Impact Economy Forum 2025 (and 10 year anniversary celebration)

Western Australia’s flagship event for the impact economy returns — bringing together 200+ changemakers, including investors, corporates, government, community leaders, and First Nations and non-Indigenous impact enterprises. From funders and investors to enterprises across the impact spectrum, early-stage startups to established ventures, join the conversation on how we reimagine our economy and scale solutions to our most pressing social and environmental challenges.

This year also marks a major milestone: 10 years of Impact Seed. To celebrate a decade of building Western Australia’s impact ecosystem, we’re hosting a special anniversary sundowner at Fraser’s — an evening to reflect, reconnect and raise a glass with Kylie, Sven and the Impact Seed team. Optional with your ticket, and not to be missed.

With over 20 speakers and through a dynamic mix of panels, workshops, and an impact enterprise showcase, we’ll tackle the big questions and pressing challenges that equitable innovation and impact-driven investment can help address. 

The Impact Economy Forum is your chance to connect with leaders and shape the Western Australian impact and innovation landscape. TICKETS FOR OUR 2024 FORUM SOLD OUT WEEKS FROM GOING ON SALE, SO DON'T MISS OUT!

Speakers and special guests - The 2025 Impact Economy Forum will feature over 20 speakers and guests. Stay tuned for speaker announcements over the coming weeks. The Forum is proudly hosted by Impact Seed, WA's premier impact advisory:

David Hetherington - David is the CEO of Impact Investing Australia. He was previously the CEO of the Public Education Foundation and the founding Executive Director of the progressive think tank Per Capita. He has also worked at the UK’s Institute for Public Policy Research and with LEK Consulting in Sydney, Munich and Auckland. David has authored over 100 reports, book chapters and opinion pieces on a wide range of economic and social policy issues. His work has appeared in The Guardian, The Economist, The Sydney Morning Herald, AFR and The Australian, and was a regular commentator on ABC TV’s The Drum. David holds an MPA with Distinction from the London School of Economics and a BA with First Class Honours from UNSW. In 2022, he was named in Pro Bono’s Impact 25 list as one of Australia’s 25 most influential non-profit leaders.

Tara Anderson - Tara is CEO of national certifying and social procurement body, Social Traders. She has led an extensive career in the for-purpose sector, exploring different models for building a fairer and more equitable world. With international experience across social enterprise, charities, social innovation and for-purpose intermediaries in the UK, Europe and Australia, Tara's career has spanned strategy, business development, innovation, marketing, impact and cross-sector collaboration at executive and Board level. 

Matt Knopp - Matt is a senior advisor to Impact Seed and nationally recognised social impact leader across Australia and the UK specialising in field-building, social enterprise, and philanthropy. Over the past 5 years Matt drove the design and management of a $100M employment-focused portfolio at he Paul Ramsay Foundation (PRF), including $60M invested into work-integrated social enterprises between 2022–2024. This work has supported organisations employing people with lived experience of incarceration, disability, and economic exclusion—shaping a funding approach that centres learning, partnership, and systems change. Prior to his work at PRF he supported a number of Australian impact investment ecosystem builders. In the UK he co-founded Eastside People, a leading  intermediary, building national programs supporting investment readiness, entrepreneurship, and mergers in the for-purpose sector. 

Cronje Wolvaardt - Cronje is the Director of Impact Investing at Minderoo Foundation and has nearly 20 years finance experience, including most recently with Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) where he held various roles including Head of Acquisitions and Director of Investment and Asset Management. At IBA Cronje was responsible for making investments alongside Indigenous organisations, in businesses that generated financial returns and a range of impact outcomes such as Indigenous employment, training and procurement. Since joining Minderoo he has been involved in innovative investments and investment models aimed at addressing pressing social and environmental issues. Cronje is passionate about mainstreaming impact investment and works on systemic levers for this change through various means including on the Steering Committee of the Foundations Group for Impact Investing (FGII).

Natalie Egleton - Natalie is the CEO of FRRR (Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal) and has 25-years experience in the non-profit and philanthropic sector in consulting, fundraising and partnerships, and organisation development roles. She is passionate about facilitating effective and enduring responses to issues facing rural communities and since joining FRRR in 2015, has facilitated over $80m in funding to remote, rural, and regional communities through hundreds of partnerships and collaborations. Before joining FRRR, Natalie supported numerous organisations in an evaluation, research, financial, strategic and business planning capacity.  She has also held inhouse roles at Evolve (Typo Station) and at ANZ Banking Group, implementing projects that made a tangible difference to the lives of people living in rural, regional and remote Australia. 

Heidi Mippy - Heidi is the Founder & CEO of Impact Dreaming. A Noongar & Thiin-Mah-Warriyangka woman, she was born in Carnarvon and in a career spanning over 25 years has worked across Western Australia including in the Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne and the South-West with organisations such as the Kimberley Land Council, South West Aboriginal Land & Sea Council, WA Police, Dept Child Protection, DFES, AIME, Wunan Foundation and Noongar Land Enterprise Group. Beyond Impact Dreaming, she also works as Indigenous Liaison Manager with Curtin University, and with ARC Training Centre for Healing Country. Heidi holds various boards roles including with RRR (Rural, Regional, Remote Women's Network of WA) and Forestry Stewardship Council. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Adult Education & Community Management from the University of Technology Sydney and Graduate Certificate in Business Administration (Leadership, Strategy and Innovation) and an Executive Masters in Leadership, Strategy and Innovation from Murdoch University.

Tom Dawkins - Tom is Co Founder of StartSomeGood, an innovation agency and global social enterprise ecosystem builder, in 2011, and is a Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer of LendForGood, a platform that connects social enterprises with impact investors. Our mission is to grow the business for good movement by deomcratising impact investment, letting everyone invest in their values and unlocking the impact potential in small and emerging businesses globally. He has been a speaker at SXSW, SOCAP, The Social Enterprise World Forum, and Nexus Summit, and is a non-executive director of the Centre for Social Impact.

Emilie Ottervanger - Emilie is Paul Ramsay Foundation's Impact Investment Manager and works on the origination and management of a portfolio of impact investments that aim to produce positive social and economic change. Before joining the Foundation, Emilie worked in finance in Amsterdam, London and Singapore. She co-founded an impact banking team at a leading Dutch bank. She also managed the rollout of an innovative lending product to smallholder farmers in developing countries with the aim of having a positive social impact. Her specialties are blended finance transactions, public and private partnerships and evaluating investment opportunities based on a matrix of impact, risk and acceptable returns.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE GUEST SPEAKERS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!

Impact Economy Forum Program
Note: Registration opens 9am