David Paterson leads the strategic innovation efforts of World Vision, Australia’s and the world’s, largest international aid and development NGO. This involves anticipating those international shifts that will change the way people are lifted from poverty over the coming years, and developing new models for how World Vision can best engage with that emerging future.
Internationally, World Vision serves more than 100 million people each year across more than 80 countries, in some of the world’s most difficult contexts. In recent times David’s role has seen him operating anywhere from the United Nations headquarters in New York or an international think tank in Berlin; to the slums of Delhi, Soweto or Jakarta; to rural projects in Malawi or Brazil; to universities, innovation incubators or board rooms in Australia and elsewhere.
He previously led World Vision Australia’s public engagement and partnership activities, his team raising around $1 billion in funds for poverty alleviation projects over that time.
David is extensively involved in the community sector. He is a Williamson Community Leadership Fellow, and together with other Williamson colleagues founded The Bridge Project, regarded as one of the world’s most successful programs for reducing recidivism amongst juvenile offenders – bringing reoffending rates down from 65% to just 3%. He is also a former board member of the YMCA and continues to sit on a key industry advisory board for Monash University.
