Leadership & Women’s Wing | Rajasthan Foundation Melbourne

President

Leading with Vision

Ravi Sharma

President — RF Melbourne MD — ZIVOR Group & Maxwell & Higgs

Ravi Sharma is an entrepreneur and community leader based in Melbourne, driven by a deep commitment to bridging cultures and creating meaningful impact. As Managing Director of ZIVOR Group and Maxwell & Higgs, he has built Australian-made brands that now reach markets across multiple continents.

His work in business has been recognised through industry awards including the Australian Made Award 2023 and the Australian Enterprise Award 2024, reflecting a focus on innovation and quality in manufacturing.

Ravi's passion, however, extends well beyond business. As founding President of the Rajasthan Foundation Melbourne Chapter, he works to unite and empower the Rajasthani diaspora across Australia — building bridges between the community and the Government of Rajasthan, and championing cultural preservation and socio-economic engagement.

Over the years, Ravi has quietly supported education scholarships for girls, healthcare initiatives, and a tree plantation drive of over 10,000 trees—reflecting his belief that lasting success comes from giving back to the communities that shape us.

Executive Committee

Our Team

Dedicated professionals serving the Rajasthani community in Melbourne.

Dr. Ruchika Ojha

Vice President

Dr. Ruchika Ojha is a Vice Chancellor's Research Fellow at RMIT University's School of Science in Melbourne, Australia. An accomplished inorganic chemist and electrochemist, she specializes in developing advanced materials for biomedical and energy applications. Her research focuses on synthesizing gold-based anticancer compounds, particularly targeting drug-resistant ovarian cancer. Dr. Ojha's work extends beyond the laboratory, reflecting a deep commitment to community engagement and cultural preservation. As Vice President, she leverages her scientific expertise and leadership skills to foster connections within the Rajasthani diaspora, promoting cultural heritage and social cohesion. Her dual dedication to cutting-edge research and community service exemplifies the values of innovation and cultural stewardship.

Dr. Mahendra K. Goyal

Treasurer

Born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, Dr. Mahendra Goyal has had a distinguished academic and professional career spanning over four decades. After completing his PhD from the University of Rajasthan, he held academic posts in New Zealand and across Australia, including at the University of Otago, University of Sydney, Monash University, and others. From the early 2000s, he has been a foundational figure in building the Rajasthani diaspora community in Australia, helping establish some of the country's earliest community platforms. Dr. Goyal currently resides in Melbourne and is also the Director of a company. His enduring passion for community service and cultural preservation continues to inspire younger generations.

Sury Prakash Soni

Secretary General

Sury Prakash Soni has been engaged in community service for over 15 years since arriving in Australia as an international student in 2005. An IT professional with expertise in Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence, Sury is currently involved in several community and multicultural organisations, including the Mental Health Foundation Australia, where he serves as a Multicultural Ambassador. He is a dynamic, young leader known for his dedication to empowering young professionals and fostering cultural engagement within the Indian-Australian community.

Parth Sharma

Joint Secretary

Parth Sharma is a finance and defence professional based in Melbourne, originally from the Mewar region of Rajasthan. Since migrating to Australia in 2006, he has pursued academic and professional excellence, completing a Bachelor of Business from Victoria University and currently undertaking an Honours year in Psychology. His career spans financial management, project scheduling, and human behaviour research, primarily within the Australian defence sector. Trained in classical Indian music and influenced by his father's legacy—Mr. Manoj Kumar Sharma, a former Assistant Commissioner in the Rajasthan Foundation—Parth remains committed to preserving Rajasthani culture and values.

Women’s Wing

Empowerment, Welfare & Heritage

Constituted under the Rajasthan Foundation Commissioner’s directive of March 2026, our Women’s Wing places the voice, leadership, and contribution of Rajasthani women at the heart of the Melbourne Chapter’s work.

Smt. Chanchal Kumavat

President — Women’s Wing Founder — Saathi Multicultural Association Casey Woman of the Year 2025

Smt. Chanchal Kumavat is a community leader and social entrepreneur whose work has touched hundreds of lives across Melbourne’s Rajasthani diaspora. As President of the Rajasthan Kutumb of Victoria in 2021, she stewarded Melbourne’s flagship Rajasthani cultural body of nearly 400 families, and initiated Mel Milap—rotating small-group gatherings that have quietly knit the community closer than any programme before it.

As Founder of the Saathi Multicultural Association of Australia, she has built bridges between the Rajasthani community and Australia’s mainstream through Diwali markets for women entrepreneurs, wellness programmes, and an open-arm embrace for migrant women navigating a new country. Recognised with the Inspirational Women Award (2022) and named Casey Woman of the Year (2025), she has long stood by women and families in crisis—offering free food, temporary shelter, emotional support, and guidance to those facing family violence or vulnerability.

Living by the belief that “humanity comes first,” Chanchal ji now leads the Women’s Wing’s mandate of empowerment, welfare, cultural leadership, and bridge-building—both within Australia and back to women’s networks in Rajasthan.

Our Leadership