Don’t Ask the Trees for Their Names

Oula Ghannoum (she/her)

Oula Ghannoum was born in Tripoli, Lebanon and is currently a Professor of Plant Biology at Western Sydney University. An internationally renowned expert in plant photosynthesis, her research addresses the twin challenges of food security and climate change. She has published over 100 scientific articles. Beyond science, Oula is passionate about Sufism and storytelling as integrative forms of knowledge. She is currently working on a trilogy exploring her own and her family’s migration to Gadigal Land, Australia.

Loubna Haikal (she/her)

Loubna Haikal was born in Beirut, Lebanon and migrated to Australia as a teenager. A trained medical doctor, she worked as a GP before turning to writing. She is the author of Seducing Mr. Maclean (Picador, 2002) along with several short stories and plays. A mother of three sons and a grandmother, Loubna lives on the land of the Gadigal people in Merro-berah.

Mariam Maatooq (she/her)

Mariam Maatooq is a Palestinian born in Syria. She studied Psychology at the University of Damascus and worked across several Arab countries before settling in Australia. A mother of three daughters, she currently works in child protection for the NSW Government. Passionate about preserving Palestinian heritage, she actively engages in cultural traditions such as cooking, storytelling and singing. Mariam has also built strong ties with Indigenous communities, finding a shared history of struggle and resilience.

Sivine Tabbouch (she/her)

Sivine Tabbouch was born in Tripoli, Lebanon and migrated to Australia as a teenager. A mother of three daughters and a grandmother, she dedicated her career as a social worker to supporting refugees and advocating for gender equality. With her daughter, she co-authored Sofra, a cookbook documenting traditional Lebanese recipes and co-founded Sunday Kitchen, a cooking school that celebrates culture and preserves culinary heritage through storytelling.

Antoinette Lattouf (she/her)

Moderator

Antoinette Lattouf is an award winning journalist, presenter, podcaster, author and human rights advocate whose surname has now become a verb - Lattoufed: to be sacked or silenced for standing your ground about human rights.  

Her landmark victory in Lattouf v ABC, became a flashpoint in debates about free speech, employee rights, institutional cowardice and what happens when a journalist speaks truth to (media) power.  

She’s the co-creator of independent media company Ette Media, co-founder of Media Diversity Australia, a TEDx speaker and a regular fixture on lists like the AFR’s 100 Women of Influence and Marie Claire's Women of the Year and has won a host of media, leadership and human rights awards.  

Her first book, How to Lose Friends and Influence White People, somehow won her friends. She’s just finished her second - Women Who Win (April 2026)  - an exploration of Australian women who saw the rulebook, chuckled and used it as a coaster. 

Known for wielding humour like a weapon - equal parts shield and scalpel - Lattouf’s work spans commercial and public broadcasting, boardrooms, courtrooms and the occasional Murdoch media pile-on. And no, she’s not done yet.