Social Ventures Australia welcomed three new Directors in the second half of 2017, adding deep experience in philanthropy, Indigenous entrepreneurship and innovation and further strengthening our ability to deliver on our ambitious 2020 impact agenda.

Jason Eades joins as a Director in the consulting team and will lead SVA’s work with First Australian organisations and communities. Katie McLeish will be Director of Partnerships, and Andrew Rallings joins us as Director of Knowledge and Innovation.

Jason is a proud Aboriginal man born and raised on Gunnai country in south-east Victoria.

Prior to joining SVA, Jason was the inaugural CEO and a co-owner of PwC Indigenous Consulting. In 2016 he was recognised by the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as an Indigenous Innovator and Entrepreneur.

Alongside his work at SVA, Jason is the co-chair of Culture is Life, a non-Executive Director at Australian Indigenous Mentor Experience (AIME), Deputy Chair of the National Museum of Australia’s Indigenous Reference Group and a member of the National Film and Sound Archives Indigenous Connections Committee.

Katie brings 25 years of local and international philanthropy and leadership experience to SVA, having held roles with the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne and the University of Melbourne, and as Chief Executive Officer at Melbourne Festival.

Katie also led the fundraising team at the New York City Centre, spearheading a $75 million capital campaign.

‘I’m thrilled to join such a committed and professional team, and to partner with so many highly engaged supporters to help create meaningful change,’ Katie says of joining SVA.

‘The work we do together, via strategic philanthropy, is immensely important in helping tackle complex social issues.

‘It is rewarding and fulfilling work and I’m excited for the future of the social purpose sector in Australia.’

Andrew arrives having spent most of his career leading and growing customer operations at tech giants Apple and Atlassian. At SVA Andrew is responsible for driving collaboration, knowledge management and innovation throughout the organisation.

Andrew led the Atlassian Foundation for over six years. The foundation has donated more than $10 million to education-focused charities, impacting the lives of 250,000 children.