Karen Kennedy

My passion is making the world a better place for those experiencing disadvantage by working in partnership with like-minded people and organisations to create lasting, positive change and impact. At SVA, I get to live this every day, working side-by-side with our supporters and the SVA team who are all equally as passionate about the role they play in supporting change.

Karen is the Director, Philanthropy and Partnerships at SVA. She leads the team working closely with our network of supporters to ensure we have reliable and sustainable funding to support SVA’s programs and campaigns. Karen is an experienced leader, having led large and diverse teams across Asia Pacific and the UK during her career in both the commercial and for-purpose sectors.

She has 11 years’ experience leading fundraising teams at Starlight Children’s Foundation, Foodbank Australia and Raise Foundation. Prior to this, she spent 15 years in the technology sector, where she held multiple roles spanning solution architecture, strategic change, business improvement, account management and project and resource management.

Karen was a delegate of both the Fujitsu and Unisys Leadership Programs and has trained and volunteered as a youth mentor.