Infusing authenticity and compassion.

Meet the team

Our passionate team, led by CEO David Burns, brings diverse backgrounds and experiences to our mission. Through this diversity, we infuse authenticity and compassion into our partnerships and community work.

  • David is our CEO and the Co-Founder of Collective Leisure. His life’s purpose is to reduce health inequity in communities.

    His career includes working in the sport, leisure, and wellness sectors in England and Australia for 22 years, in roles spanning Local Government, peak bodies, the private sector, and the social economy.

    David is a systems leader with a proven reputation for bringing diverse groups together and executing projects that serve hard-to-reach and underserved communities.

    David believes if we want our efforts to be realized, we can't keep adding to the system, we need to work on the system collectively.

    Alongside Collective Leisure, David is the director of DB Consulting, working with the government in a strategic and policy context.

    David enjoys Ironman Triathlons and is halfway to his goal of 12 and competing at Kona in Hawaii.

David Burns

  • Jennifer is the Co-Founder of Collective Leisure and brings a broad skill set to the team, with experience in operations, marketing, agile ways of working, and human potential.

    For the past 3 years, Jennifer’s work has focused on helping facilitate the realisation of people’s potential through coaching and experiential education on whole of person well-being.

    Jennifer is captivated by the power of self-awareness, by realising what we can’t see and the gold that lies beneath the surface in us all.

    Jennifer’s personal interests align with her professional ones. She is drawn to all things that help us understand and expand our human experience, from meditation and breathwork to nutrition and bodywork to systems theory and interpersonal neurobiology.

Jennifer Barker-Burns

  • Alison is Collective Leisure’s Project Co-ordinator, supporting the delivery of adaptive sports programs for people with disability and the Path to Potential program which is an employment program for people from marginalised groups.

    Alison is a Macquarie University graduate and worked as a sociology, language, and history lecturer there for several years. Her interest in working with young people led her to become a Youth Worker - Capacity Building from 2018-2022 with Accessible Diversity Services Initiative Limited (ADSI) in Western Sydney to support young people from refugee backgrounds access employment and education opportunities.

    Alison has a passion for holistic employment programs that address the root causes of inequality and barriers to participation. She has previously worked with David to establish a Learn to Swim and employment program at Auburn Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre.

    In her spare time, Alison enjoys spending time with her family playing board games and video games, swimming, and bushwalks.

Alison Jones

  • Merna is the Sports Development Officer at Collective Leisure where she runs Sportability Clubs and in-school programs to support people with disability to get active.

    Merna has always been passionate about sports but never had a chance to participate as she grew up during conflict. When Merna came to Australia she was finally able to join in. Merna developed a passion for swimming and went from a non-swimmer to a swim teacher and lifeguard in just a few months. She joined Collective Leisure volunteering as a Sports Coach in 2020 to deliver a joint program with Special Olympics Australia to make sports accessible to children with intellectual disabilities and Autism in local schools.

    Merna is keen to make sports programs more accessible and this passion is a driving force behind her work and in 2021 Merna was recognised as a DOOLEYS Community Hero for her work.

    Merna is currently studying for a Bachelor of Health Science (Sport and Exercise Science) and plans to become a pediatric physiotherapist.

    Merna enjoys exercising for her health, including going to the gym and CrossFit training.

Merna Yalda

  • Carmin is a sports coach at Collective Leisure where she has worked for more than two years teaching sports to children with disability and Autism at local schools.

    Carmin enjoys working with her students, listening to them, and modifying the activities to suit their needs and capture their attention. Carmin is a powerful force and uses her positivity and tireless energy to encourage students to participate in the activities.

    Carmin has also trained and worked as a swimming teacher and lifeguard so that she can help people from CALD communities access swimming lessons and stay safe in the water.

    Carmin is a talented artist and has run online art classes during school holidays and lockdowns. During her time off, Carmin plays video games, socialises, and walks in nature.

Carmin Yunadam

Furqan Kashif

  • Furqan is deeply passionate about sports and running. From a young age, he discovered the exhilaration and joy that comes from being active and pushing his physical limits. Sports have become integral to his life, fuelling his competitive spirit and driving him to excel.

    However, his love for sports extends beyond his personal endeavours. Coaching has become his ultimate passion, allowing him to share his knowledge, motivate others, and witness the transformative power of people. Whether he’s guiding a Collective Leisure session or helping individuals reach their full potential, the thrill of coaching is unmatched.

    Furqan believes it is a privilege to inspire others and be part of their journey toward success, all while pursuing his love of sport.

