Our team is passionate about making a difference in our community. Meet the people who are working towards a culture of accessibility.
Sean de Kretser
Managing Director
Learn about Sean
Sean leads the Information Access Group team. He combines his passion for helping our community with his extensive corporate and leadership experience to ensure our clients are supported to get the best possible outcomes for their editorial, design, print, web and accessibility projects. Sean has experience in design, communication, project and team management. His focus is on providing our team and clients with an exceptional and supportive work environment.
“Making information accessible to such a broad spectrum of user groups is truly rewarding. It’s one of the reasons why it’s easy to get out of bed in the morning and come to work with this amazingly talented and creative group of people. I am grateful for the opportunity to see, first-hand, the positive effect our accessibility work has.”
Lyndall Thomas
Founder
Learn about Lyndall
Lyndall Thomas established the Information Access Group in 2009. In 2021, after 12 years at the helm, she passed the baton of leadership for the business to Sean de Kretser. Lyndall continues to exercise her passion for clear and accessible communication in a part-time, consultancy role. Lyndall uses her 20 years of experience in communication - from writing, editing, journalism and publishing to marketing, design and website development - to make sure our clients receive the best advice possible.
“I believe that information should be accessible to the widest possible audience, including people with disability, culturally and linguistically diverse communities and those with low levels of literacy. That’s why we started the Information Access Group.”
Kellie Preston
General Manager
Learn about Kellie
Kellie plays an integral role in the day-to-day running of the Information Access Group. She works alongside the Managing Director and Leadership Team to manage editorial and design related operations and the performance of the business. Kellie is an experienced project and operations manager with a background in design and print. She has a strong focus on community and encouraging others to demonstrate compassion and empathy.
“Being part of a team that focuses on such positive support by connecting people in the wider community is amazing.”
Leadership team
Stephen Preston
Team Leader – Major Accounts Manager
Stephen plays an integral role in managing our key client’s accounts and overseeing projects from concept to completion in design, print, web and accessibility. Stephen leads a team of editors and designers and is an experienced account manager focused on delivering high-quality customer service. Stephen has an ongoing commitment to learning, communication, and working collaboratively with clients to achieve the best outcomes.
“Community is our social fabric of life. Making communications more accessible to everyone is very rewarding. I feel privileged to be part of a team whose goal is to create a more inclusive society.”
Myriam Khalil
Team Leader – Major Accounts Manager
Myriam is an experienced project manager with a background in managing large translation projects. She leads a team of editors and designers to oversee and deliver projects from conception through to completion. Myriam has invaluable experience maintaining quality assurance procedures and creating strategies for government clients that meet the needs of the target audience. This is integral to providing exceptional outcomes for our major clients.
“Working in accessible communications makes me realise that we shouldn’t take our access to information for granted. The more work we deliver, the more we know that people can take part in society.”
Fiona Chen
Assistant Team Leader – Design Quality
Fiona leads a team of designers and editors and manages some of our key client relationships. She is a talented graphic designer with experience managing design, print, digital, web and accessibility projects. Fiona’s studies in business marketing and communication design make her an integral part of our design quality process, making sure we complete our image development and design work to a high standard.
“I find it rewarding that people benefit from the work we do, as accessible information can make people’s lives much easier. It’s an empowering tool.”
Editorial team
Emily Williamson
Editorial Quality and Accessible Content Manager
Emily is a talented communications professional with invaluable experience managing editorial, accessibility and web content projects. She oversees the quality of the Easy Read content that our editorial team develops and works closely with new editors to support ongoing skills development. Emily is highly committed to providing accessible communications and has a Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility from the University of South Australia as well as undertaking the Web Accessibility Testing: Screen Readers courses at Deque University.
“I believe access to information empowers people in our community to have more choice and control in their lives. Access to information supports equality and allows people to have a say about things that impact their lives.”
Melanie Page
Managing Editor
Melanie produces marketing materials and strategies to help our clients learn more about the services we offer and the importance of accessibility. She also writes and edits Easy Read and plain language content for a wide range of projects. Melanie is an experienced communications professional who uses her creativity and skills to create engaging and informative content that supports our organisation and our clients.
“I love working in an organisation that is helping to build independence and community through the development of a culture of accessibility.”
Jennifer Butler
Senior Editor and Project Manager
Jen is a highly experienced editor and project manager who manages editorial projects for our clients focusing particularly on work with Royal Commissions. Jen worked for more than eight years within the Higher Education division of Oxford University Press (OUP), Australia and New Zealand. She is an accomplished lead editor with a background in technical and non-fiction text and she has project edited more than 70 books.
“Making complex ideas accessible has long been a passion of mine. I'm delighted to be working with a team that shares this passion and has such deep knowledge of how to communicate with diverse audiences.”
David Murray
Project Editor
David is an accomplished writer and editor who supports our clients and editorial team with Easy Read projects. David completed a Master of Writing and Publishing at RMIT University. His studies and previous experience have given him a broad understanding of different writing and editing styles, formats and projects. David is passionate about editing and writing content that is accessible for everyone.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to do good in the community through my work.”
Edward Hodge
Project Editor
Edward writes and edits Easy Read and plain language content for clients and manages editorial projects. A talented writer and editor, Edward graduated from Swinburne University with a Bachelor of Creative Writing. He has a comprehensive understanding of different writing and editing styles and formats. Edward is focused on producing content that meets the needs of users and the community.
