With Purpose

Shaun Christie-David is an award-winning social entrepreneur who thinks big and delivers on his ideas. As the Founder and CEO of Plate it Forward, Shaun uses food and hospitality to support and lift up people in need. In this episode, Shaun talks about his life and his long-term commitment to helping and empowering marginalised communities through the provision of food, employment and business.

Karen Mahlab AM is one of Australia’s most prominent community advocates. As the force behind Pro Bono Australia, Karen gave voice to a raft of social and environmental movements for over 20 years. As a proponent of public interest journalism, she remains at the forefront of civic life, even as she contemplates her next move. This episode was recorded in the wake of Australia’s Voice to Parliament referendum and in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ attack on Israel. It begins with Karen reflecting on the impact of both events. Karen also reflects on her career and, via her new tattoo, explains how she feels about the next stage of her life.

Greg Hagin is a Principal, Managing Director and Board member at global fundraising consultant CCS Fundraising, where he provides advice to the non-profit sector. In his career Greg has advised on more than 100 development initiatives that have raised collectively over $10 billion, positively impacting tens of millions of lives. Greg knows Australia well and in this episode he shares universal secrets of successful fundraising.

Alex Vynokur arrived in Australia aged 16 and unable to speak English. He went on to co-found leading ETF manager, Betashares, where he is currently CEO. After initially feeling shock and anger in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Alex helped to establish the United Ukraine Appeal, a registered Australian charity providing humanitarian aid to people affected by the conflict. Alex tells an amazing story as he charts his life’s journey and his efforts as a founder, funder and Director of the United Ukraine Appeal.

Kristy Muir is CEO of the Paul Ramsay Foundation and a Professor of Social Policy in the Business School at UNSW Sydney. In this episode Kristy’s passion for evidence-based social justice is on full display. Kristy talks about her belief in the power of culture and how her values shape her work as a leader. We also examine how the Paul Ramsay Foundation works to break cycles of disadvantage by enabling people and places to thrive.

Susheela Peres da Costa is a leader in the field of responsible investment. Purpose sits at the heart of her work with organisations like The Stewardship Centre, Beyond Zero Emissions and the Responsible Investment Association Australasia. In this episode, Susheela talks about different approaches to investing responsibly, the relationship between risk, return and impact and the ever-growing opportunity for long term investors to generate financial, social and environmental value.

Daniel Petre AO has spent his career at the cutting edge of business. He’s particularly well known for his achievements in tech and venture capital. A long-time philanthropist, Daniel talks about his belief that financially successful people should be giving more and giving thoughtfully, something he learnt first-hand from Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. This episode was recorded using Zoom and you may notice some minor audio distortion.

Vicki Condon AM is the founder and CEO of Raise, the youth mentoring foundation. In the midst of a destabilising global pandemic, Vicki explains how mentoring builds resilience and how the benefits can be felt across a whole community. This episode was recorded using Zoom on 31 August 2021

Warren McFarlan is a legend of the Harvard Business School. Over the last 50 years he has made major contributions to the work of the School at home in Boston, in Switzerland and in China. A former Chairman of the Advanced Management Program, he is best known in Australia for his work teaching governance and leadership development to non-profit directors and executives. Warren’s latest book is ‘Effective Fundraising – The Trustee’s Role and Beyond’. Here, he covers the book’s main themes, reflects on non-profit governance and leadership in Australia and provides an update on the American fundraising climate. This episode was recorded using Zoom on 22 June 2021.

Orange Sky is the world’s first free mobile laundry service for people experiencing homelessness – an idea founded in a Brisbane garage by two 20-year-old mates, Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett. In recognition of their achievement in founding and leading Orange Sky, Nic and Lucas were subsequently named 2016 Young Australians of the Year and in 2020 they were each awarded an Order of Australia Medal. In this very frank and revealing conversation, Nic and Lucas talk about the magic of Orange Sky, the value of learning from your own mistakes and the importance of ‘just giving it a go’.