Meet Our Team
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Andrew Dowding
Managing Director
Andrew is the Managing Director of Winyama. Andrew’s role is to manage and guide Winyama, create opportunities for the team to grow into their roles and most importantly to generate work for the organisation to be sustainable. Andrew is from the Ngarluma traditional owner group and grew up between Perth, Sydney, and the Pilbara.
Andrew has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney majoring in both Anthropology and History, and is a current PhD candidate in Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development at the University of Melbourne. Andrew has lived and worked in a range of places from Perth, Broome, Arnhem Land, Los Angeles, Sydney, New Delhi and Roebourne. Each of these places has influenced the skills and experience that he brings to his current role. Andew’s major professional roles have been in the fields of Native Title, ethnographic heritage survey and more recently in Indigenous mapping.
Andrew’s passion is Indigenous mapping and the use of technology for cultural safeguarding. He co-founded Winyama in 2018 to provide more opportunity for Indigenous people to work in the geospatial industry and within the broader digital economy.
Find out more about Andrew’s work and the Mapping Services at Winyama.
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Paul Farrell
Director
Paul is the Chief Executive Officer of NGIS and co-founder and Director of Winyama.
Paul's fascination with the earth began at a young age and led him to pursue a Bachelor of Science (Honours). His academic journey continued with an Executive MBA from the University of Western Australia and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from the Australian National University.
A strategic thinker, Paul is passionate about the power of geospatial technology to drive positive change in business and society. His expertise in making data and technology open, accessible, and location-enabled has made him a highly sought-after advisor for both government and commercial sectors. Paul is renowned for identifying transformative opportunities that unlock the full potential of geospatial solutions.
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Alden Lee
General Manager
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Alden is a General Manager at Winyama. He has responsibilities across the business domain to support the growth and capabilities of Winyama. Alden also works with key Winyama partners and clients as a principal consultant in business and geospatial strategy and execution.
Born in Hong Kong, Alden was raised from his early years in Perth, establishing roots that mean Perth is home, despite his various professional experiences that had him living in Southeast Asia, the United States, and the Middle East as an engineer, consultant, and advisor.
Alden graduated with a Bachelors in Engineering, supplemented with a Masters in Business Administration. More defining to his character is his life experience as a husband and father to two boys who provide a constant source of challenge and motivation for self-improvement. He is an avid sports fan, bar field hockey. Alden has ambitions to cycle Passo dello Stelvio, Alp du Huez or Mont Ventoux. If that doesn’t happen, he will settle for riding up Mount Street in Kings Park.
Alden is passionate about supporting all individuals to be their best self, and removing barriers so that all can participate equally in our shared community.
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Kass Boladeras
Marketing and Operations Manager / IMW Australia Program Manager
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Kass is the Marketing and Operations Manager at Winyama. She is responsible for leading the marketing team and overseeing the company’s human resource department. Additionally, Kass manages and oversees Winyama’s social initiative, the Indigenous Mapping Workshop Australia program. Kass is a firm believer in continuous improvement and out-of-the-box thinking, fostering an environment within her team that enables them to do so. Her strengths lie in operational support, marketing, events, project management, and team leading.
Born and raised in Fremantle, Kass is a proud Ballardong woman with familial ties to the Wheatbelt (Northam, York, Toodyay). Before joining the team at Winyama, Kass worked at Curtin University in Student Services and Marketing, where she engaged in long-term strategic planning and managed a large team.
Outside of work Kass loves to spend time outdoors; snorkelling, and stand-up paddle boarding. She also enjoys trying new activities and spending time with friends.
An advocate for Indigenous governance, Indigenous success and the environment, Kass is excited to work for an organisation that aligns with her personal values, where she can be a creator of positive change for Australia’s Indigenous community.
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Kat Stapley-Oh
Stream and Project Lead - Cloud Specialisation
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Kat is the Cloud Lead at Winyama and is responsible for strategy and execution of cloud related initiatives at the company.
Kat brings extensive experience in cloud partnerships having worked in the Google Cloud Professional Service team in Singapore and more recently as Amazon Web Services Cloud Transformation Business Lead for Poeta Digital in Vietnam and Australia. Kat holds an MBA from the University of Western Australia (UWA) and has a strong foundation in geospatial sciences including a science degree from UWA (majoring in geographic information systems) and 12 years of work experience at the Maritime division of Transport WA.
