Paula Masselos- Australian Labor Party (2013 – Present)
“Local council is the place where you can light the bonfire of hope and community participation. It is all about relationships, it is a direct relationship you have with your constituents.”
Paula Masselos is Waverley Council’s current Mayor as well as the Managing Director of Embrace Society. Paula is a highly experienced and award winning strategist and communicator with a career spanning almost 35 years. She has held a number of senior positions including Director, SBS Radio. Prior to joining the WPP Group (Y&R) as the Director of Mosaica and of Sudler & Hennessey Multicultural, she was the Director of Education in the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.
Paula has had numerous appointments to ministerial advisory bodies and sat on many boards. She was appointed to the Citizenship Test Review Panel to overhaul the Australian citizenship test and sat on the Radio Advisory Group of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. She was Chair of Sydney’s Carnivale Multicultural Arts Festival and served for six years as a Community Relations Commissioner in NSW. Paula was on the National Women’s Advisory Council and shaped multicultural TV broadcasting as a member of the Ethnic Television Review Panel. Paula has been a Breast Cancer Network of Australia Media Ambassador.
Paula was born in, and grew up in, Far north Queensland, and was the daughter of Greek café owners who encouraged her education and extra curricular activities. Her parent’s strong belief in education saw her become the first Townsville born Greek girl to go to university. She went to James Cook University where she graduated as one of the first small cohort of social workers, before relocating to Brisbane to live and practice. After living in various places, including for a time in Athens, Paula eventually settled in Bronte. Even before Paula was elected to council she was a keen local activist being involved in the Tamarama Waterfall and Bronte Heritage society. She is a keen ocean swimmer who you will find at Bronte most mornings.