About Heena
A Strong Voice. A Fairer Box Hill.
A survivor, a founder of frontline community disability services, a delegate to the United Nations — and the Independent candidate Box Hill deserves.
A Record of Leadership and Advocacy
2025 Woman of the Year — Women's Economic Forum
Gold: Woman Changing the World — AusMumpreneur · Runner-up Advocacy Impact — Women Changing the World Awards, Paris 2026
40 Under 40 Leader (2024)
NGO Delegate at the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, New York 2026
“There is a quiet anger in Box Hill right now, and I share it. Every day, I talk to women and families who are honestly pissed off — tired of being treated like an afterthought by career politicians, and tired of seeing our community sold off in secret developer deals. I've spent my life surviving the cracks in a broken system, so I know exactly what it feels like to be invisible. I'm not running to play the game; I'm running to break the silence.”
Choosing Box Hill
Box Hill isn't just a postcode to me; it's where my Australian story began. I arrived here as a student in 2015 with a dream and a drive to contribute. By 2017, this suburb became the launchpad for my career in frontline disability services. It's where I met my husband in 2018, and where we've chosen to build our life together.
For over a decade, Box Hill has been my hub — the place where I've worked, loved, and grown. I've seen this suburb change, and I've seen the people who make it work being pushed to the margins. I'm running because I'm tired of seeing our home treated like a construction site instead of a community.
The Grit to Lead
My commitment to safety and integrity comes from a place of deep truth. At 13, I began a years-long journey of survival through child sexual abuse — a trauma that was compounded by the chaos of a massive earthquake. I learned early on that when the world is in crisis, the most vulnerable are often the first to be forgotten.
I've lived in those shadows. That is why my mission is to make the invisible, visible. Whether I'm fighting for a survivor in a global forum or a neighbour in Box Hill, I am driven by a single promise: no one gets left behind on my watch.
Global Impact, Local Results
I don't just talk about change; I deliver it. From being named a 2024 40 Under 40 leader to the 2025 Woman of the Year (Women's Economic Forum), I have spent my career turning resilience into action.
This journey has recently taken the Box Hill voice to the world stage. In March 2026, I served as an NGO Delegate to the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW70) in New York, representing survivors and demanding better for our children. Just last month in Paris, I was honoured as the Global Advocacy Impact Runner-Up for Women Changing the World.
Every award and every international forum is a tool I use for one purpose: bringing a global standard of safety, integrity, and respect back to our community.
Recognition & Affiliations
“I am not standing because I have always belonged. I am standing because I know what it is to be unheard — and what it takes to change that.”