It is this combined proficiency in and passion for geospatial and cloud technologies that drew her to the role at Winyama.
Having spent many years living and working overseas Kat is happy to have returned home to Perth and enjoys spending time at the beach and holidaying in Rottnest with her kids. She hails from a diverse background with a Syrian father and an Australian mother and loves cooking Middle Eastern cuisine.
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Joel D’Antoine
Stream and Project Lead - GIS Specialisation
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Joel is the Stream and Project Lead at Winyama. He plays a pivotal role steering the organisation’s spatial strategy towards future growth and managing our GIS team. Joel also serves Winyama clients, providing expert consultation and delivering effective spatial solutions.
Joel is a Bardi man, born in Derby. While he has spent most of his life living in Perth, he frequently travels to the Kimberley to enjoy the country and catch up with family.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Joel studied cartography—later transitioning to GIS. Joel is well versed in mapping Indigenous heritage sites, geology mapping and spatial data maintenance, having previously worked with the Department of Indigenous Affairs, the Department of Mines and Industry regulation and NGIS.
Joel is a self diagnosed CrossFit addict. He loves spending his weekends outdoors but also enjoys playing boardgames with friends. Joel also loves to travel and learning about other cultures.
Running ArcGIS training at this year’s 2023 Indigenous Mapping Workshop is what inspired Joel to join the team at Winyama. He admires the spirit and can-do attitude Winyama staff bring with them wherever they go. He is excited to help Winyama and the Indigneous community grow and help create a brighter future for others to follow.
Winyama remains one of the only Indigenous digital consultancies in Australia that specialises in Indigenous mapping and geospatial, which makes their combination of experience, knowledge, and expertise unique.
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Khia Emslie-O'Brien
Graduate GIS Analyst
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Khia is a GIS Analyst Graduate at Winyama. She is the first of our employees to graduate from our Internship program. Khia works with Winyama clients as well as supports Winyama’s Senior GIS Analysts to deliver solutions. She is continuing to develop her skills across Skyline, Esri Enterprise, Python and ArcPy, Feature Manipulation Engine (FME), and Google Cloud Platform.
Born and raised in the warmth of Darwin, Khia is a proud Wiradjuri woman. Before joining Winyama, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts at Edith Cowan and worked as an Art Consultant at an Indigenous art gallery in Perth city. Having always had a passion for arts and culture she continues to engage with community arts in her spare time.
What motivates her is the team's enthusiasm to share skills with Indigenous people and communities; ensuring better protection of the land and Indigenous knowledge for generations to come.
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Tim Cable
Senior IT Consultant
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Born and raised in Perth, Wilman Noongar man, Tim is a versatile and experienced Senior IT consultant with a passion for innovation and client satisfaction. As a Contracted Cloud Solutions Architect, Developer, IT Systems Consultant, and Systems Administrator, Tim thrives in dynamic, client-facing environments. His expertise spans from in-house IT support and consulting to architecting enterprise solutions on AWS.
Tim brings a wealth of experience in IT Managed Services, handling pressure with grace. He manages multiple clients and projects effortlessly, showing adaptability and a knack for learning quickly. Tim's dedication to giving back is evident in his volunteer work, reflecting his desire to make a positive difference. Outside of the IT world, you'll often find him indulging in his hobbies like surfing, playing sports, or diving into a good book.
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Grady Toomath
IT Consultant
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Grady is a Minang Noongar man born in Perth. He is an IT Consultant at Winyama with a drone specialisation. Prior to joining our team, Grady completed an Advanced Diploma in Engineering and Electrical Design and worked for ten years as an Instrument and Electrical Designer with resource companies.
In his spare time Grady is a regular attendee of the public speaking group Toastmasters and is an avid baker with breads and cakes aplenty. His talents stretch even further, as a self-taught bassist, mechanic and chess player.
Giving back, creating positive change in the community and supporting others are some of Grady’s key motivators for pursuing a career at Winyama. He has ambitions to help widen the skills and qualifications of the Indigenous population and culturally empower others in the future.
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River Bali
GIS Intern
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River Bali is a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) intern at Winyama. Under the mentorship of Joel, our GIS lead, River is developing his skills across the Esri suite. As he continues to hone his expertise, River will assist on spatial projects with Winyama’s senior team.
