About
Australian Communities Foundation is governed on a voluntary basis by a Board with a broad range of skills and community experience.
Board members include lawyers, accountants, finance experts, community workers, CEOs and company directors. The Board leads the Foundation by setting the broad strategy and areas of activity.
Fiona McLeay (Chair Elect, 2024)
Fiona joined the Board as Chair Elect in 2024, bringing with her a strong legal background spanning private practice and the not-for-profit sector. Fiona is the Victorian Legal Services Board CEO and Commissioner, a dual role she has held since 2018. She is currently Interim Chair of Equality Australia and was formerly Board Chair of Health Justice Australia, inaugural Deputy Chair of the Australian Not-for-Profit and Charities Commission Advisory Board, and a Board member of the Human Rights Law Centre. Fiona has an LLB from the University of NSW and holds LLMs from both New York University and the University of Melbourne. She has also studied at the Stanford and Harvard Business Schools.
Eric Beecher (Chair)
Eric joined the Board as Chair in 2018, bringing with him a long career in media and journalism. Eric is the founder and chair of Private Media, publisher of news website Crikey, and chair of Solstice Media and The Wheeler Centre. In 2007, he received the Walkley Award for Journalistic Leadership. Eric is one of Australia’s leading voices on the need for public interest journalism – a cause our community of giving is supporting through the Impact Fund.
Penny Burke
With more than 30 years’ experience in marketing, Penny is a customer and brand expert. She is a Director at research-based consultancy, Whereto, and consults to all levels of governments and a range of private sector clients. She has held a number of board positions across sectors such as construction, retail, real estate, training, and medical research. Penny joined the Board in 2019 and is a member of our Philanthropy & Impact Committee and Nominations Committee.
Gia Cari
Gia is a commercial lawyer and has been a Partner of Arnold Bloch Leibler since 2019. She advises private, corporate and institutional clients in relation to all facets of their real estate transactions, and has particular expertise in providing strategic advice to family offices and high net-worth individuals. Gia has a long history of engagement in social and humanitarian causes and works with clients from across Arnold Bloch Leibler’s renowned public interest practice. Gia joined the Board in 2023, and also serves as a committee member of the Property Council of Australia (Commercial Office, Victoria).
Chris Croker
Chris is Managing Director at Impact Investment Partners, founded in 2014 to apply social impact principles to large-scale investments that improve social and economic outcomes for Indigenous communities. Born and raised in Darwin, NT, he is a Luritja man from Central Australia with a vision for sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. He is an experienced strategy advisor with Indigenous economic development, asset management, corporate strategy, and infrastructure construction expertise. He has held positions in leading companies, including Horizon Power, Boston Consulting Group, and Australian mining and civil engineering contractor Henry Walker Eltin. Chris is the Chair of CASSE Australia, Director and Chair of the Finance and Risk Audit Committee for Desert Knowledge Australia, and Managing Director of Impact Investment Partners.
Sue Dahn AM
Sue has over three decades of experience in the provision of financial and investment advice and proudly serves a select group of private clients, charitable trusts, professional, industry, educational and government bodies. Sue previously served on the Australian Communities Foundation Board from November 2010 to June 2016. Sue has been a champion of philanthropy for well over a decade and in 2019 she was named Australia’s number one financial adviser. We are pleased to welcome her back to the Board as of July 2020.
Adam Milgrom
Adam is an active impact investor, having built a portfolio of investments across a wide range of industries and asset classes that align profit with purpose. He is Venture Partner of Giant Leap Fund, established by Impact Investment Group as the first Australian venture capital fund 100% committed to investing in impact start-ups. He has experience in consumer marketing, ecommerce and innovation with deep ties to philanthropy and social enterprise. Adam joined the Board in 2020 and is a member of our Philanthropy & Impact Committee and Investment Committee.
Glen Noonan
Glen is Chief Executive Officer of Diabetes Victoria and holds over 32 years of advisory experience, including 23 years as a Partner as well as being an experienced Board member. He has extensive expertise in formulating and executing business strategies, building and leading teams and successful leadership in sales and P&L performance. Areas of expertise include Business and Digital Transformation, Customer Advocacy, Finance, Operations and Risk.
David Ritter
David is the Chief Executive Officer of Greenpeace Australia Pacific. A widely published commentator on politics, law, history and current affairs, David’s most recent book is The Coal Truth: The Fight to Stop Adani, Defeat the Big Polluters and Reclaim our Democracy. He holds honorary affiliations with the University of Sydney and the University of Western Australia. Prior to joining Greenpeace, David was one of Australia’s leading Indigenous rights lawyers. David lives with his spouse and two daughters in Sydney.
Caroline Vu
Starting her career in law, Caroline is now Chief of Staff at Boundless, a not-for-profit using the levers of philanthropy, investment and advocacy to accelerate climate solutions in Australia. Prior to this, Caroline spent six years at Impact Investment Group, leading complex capital transactions. She has spent over a decade working with wealth owners on purpose-driven investing, including as a co-founder of Australia’s first next-gen purpose network.
Malinda Wink
Malinda is Executive Director at Minderoo Pictures. Previously, Malinda was Global Director of Good Pitch at Doc Society (formerly BRITDOC), and prior to this, she served as Executive Director of Good Pitch Australia and Shark Island Institute. Malinda’s professional experience spans senior roles within the corporate, political, philanthropic and NGO sectors. Malinda has advised on business and strategic planning for a number of production and distribution companies including Madman, Hopscotch, Transmission, and Revolver.
Committee Members
Finance, Risk, Audit & IT Committee
Glen Noonan (Chair)
Penny Burke
Gia Cari
Chris Croker
David Ritter
Investment Committee
Sue Dahn (Chair)
Chris Croker
Adam Milgrom
Caroline Vu
Philanthropy & Impact Committee
Malinda Wink (Chair)
Gia Cari
Caroline Vu
Nominations Committee
Penny Burke (Chair)
Eric Beecher
David Ritter
Malinda Wink