Senior sector appointments
The Ian Potter Foundation
Mr Paul Conroy has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of The Ian Potter Foundation, The George Alexander Foundation and The Ian Potter Cultural Trust.
Paul Conroy has experience in both the commercial world and the not-for-profit sector. He has Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Law degrees from the University of Melbourne. Mr Conroy’s professional experience includes practising as a solicitor, working as Chief Legal Officer/Company Secretary of Treasury Wine Estates, as well as a variety of other roles in industry.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr Conroy was Chief Executive Officer of FareShare, a social purpose organisation engaged in the transformation of fresh food into nutritious meals for people in need. Mr Conroy has also served as Chairman of the Summer Foundation.
In welcoming Paul Conroy as the Foundation’s incoming Chief Executive Officer, Mr Goode also expressed his appreciation of the outstanding contribution of Mr Craig Connelly to the Foundation over his seven years as Chief Executive Officer.
Teach for Australia
In a significant milestone for Teach For Australia’s board, founding member and long-serving Chair Larry Kamener has stepped down and Patrick Forth has been endorsed as the new Chair.
Mr Kamener was an inaugural board member of Teach For Australia (TFA) from 2009 and Chair from 2016-2022.
“Larry has generously given Teach For Australia nearly 14 years of service, leadership and counsel. Larry is a leading figure in Australia’s social sector and I am incredibly grateful for his advocacy, belief in our mission and his care for our organisation over this long time,” Teach For Australia founder and CEO Melodie Potts Rosevear said.
Dr Forth said he was delighted to be taking on the role of Chair for an organisation which he considers has played “a catalytic role in education in Australia for more than a decade”.
“I have always had a passion for education, from teaching at university to serving on school councils and participating on university advisory boards,” he said.
“Excellent education is a top priority for all communities across Australia, and I am excited about the role we can play as the country grapples with issues like increasing the supply of excellent teachers for our students.”
Fundraising Institute Australia
As reported by Pro Bono Australia, Ben Cox has become Chair of the Fundraising Institute of Australia (FIA), “a highly regarded fundraising professional, took up the new position at the end of February 2023.
“His involvement with FIA goes back several years; he has been a member of FIA since 2006 and has served two non-consecutive terms on the FIA board including his current role as director, treasurer and chair of the Finance and Audit Committee and Risk Committee. “
Assistance Dogs Australia
Dr Matthew Miles has been appointed the new CEO of Assistance Dogs Australia (ADA).
Dr Miles comes to ADA having formerly held the roles of CEO of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and CEO of MS Research Australia. Under Matthew’s leadership, MS Research Australia became the first ever charity to be named NSW Telstra Business of the Year in 2017. The organisation also won the 2017 Telstra Charity of the Year, as well as the Australian Business Awards Outstanding Achievement Award four years running.
He began his career as a veterinarian and holds an MBA from the University of NSW. He says the application process gave him an early insight into ADA, and he is looking forward to starting the new role.
Dr Miles will work closely with Sarah Emery, ADA’s recently appointed Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO.