Shaping the Future of Non-Profit Leadership

Australian of the Year 2022, Dylan Alcott AO, is one of the countries most successful and well recognised Paralympians. In 2021 he became the only male in any form of tennis to win the 'Golden Slam', winning the Australian, French, Wimbledon and US Open Championships, together with his gold medal from the Tokyo Paralympic Games. 

In 2017, Dylan launched the Dylan Alcott Foundation, a foundation created to help young Australians with a disability achieve their goals in the workplace, on the sporting field or at university.  

Dylan was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2022 for distinguished service to paralympic sport, particularly to tennis, and as a role model for people with disability, and to the community through a range of organisations.

Throughout her life, Natasha has worked tirelessly to further the rights of women and girls through public policy.

Natasha was appointed as a Senator for South Australia at age 26, becoming the youngest woman to enter the Australian Federal Parliament, where she served from 1995 to 2008, including as Leader of the Australian Democrats.

In 2020, Natasha was elected by the General Assembly of the United Nations as a member of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The Committee, made up of 23 independent experts, monitors the progress of UN member states’ efforts to eliminate discrimination against women.

Natasha is the founding Chair of Our Watch (2013-2021), Australia’s national organisation to Prevent Violence Against Women and their Children, and was Australia’s Global Ambassador for Women and Girls (2013-2016), working to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment around the world.

In 2018, she was named one of the Top 100 Global Influencers on Gender Policy by Apolitical, and in 2019, she authored On Violence, detailing the state of domestic violence in Australia, published by MUP.

Natasha is a Principal at Deloitte and currently serves as a non-executive Director of The Australian Ballet, Global Citizen and Carrie’s Beanies for Brain Cancer. She is also a member of the Broad Agenda 50:50 by 2030 Advisory Group and the George Washington Global Women’s Leadership Council.

In September 2022, Natasha undertook the role as Professor in the Practice of Politics at ANU.

She lives in Adelaide with her two children Conrad and Cordelia and husband Ian Smith.

Founder and Principal Solicitor of Violet Co Legal & Consulting, a social enterprise with the purpose to create radical solutions and just outcomes for women, gender diverse and First Nations people.

Karen Iles speaks on a variety of topics in her professional realm including; women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s issues with the justice system, Workplace discrimination, Workplace sexual harassment and assault, good governance, diversity, equity and inclusion programs, corporate social responsibility, social justice and the value of mediation and alternative dispute resolution in workplace and community contexts.

She focuses on practical steps that businesses, organisations and teams can take to create change for women and First Nations’ peoples. She blends legal and consulting trends with personal experience and (de-identified) real life client examples to motivate change.

Karen also speaks publicly, and in the media, about her personal lived experience of sexual assault, police accountability and the justice system to inspire social change and motivate others to overcome adversity.

In 2022, Karen was featured in the Guardian Australia, A Current Affair, ABC 7.30, ABC Radio and Mamamia and was the recipient of the Law Society of NSW 2022 Pro Bono Service Award.

Author, advocate and CEO, Fostering Change Australia

Peter joined Beyond Bank Australia and formerly CPS Credit Union (SA) Ltd in 1993 and has had a lifelong career in banking.

Peter has 30 years’ experience in the banking and finance industry, holds a Masters of Business Administration (Advanced) from Adelaide University and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. At Beyond Bank Australia, Peter is responsible for leading Brand, Strategy and Community Development which includes partnerships with over 4000 NFP’s across Australia. His role includes oversight of the Bank’s community partnerships, Foundation investments, sustainability and salary packaging. This has enabled many great insights into the many challenges and opportunities before the NFP sector today.

Why Freer Thinking exists:

Mary Freer is on a mission to deepen our awareness and strengthen our accountability. She is bringing compassion front and centre to our moral and economic imagination. 
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The world of work; the way we deliver healthcare; the systems we build to ensure our communities thrive; the leadership we grow; and the emotional and physical wellbeing of those working to keep us well — this is where the new world is being made.

Welcome to Freer Thinking

Professor Kulik holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She previously worked at the University of Melbourne, Arizona State University and the University of Illinois. Professor Kulik has published over 90 articles in leading management and applied psychology journals. Her research on gender and diversity has been recognised by a scholarship award from the Academy of Management’s Gender and Diversity in Organizations Division.  She is an elected fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the Academy of Management, and the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. In 2004 Professor Kulik published Human Resources for the non-HR Manager; this book makes research on human resource issues accessible to managers with no formal training in human resources.

Professor Kulik has been an Associate Editor at the Academy of Management Journal and the Journal of Management and served on the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts. She served two terms on the Academy of Management's Organizational Behavior Division Executive Committee, first as Representative-at-Large and later as Division Chair, and completed a 5-year leadership track (2015-2020) on AOM's Executive Committee. Professor Kulik's 2019 AOM Presidential Address reflected on the researcher-end user relationship. This 3-minute video presents the fairy tale version (complete with ivory tower and fire-breathing dragons): AOM Presidential Address.

Sarah Chua is Program Director and Lecturer at UniSA Business. As a lecturer Sarah’s main commitment is to excellence in quality teaching. As a researcher, Sarah’s main objective is to have an impact and generate greater awareness about critical issues in management and society.

Sarah submitted her Doctorate of Philosophy in 2016 and was officially conferred in December of that year. She also holds a Bachelor of Management Honours (First Class) and a Bachelor of Public Relations. Her research and teaching interests lie in leadership, both the good and toxic sides of leadership, gender, physical appearance, diversity, and organisational behaviour. Her research has been published in national and international journals, as well as presented at international leadership conferences across the globe. In 2017 her co-authored paper, titled “Toxic Dons: How the shift to academic capitalism and managerialist principles within universities facilitates leader toxicity” was awarded the Best Paper Award for the leadership stream at the British Academy of Management.

Understanding the importance of applied and practical research, Sarah has worked on a number of commissioned research projects for CERM PI, beginning with a project with the Indigenous Land Corporation, focussed on effective stakeholder engagement. Sarah is now Chief Investigator on a project developed with CERM-PI which benchmarks and explores Organisational Culture across Local Government in Australia. Adding to her consulting experience Sarah has completed her IECL (Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership) Level Two Certification as an organisational and executive coach. Sarah strongly believes in the value of embedding a learning / coaching culture within and across organisations, and has a growing passion in further developing the strategic side of female leadership and organisational coaching.

Sarah has shown a strong research and teaching trajectory and a passion for tertiary education. In 2012 she was awarded the School of Management Honours Scholarship and in 2013 the UniSAPA Scholarship for a Doctor of Philosophy (Business management). In 2016 and again in 2017 Sarah received an Excellence in Teaching Commendation from the UniSA Business School for her commitment to quality tertiary education, while in 2018 Sarah was awarded the UniSA Business School 'Student Voice' Award. In 2022 Sarah was awarded the Mid-Career Teaching Excellence Award for UniSA Business.

Dr Amy Silver  is a psychologist, speaker, author and media commentator on how we can drive high performance by being courageous with the way we connect, communicate and make decisions. This is the way we create psychological safety, trust, open and honest communication, and take appropriate actions toward our best future. 

Her clients build high performance by enabling people to step courageously into connecting to themselves and to others. Her programs teach teaming behaviours, courage, emotional management, and courageous conversations.