River is an Indigenous man born and raised in Armadale, Western Australia. His grandmother was part of the stolen generations and as such, his family ties remain unknown.
Passionate about aviation and technology, River gained his Remote Pilot’s License (RePL) and a Certificate III in Aviation during his high school studies. River was exploring his career opportunities when he met Andrew Dowding, Winyama’s Managing Director.
When he isn’t working, River enjoys gaming, photography, camping and four-wheel-driving.
He is inspired by Winyama’s commitment to have a meaningful impact among Australia’s Indigenous communities. This sense of purpose fuels his dedication to grow his geospatial skills.
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Yukio Chaplin
GIS Intern
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Yukio Chaplin is a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Intern at Winyama. He is a Bardi man with family ties to the north of Broome near Djarindjin, Lombadina, One Arm Point, and Cape Leveque.
Yukio’s childhood of fishing, hunting, and camping inspired his educational pursuits. In 2023 he graduated from Edith Cowan University with a Bachelor of Conservation and Wildlife Biology. Alongside his studies, he worked in the resources and infrastructure industries and now joins the Winyama team full-time.
Observing the use of GIS programs in his previous roles inspired Yukio to pursue proficiency in the field. He finds genuine satisfaction collaborating with a team of grounded individuals and is excited for the opportunity to learn from senior members of the team like Andrew and Joel.
In his spare time, Yukio enjoys watching the AFL (he is an avid Hawthorn supporter) and spending time at the beach.
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Franzi Ohly-Smith
Marketing and Events Officer
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Franzi is the Marketing and Events Officer for Winyama and Indigenous Mapping Workshop (IMW) Australia. A recent Edith Cowan University graduate, Franzi has previous experience providing public relations support to Aboriginal community organisations and digital marketing help to local Perth businesses.
Originally from Adelaide, Franzi now happily calls Perth home after relocating here seven years ago. She frequently enjoys trips to Margaret River and streaming the latest episode of the pop-culture podcast, Shameless.
Just like the GIS analysts on the team, Franzi’s role requires her to be a storyteller, communicating the ground-breaking work that Winyama and IMW Australia are doing within the mapping space. She appreciates the community focus, creative environment and exciting partnerships that come with the position.
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Cassie Catley
Marketing and Events Officer
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Cassie is a Marketing Officer at Winyama and Indigenous Mapping Workshop (IMW) Australia. Her role is to help plan, create, and execute marketing content to expand Winyama’s reach and customer base. Cassie is a Bardi Woman and was born on Whadjuk Goolamrup land but grew up across Western Australia.
Cassie’s career started through her internship experience where she interned at the Graham (Polly) Farmer Foundation, Department of Education (DOE), and Amazon Web Services (AWS). During this time Cassie gained a range of experience through working in a variety of different industries and in 2022 was provided with the opportunity to undertake a marketing officer position. Cassie has recently obtained her Master’s in Marketing and Innovation of Management with specialisation in Project Management.
Being part of the Winyama team gives Cassie the opportunity to share her dream to be a face of trust and encourage Indigenous people to step out of their comfort zone. Cassie is committed to digging deeper into her Aboriginal culture and learning more about herself and her culture both inside and outside of work. She also believes that if you have a dream you can reach it with hard work and a great support system.
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Amelia Speirs
Marketing and Events Officer
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Amelia is a Marketing and Events Officer at Winyama and Indigenous Mapping Workshop (IMW) Australia. Her drive for creating positive change attracted her to the position at the company, drawn by the significant impact that Winyama has in supporting Indigenous communities and organisations.
Coming from Melbourne, Amelia has called Perth her home for more than a decade, cherishing the sunny climate and leisurely beach moments above all else. Amelia has a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Media, majoring in Graphic Design and Photography from Murdoch University. She also has completed her Postgraduate Diploma in Design Thinking and Service Innovation. Through her postgraduate studies she is engaged in a project that entails co-designing with an Indonesian community. The goal of the project is to formulate plans for sponsorship, waste management and educational development, all aimed at mitigating the issue of overfishing sharks. Prior to joining the Winyama team, Amelia worked as an underwater photographer.
Apart of two book clubs, Amelia enjoys immersing herself in reading and collecting books as well as hiking and DIY projects with friends.