“Information is often kept behind barriers of language. When something is accessible, everyone can use it. It's enriching to be part of a team that aims to eliminate these barriers.”
Mikayla Bamford
Project Editor
Mikayla is an engaging writer and editor. She supports our editorial team with Easy Read projects that meet client and audience needs. Mikayla joined the Information Access Group after graduating from RMIT University with a Master of Writing and Publishing. She has experience working with a wide variety of content, formats and projects and is also skilled in creating accessible documents. Mikayla is passionate about creating user focussed content.
“Content that is accessible for all is an essential human right. I feel privileged to be a part of a team that cares and advocates for everyone’s right to access information.”
Evelyn Lee
Editor
Evelyn is a passionate writer and editor who supports our clients and editorial team with Easy Read and plain language projects. She joined the Information Access Group after graduating from Swinburne University of Technology with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Creative Writing and Literature. Evelyn has undertaken a diverse range of internships that have given her experience working on a range of literary projects and digital media.
“It's an honour to work with such a supportive team and to play a small part in making information accessible for everyone.”
Taylah Hutchinson
Editor and Marketing Assistant
Taylah supports our clients and editorial team with plain language, Easy Read and accessibility projects. She also helps to coordinate our user testing for clients. As part of our marketing team, Taylah assists with social media and communications activities and making sure our information is reaching the right people. She graduated from RMIT with a Master of Writing and Publishing and consistently goes above and beyond for our clients.
“It’s an incredible privilege to work for a business with the pursuit of accessibility at its core. Everybody deserves equal access to communication – it’s a pillar of humanity.”
Design team
Fraser Bignell
Graphic Designer and Project Manager
Fraser is an experienced project manager and graphic designer. He leads Easy Read and accessibility projects, assists business development and overseeing design quality. Fraser's experience spans across multiple sectors focusing on social enterprise, as well as operating as a freelance brand consultant for a number of years. He loves engaging with people and helping make their content cleaner and more accessible.
“Connecting people with the information they need – in a way that works for them – is an inspiring mission to be a part of.”
Liam Grant
Assistant Design Quality Manager
Liam is a skilled graphic designer who works on creating engaging designs and illustrations for our clients. He also helps make sure our design team completes our image development and design work to a high standard. Liam has experience designing and illustrating promotional materials, web, print and digital publications. His previous studies and experience have given him a good grounding in design elements, techniques and technology.
“Information communicated in an accessible way gives people the freedom to live more independently. I feel privileged to be able to play a small role in helping to empower people in this way.”
Annabel Isom
Graphic Designer
Annabel works on a range of graphic design, accessibility and web development projects for our clients. Annabel is an accomplished designer and illustrator with a background in visual arts and education. They also create custom illustrations, icons and Easy Read images for our clients. Annabel graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Design.
“Equal access to information is a basic right for everyone. We’re helping create means of access that is fair for everyone in our diverse community. I am grateful to be a part of this.”
Shannon Loh
Web Developer and Graphic Designer
Shannon supports the Information Access Group team with web development, graphic design and accessibility projects. Shannon is a communication designer who graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Design and IT. She uses her print and digital design experience to create accessible websites, illustrations and design elements for our clients.
“Accessibility helps us understand and appreciate the various opinions, perspectives, and values within our community. I am grateful to be a part of an organisation that genuinely cares about other people.”
Renee de Vlugt
Graphic Designer
Renee is an innovative graphic and user experience designer. She works on designs and creative work for our clients in Easy Read, branding and web development. Renee has a background in Media and Communications and completed her Bachelor of Communication Design at Monash University. She is passionate about designing products that communicate clearly and are accessible for the whole community.
“I'm incredibly glad to work with a team that cares deeply about accessibility. By making communications accessible we can help support people to be independent and included in the community.”
Sienna Fernando
Graphic Designer
Sienna is a dedicated graphic designer who works on creating designs and illustrations for our clients. She joined the Information Access Group in 2023 after graduating from Monash University with a Bachelor of Design. Sienna’s studies and experience have given her an understanding of design through a visual communication lens. She has skills in typesetting, illustrating and visually translating written information, concept development and branding. She is also a published author and artist.
“Design should be used to help people and have a positive, lasting impact on our society. I’m proud to be part of a team that values and investigates this potential.”
Catherine Sharp
Graphic Designer
Catherine supports our team by developing designs and illustrations for our clients. Her skill set includes user experience and user interface design, storyboard creation, photo editing and stakeholder engagement. Catherine graduated from Chisholm TAFE with a Diploma of Graphic Design after completing a Cert II in Printing and Graphic Design. She has experience in the commercial, arts and education sectors and is deeply committed to social justice and issues of diversity and equity.
“It is immensely fulfilling to be a part of an organisation that dedicates itself to overcoming barriers and making information available to all members of our diverse community.”
Support team
Lynn de Kretser
Events and Administration Manager
Lynn is an integral part of the Information Access Group business. Her experience supporting children with disability to integrate into a mainstream school environment gives her a unique perspective on the work we undertake. Lynn is passionate about holding events for our team that help create a sense of community and fun. This contributes to developing our strong internal workplace culture.
“I’m passionate about reaching those who need that extra bit of help. That’s why working at the Information Access Group means so much to me.”