Former Victorian Labor minister, Jenny Mikakos has been appointed Chair of the Victorian Interpreting and Translation Services (VITS) LanguageLoop Board.
Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt announced the appointment after a comprehensive recruitment process. Mikakos will officially assume her new role on 31 December 2024.
Mikakos will lead the governance of VITS LanguageLoop, offering strategic advice and financial oversight and fostering stronger community engagement. Her previous board roles at Optometry Australia and Early Childhood Management Services, as well as extensive experience in public administration, community services, and law.
“I would like to congratulate Ms Mikakos on her appointment as Chair of the VITS LanguageLoop Board – her extensive experience in the public, community, and private sectors will be invaluable to the work to ensure Victorians have access to essential language services,” Minister Stitt said.
Mikakos succeeds Professor Kathy Laster AM, who has served as Chair since 2020. Under Professor Laster’s leadership, the organisation achieved significant growth navigating the challenges of the pandemic and other statewide emergencies.
“I’m thrilled to lead an organisation focussed on removing barriers and giving people an equal opportunity,” an excited Mikakos told Neos Kosmos.
“My experience acting as my parents’ interpreter from a young age means the need for accessible and quality interpreting and translating services is very real for me.
“I spoke about this in my inaugural speech when I entered parliament many years ago when I made the point that no one should have to rely on family, or strangers to be their interpreter.
Jenny Mikakos’ parents migrated to Australia from Greece in the 1960s, and she speaks Greek fluently.
“Language is fundamental to connection and inclusion. I am proud to support VITS LanguageLoop in its mission to empower communities through accessible and professional interpreting and translation services,
“We are a diverse nation so our services are essential for equal participation in Australian society,” Mikakos said..
“Whilst LanguageLoop is a Victorian government enterprise it’s a growing organisation offering services across Australia now and I’m looking forward to it growing at this time of enormous technological change, with the emergence of online tools”.
The VITS LanguageLoop Board is composed of specialists in governance, multicultural engagement, and customer experience, ensuring the organisation continues to deliver robust and innovative services.
VITS LanguageLoop provides interpreting and translation services in over 190 languages, including First Peoples’ languages, through a network of more than 3,600 professional interpreters. In 2023-24 alone, the organisation translated nearly five million words and assisted more than 560,000 Victorians through on-site, telephone, and video conference interpreting.
