OUR STORY
The Social Outcomes Lab (SOULAB) was established by Nazia Ahmed in 2015. After working in management consulting and senior roles in government in the health and human services sector for over a decade, Nazia felt that tackling social change needed a different approach - one where there was greater connection between technical expertise and everyday people and communities who are the beneficiaries of change. Realising that this need could be filled by specialist social impact consulting services and being fortunate enough to have built a network of amazingly talented experts who she could work with to bridge the gap between evidence and action, Nazia started the SOULAB journey.
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Into our eighth year, we are proud of the work that we've been able to undertake, particularly the social change projects we've established, the friends we've made along the way and the impact that we've made on people's lives. We're excited about the things to come and look forward to a long journey together...
about us
The Social Outcomes Lab is a for purpose social impact consulting firm specialising in economics and management, social change initiative design and implementation and social enterprise support.
Our goal is to support organisations that are creating social change to make even greater impact.
We work with communities, government and companies to design and test social change initiatives, working towards achieving better outcomes for all.
OUR VISION
Our vision is to improve the life outcomes of people living in disadvantage through the development of social ventures and the application of economics and analytics.
Why we need change...
OUR MISSION
Create real change by connecting evidence to action
Bring people together to facilitate outcomes and achieve common goals
Inform social policy through contribution of high quality research and evidence
Build a supportive work environment that promotes a culture of innovation and collaboration
Facilitate the use and development of technology for change
"We have a lot of science fiction. We should write social fiction, use our imaginations and make it happen."
- Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Chairman, Yunus Centre. Nobel Peace Prize winner (2006).
meet our team
We have an amazing team of analysts, consultants and specialists with deep expertise in the health and human services sector. Depending on the project, we put together the best team with a mix of technical excellence in economics and management in the health and human services sector together with expertise working directly with vulnerable communities.
This combination ensures that project outcomes are underpinned by a deep understanding of the complexities associated with achieving outcomes in the human services sector and in turn project deliverables that meet the needs of our clients.
But perhaps most importantly, our team are passionate, kind and down-to-earth people who are all involved in social change and community work outside of their professional lives too.
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Dr Rebecca Reeve,
Chief Impact Officer and Economist
(She/Her)
Bec is an economist committed to helping improve wellbeing and social justice through evidence-based research and evaluation. She is SOULAB's Chief Impact Officer and a Senior Research Fellow with Yuwaya Ngarra-li at UNSW. She has expertise using linked data for longitudinal analyses relating to health, education, and criminology. Bec dedicates her spare time to connecting with and assisting refugees and asylum seekers.
Annie Brett,
Social Impact Officer
(She/They)
Annie’s expertise lies diversity mainstreaming, policy development and implementation. They provide project management, business development, and research support across SOULAB projects. She has experience in conducting DEI initiatives through her work with the Asia-Pacific Refugee Rights Network and Canberra Roller Derby League.
Kristina Popova Livrinski, Social Impact Consultant
(She/Her)
With over 8 years experience in the private and public sectors, Kristina consults on social impact and provides research support across SOULAB projects. Her expertise lies in analysis and statistics, change management and process improvement. She’s worked on projects targeting vulnerable groups, including the implementation of youth-focused initiatives.
Dr. Sally Curtis, Business and social change expert
(She/Her)
Sally is a lecturer and researcher at the ANU’s Research School of Management and a specialist consultant with SOULAB. Sally’s research is focused on how leaders and organisations bring about positive social change. Sally grew up in regional Australia and has a deep understanding of social issues as well as opportunities in regional and rural settings.
Hana Zaarour,
Psychologist
(She/Her)
Hana is Principal psychologist and founder of Signature Psychology and Consultancy Services and a specialist consultant with SOULAB. She has extensive experience working directly with children in foster care, domestic violence survivors and individuals with challenging behaviours. Hana advises on projects in relation to mental health and also ensures that trauma-informed approaches are applied when working with vulnerable communities.
Dr. Jananie William, Actuary
(She/Her)
Jananie is a lecturer in Actuarial Studies at the ANU and a specialist consultant with SOULAB. Jananie has significant experience working with Australian health data and undertook her PhD thesis on identifying maternal health system costs of adverse birth outcomes. Her expertise lies in using actuarial techniques to inform social policy.
Danny Mikati, Practitioner specialist
(He/Him)
Danny is the Director and founder of Insight Community services and a specialist consultant with SOULAB. Danny brings a unique combination of direct frontline experience with strong consulting skills. Danny is a former Sergeant in the NSW Police Force where he led the Bankstown and Canterbury Domestic Violence response team for eight years.
Julia Lessing,
Actuary
(She/Her)
Julia is an actuary specialising in the health and human services sector. She is the Founder and Director of Guardian Actuarial and a specialist consultant with SOULAB.
Dr. Bhanu Bhatia,
Economist
(She/Her)
Bhanu is a lecturer in economics at Charles Darwin University and a specialist consultant with SOULAB. Using the framework of economic sociology, Bhanu’s work considers the embeddedness of economic action in the broader social space combining rational choice theory and relational dimensions of choices. She has previously analysed health programs in Bangladesh, child protection in Cambodia and Fair Trade in Asia.
Xinran (Bella) Dai,
Social Impact Intern
(She/Her)
Bella has a Bachelor of Commerce and is working on her Master of Finance at ANU. Her internship with SOULAB is part of the ANU CBE Internship Project. She’ll be working on a Corporate Social Responsibility project, with a quantitative component.