  • Rivkah leads senior yoga classes with Collective Leisure. She believes yoga is for everyone and aims to bring an accessible practice to those who may not otherwise have access to yoga. She also facilitates trauma-informed yoga with women experiencing family and domestic violence with the social enterprise Yoga on the Inside.

    Rivkah has practised yoga for over 20 years and trained as a meditation teacher. She has a background in social circus and has recently gained her black belt in Aikido.

    In other aspects of her life, Rivkah works in the social justice sector, plays music with her alt-country band and hangs out with a human and two dogs.

Rivkah Nissim

  • Rasha is Collective Leisure’s Support Worker, providing administrative assistance, supporting program delivery, assisting with outreach and providing interpretation support. Rasha regularly supports the delivery of the Liverpool Seniors Well-being and Social Group in Liverpool.

    Rasha is currently studying to become a Primary School teacher, a decision strongly informed by her experiences as a refugee. She strongly believes in the power of education, which she is passionate about. She enjoys connecting with people at a deeper level. She wishes to use these skills as a teacher to serve as a positive role model for refugee and migrant students to encourage them to pursue their aspirations.

    In her free time, Rasha enjoys spending time with family and friends, going on adventures, listening to music and exercising to keep her mind fresh.

Rasha Alzahri

Yara Salman

  • Yara is a dedicated sports coach providing a variety of sports and activities tailored for children with disabilities. Witnessing the joy on the children's faces while engaging in sports brings such joy to Yara’s day.

    Yara arrived in Australia from Iraq as a refugee. She came to Australia with no knowledge of English, learning it as her third language and continuing her education is an accomplishment that she will always be thankful for. She has been fortunate enough to receive multiple scholarships throughout her high school journey and now at university, for which she is incredibly grateful for.

    Yara’s dream is to become a primary school teacher. Working and interacting with others are things that she is really passionate about. Working with children, especially those from refugee and migrant backgrounds, brings Yara immense happiness as she has the opportunity to teach and guide them as a positive role model in their lives.

Sam Saleh

  • As a committed Coach at Collective Leisure, I am enthusiastic about imparting my knowledge to young people as well as my work.

    My background includes earning the Year 11 Record of School Achievement (ROSA) in 2022 and graduating with a Year 12 degree from Bankstown Senior College in 2023. I received a Certificate of Appreciation, a Gold Award, two DP Awards, and a Certificate for Excellent Attendance in 2021 for my participation in the BSC IEC Graduation Ceremony.

    My broad range of abilities includes being proficient in Turkish according to TOMER, having a First Aid certification, a White Card and having finished a professional development programme in Sports Coaching from the Australian College of Physical Education on December 5, 2023. I am also certified in RSA and RCG.

    In the future, my goal is to become the best trainer I can be. Outside of work, I enjoy various hobbies and interests, including sports coaching and training.

Gesin Kanna

Jolyana Shilaimon

Alina Kanna

  • Orlina proudly serves as a Trainee Sports Coach at Collective Leisure, where she is dedicated to delivering physical activities for both children and individuals with special needs. Her background is rooted in Iraqi nationality and Assyrian ethnicity.

    Her commitment to leadership is evident through her roles as School Vice-Captain, where she strives to inspire and guide her peers.

    Among Orlina’s many accomplishments, she was honoured to have secured first place in Leadership at the Youth Refugee Awards in 2023. She was recognised as a 2023 Australian Olympic Change-Maker, receiving the Unions NSW Jeff Shaw Memorial Scholarship which has further fuelled her drive to excel. Through her endeavours, Orlina consistently channels compassion and enthusiasm to achieve exceptional outcomes.

    Orlina’s passion for the English language is unwavering, and she is dedicated to sharing it with others by becoming an English teacher. Her goal is to extend her assistance to new immigrants and individuals from refugee backgrounds, much like my own journey. By teaching them English and guiding their integration into Australian society, she hopes to make a significant contribution to their lives.

Orlina Yalda

Katie Lodge

  • Katie is the graphic designer and brand consultant for Collective Leisure.

    Classically trained in Architecture and Design, Katie has forged a diverse career that is quite unique. Katie’s love of design has developed over her career to a more broad, more creative take on the industry through business development, marketing, and brand consulting.

    Katie has 20 years of experience and established her own design and consulting business - The Creative Lodge - in 2019. She works closely with entrepreneurs and business owners so that they can reclaim their time to do the things that they are truly passionate about - their craft and subject matter areas - whilst assisting them to raise their profile, create new opportunities and increase their revenue and impact using design and strategic thinking.

    Katie is passionate about personal and spiritual development, spending time with her partner, daughter, and cute cavoodle. She enjoys reformer pilates and her morning meditation and dips in the ocean.

Karlo Yalda