided it was time for a career change which would enable him to contribute to the community. He has subsequently served in an executive capacity working with refugees and in non-executive roles in aged care and early learning.
He has qualifications in BSc from London University and an MBA from QUT and is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institure of Directors and also currently serves as a Board member of the Early Learning Association of Australia.
Sara Pantaleo
Sara stepped down as CEO of La Porchetta in February 2020 and founded Affari SP, a consultancy business that helps build profitable businesses with a conscience.
Sara has extensive learned knowledge and over 20 years of lived experience in Franchising. While at La Porchetta, she drove the brand’s growth from only 12 outlets in 1996 into the largest, licensed, a-la-carte restaurant franchise in Australasia by building systems and processes that enabled the company to expand without compromising its core family values and culture.
Sara was the national Franchise Woman of the Year in 2010 and a Telstra Businesswoman of the Year Victorian finalist in 2012. She is a non-executive Director on the national Boards of Franchise Council of Australia, Family Business Australia and Chair of the Audit and Risk Sub-committee for Global Gardens of Peace. In addition, she is a Women on Boards Cultural Diversity Working Group member, advocating and supporting culturally diverse women.
Sara has a love for small and family businesses and is passionate about children and families’ welfare. She co-founded the Moira Kelly Creating Hope foundation giving hope to children and displaced women and families.
She supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals and is always looking to take action on the seventeen initiatives. She is currently completing her Masters in Leadership at Deakin University. She fosters business leaders she mentors to become transformational leaders and adopt the principles to achieve triple-bottom-line profitability.
Peter Alkemade
Peter has over 20 years experience at Telstra as a senior manager, specialising in major service tenders and contracts, risk management for new contracts, and in the development of special service packages.
He is notably active with a variety of volunteer and community organisations including scouts. Peter is president of the Defence Reserves Association, a board member of Encompass and a member of Leadership Victoria and AMES mentoring group. Peter grew up on a dairy farm near Bacchus marsh and now lives in Strathmore with his wife Rose, and two sons Robert and Paul.
Irene Opper
Irene is a passionate advocate, change manager, manager of social and multicultural services, capacity builder, trainer, community development worker and mediator. She is a consultant to the not-for-profit sector and government and has over 30 years of experience in managing services and projects.
Irene is the founder and director of the national community-building organisation Neighbourhood Connect and is a connector for the Green Knoll Neighbours Group in St Kilda. She has served on various NFP boards including president roles.
Irene is passionate about re-creating the benefits of strong, friendly, accessible, welcoming communities and connected neighbourhoods across Australia. She has a commitment to effective governance and direction setting by boards and their role in leading healthy and effective organisational cultures.
Danny Davis
Danny has over 30 years of experience as a senior executive in his own firms and as an executive mentor and innovation coach in commercial, government and NFP organisations of all sizes.
He specialises in the effective business application of technology, digital disruption, business innovation and strategic agility in mature stage Australian organisations, and helping smaller organisations mature and develop their practices. He holds a PhD in Governance, serves as Australian representative on international standards development for Corporate Governance, IT, Cybersecurity, AI and Innovation, a Visiting Fellow at the UTS Institute of Public Policy and Governance, and one of the authors of a recent report titled “The Future of Community Transport” on behalf of the Departments of Transport in VIC, NSW, QLD and WA.
Danny is passionate about creating well run, effective organisations that maximise the use of funding and community passion in achieving their purpose.
