Join a group of funders who collaborated to commission research exploring the response of organisations in the social and arts sectors to the challenges of the pandemic, as they discuss the research, its findings, and what they mean for future grantmaking.

The CEOs of the Sidney Myer Fund, Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, Gandel Foundation, and the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation will be joined by the Director of dandalo partners and the CEO of Weave Youth and Community Services, as they talk about their motivations, and findings and recommendations around collaboration, innovation, and funding models that support those.

Moderators

Leonard Vary - CEO, Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation

Leonard is the Chief Executive Officer of The Myer Foundation and Sidney Myer Fund.

Leonard has been the architect of and driven a progressive strategy that supports and thrives on collaboration, between Myer family philanthropic entities and among other established and establishing trusts and foundations. Leonard is a board member of Equality Australia and of Creative Partnerships Australia, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Prior to his appointment to The Myer Foundation and Sidney Myer Fund, Leonard was an Executive Director of the Fox Private Group.

Leonard holds Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Laws degrees from the University of Melbourne. He has a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance and Investment, and in 2006 completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Leonard is a graduate of the Cranlana Colloquium having completed the program in 2013.

Kirsty Allen - Senior Program Manager, Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation

Kirsty Allen is Senior Program Manager with The Myer Foundation and Sidney Myer Fund.

Kirsty has responsibility for a number of national grant making programs including the Kenneth Myer Innovation Fellowships. Kirsty developed The Myer Foundation’s Human, Civil and Legal Rights theme and has carriage of Social Impact Leadership Australia, developed and funded in collaboration with two other philanthropic partners.

Kirsty established and convened a philanthropy network on refugees and people seeking asylum and continues to be involved in a number of co-funding and collaborative initiatives including the COVID Collaboration.

Kirsty came to the philanthropic sector following nearly ten years working in international development with a focus on gender in Asia and the Pacific. She has served on the Board of IWDA as staff representative, the Board of Women’s Health West and the Management Committee of the Ross House Association and currently serves on the boards of Philanthropy Australia and the Centre for Multicultural Youth.

Presenters

Dr Bronte Adams AM - Director, dandolo partners

Bronte is Director of the public policy firm dandolopartners and has worked in senior positions in both the public and private sectors. A former McKinsey consultant, Rhodes Scholar and academic, she has led and managed public sector policy development and implementation and has consulted to a wide range of clients in the telecommunications, IT, science & research, cultural, tourism, health and education sectors. Bronte has contributed to public discussion on a range of issues including economic, technology, innovation and health policy. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Bronte is actively involved in public life. She currently serves or has previously served as director or board member of: the Australian Broadband Advisory Council; Museums Victoria; Museums Victoria Audit & Risk Committee; Museums Victoria People Culture & Governance Committee; UNESCO High Commission; Victorian Education and Research Network; VERNet HR Committee; AICD Technology and Innovation Panel; Innovation and Science Australia; Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (Director).

Jenny Wheatley - CEO, Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation

Ms Jenny Wheatley is the CEO of the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation and Cambooya Pty Ltd. Both entities support the Fairfax family (multigenerational) with financial, investment and philanthropic services. Jenny is also a Chartered Accountant and specialised in litigation and forensic accounting.

Jenny is a member of the Advisory Council of the Centre for Social Impact's Advisory Board. The Advisory Council provides insight and guidance on strategic questions for the Centre for Social Impact. Jenny is also a director of the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership (CCEL), a partnership between Monash University, Myer Foundation, Vincent Fairfax Ethics in Leadership Foundation and The Cranlana Foundation Previously Jenny also chaired the Board of Yume Pty Ltd an early stage for profit company with a social mission to eradicate food waste and the War Widows Guild of NSW which has 4,600 members and only 500 of them under the age of 80.

Dr Catherine Brown OAM - CEO, Lord Mayor’s Foundation

Catherine is an executive and lawyer who has demonstrated a commitment to social justice and innovation throughout her career.

Catherine completed a PhD on Unlocking the innovation potential of philanthropic foundations at the Centre for Social Impact, Faculty of Business & Law, Swinburne University and published Great Foundations – a 360 degree guide to building effective and resilient not for profits (ACER Press, 2011).

Catherine has also held Board roles and is currently Deputy Chair of Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network. She was appointed to the Social Impact Investing Taskforce by the Prime Minister in 2019. Catherine was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to charitable organisations in January 2020.

Vedran Drakulic OAM - CEO, Gandel Foundation

Vedran Drakulic OAM arrived in Australia in 1995 as a refugee from war-torn Bosnia. During the conflict, he served with the Red Cross as a logistics officer, interpreter and press officer. He worked on both sides of the frontline, providing humanitarian assistance to those in need.

In Australia, Vedran continued to work for the benefit of the community with Australian Red Cross, Oxfam Australia and the RACV. With these organisations, he brought to bear a skillset that had been honed under fire back in Bosnia. He is currently the CEO of Gandel Foundation, one of the largest private family philanthropic organisations in Australia, distributing $15 million annually to various community causes.

Vedran is a proud “Bossie” (Bosnian Aussie) and is committed to giving back to his community. He actively supports many community organisations, including the Vinnies’ CEO Sleepout, where in the past eight years, he individually raised over $1.1 million for their homelessness programs.

Vedran holds a number of non-executive and advisory roles, including a Director of AMES Australia and VicHealth, a board member of the Hobsons Bay Community Fund, a Trustee for the Betty Amsden Foundation and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies at QUT.

Siobhan Bryson - CEO, Weave Youth & Family Services

Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Siobhan migrated to Australia in 1989. With a background in psychology and counselling, she has worked in a variety of roles in the community sector ranging from Women’s Domestic Violence and Housing Caseworker, to Community Development Worker, Counsellor and Caseworker, Operations Manager and CEO.

Siobhan started working at Weave as a caseworker and counsellor supporting Aboriginal young people and families in the Redfern/Waterloo area, and then as Operations Manager before taking on the CEO role in July 2018.

Siobhan is passionate about social justice and equity, working to break cycles of disadvantage, and advocating for systemic change. She has seen first hand the powerful impact of providing community led, long term support that is holistic, trauma-informed, culturally safe, responsive and healing-centered.

Craig Connelly, CEO, The Ian Potter Foundation

Craig Connelly commenced as CEO of The Ian Potter Foundation in December 2015.

Craig is an accomplished financier and businessman, now dedicated to contributing to the community sector. He spent 25 years working in a variety of roles in the Australian financial services sector. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, Craig is an experienced business analyst and successful manager whose professional strengths lie in his research innovation, industry analysis, technical expertise and strong communication skills. Craig has also been an effective mentor to many young professionals throughout his business career.

Craig has previously been an external member of the Advisory Committee for the Sustainable Farms Initiative at ANU and a member of the Natural Capital Expert Advisory Group. He is a Founding Trustee of the National Parks Conservation Trust and is currently a Director of Watertrust Australia Limited and a Director of Sane Australia Limited.

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