The IIA Advisory Board (formerly the Australian Advisory Board on Impact Investing) provides strategic input to Impact Investing Australia as they accelerate the growth of the impact investment market in Australia. The advisory board is made up of a number of Australia’s most experienced leaders spanning the finance, business, not-for-profit, philanthropic and community sectors; each committed to growing the opportunities for investments that deliver measurable social and environmental outcomes alongside financial returns.
IIA Advisory Board
Fabienne Michaux, Interim Chair
Fabienne holds board, research and consulting roles across a number of sectors, all with a focus on creating social impact and system change. Currently Fab is working with the UNDP to develop Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) impact management standards for private equity funds and other asset classes. She is the co-chair of the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative’s Technical Working Group 3 on making better decisions and a Professor of Practice (Finance) at Deakin Business School.
Fab’s experience also includes 22 years at S&P Global, one of the largest data, information and analytics companies in the world, where she held senior positions including her last role as Australian Country Head and Head of Developed Markets Asia-Pacific in the Ratings Division.
Adrian Appo OAM
Adrian is the Chair of First Australians Capital (established to provide capital to Indigenous social enterprises) and a Board Member of Social Ventures Australia. He also holds directorships with Children’s Ground, Indigenous Leadership Network Victoria, and the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority. Adrian was the founding Chief Executive Officer of Ganbina, a highly successful Indigenous school-to-work transition program empowering Indigenous communities to achieve true social and economic equality.
David Bennett
David retired from Macquarie Group in August 2013 after 35 years in investment banking. He was an Executive Director and held the role of Group Treasurer before he retired. Prior to this, David was Global Head Debt Capital Markets. He has extensive experience in advising, arranging and underwriting a range of financial instruments in both Australian and international bank debt and capital markets.
David is also currently Chairman of Challenger Retirement Investment Services Limited and The Manjeri School Project, Non-Executive Director of AquaSure, a Board Member for the Centre for Social Impact and the Macquarie Group Foundation and a Member of the Macquarie Infrastructure Debt Investment Solutions Fund Investment Committee, Impact Investing Australia’s Capital Growth Working Group and the Palisade Investment Partners Investment Committee.
Sandy Blackburn-Wright
Sandy is the Managing Director of social impact advisory firm Social Outcomes. Previously, she was Head of Social Innovation for Westpac, connecting financial institutions with impact investment opportunities and building shared value projects, including pioneering Australia’s first social impact bond. Sandy is also the Co-Founder of Impact Investing Australia.
David Crosbie
David is the CEO of the Community Council of Australia, as well as a member of the Advisory Board for the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission. He has made a significant contribution to the mental health and alcohol and drug sectors, working previously as CEO of the Mental Health Council of Australia, CEO of Odyssey House Victoria and CEO of the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia.
Sarah Davies AM
Sarah has had a broad career ranging from executive roles in tertiary education to private sector consulting in HR, marketing and strategy. However, in the past decade, her focus has been exclusively in the for purpose sector, in philanthropy and social change. She joined Philanthropy Australia as CEO in 2015, having previously been CEO of the Australian Communities Foundation and The Reach Foundation. Sarah also serves as Director of Kids Under Cover, board member of the Centre for Social Impact and Director of the Family Peace Foundation.
Philippa King
Philippa is General Manager of Government Affairs and Public Policy at NAB. She joined the bank in January 2019 after 25 years in Government. Prior to joining NAB she was Senior International Adviser to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and before that Director of Social Policy for the NSW Premier, Mike Baird. While in Government Philippa was a career diplomat, having worked for DFAT since 1995. Her most recent posting was as Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative, Australian Mission to the United Nations, New York, including during Australia’s term on the Security Council.
Peter Murphy
Peter has extensive experience in not-for-profits, education, aged care and superannuation. He was CEO of Christian Super from 2008 to 2017 during which time the fund increased net membership by 65 percent and raised the active ratio of members to over 80 percent. Peter is a director in a number of organisations in the finance and not-for-profit sectors and is Chair of the Responsible Investment Association Australasia’s Impact Investing Forum.
Rosemary Addis AM
Ambassador
Rosemary has worked at the forefront of impact and innovation for two decades. Her global portfolio through Impact Strategist includes Trustee of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment and Senior Strategic Adviser to the United Nations Development Programme’s SDG Impact.
Her track record includes a global legal career ranking among the world’s leading lawyers, Social Innovation Strategist for the Australian Government and member of the G8 Social Impact Investment Taskforce.
Rosemary was founding Chair of the Australian Advisory Board on Impact Investing and Impact Investing Australia. She has provided expert advice and review for the OECD, World Economic Forum, Oxford University and Initiative for Responsible Investment at Harvard Kennedy School.
Rosemary was made a Member of the Order of Australia (2020), she ranked among Australia’s AFR 100 Women of Influence for achievements in innovation (2015) and among the top thought leaders in finance (2017).
Carolyn Hewson AO
Ambassador
Carolyn has more than 30 years’ experience in the finance sector. She is a non-executive Director of BHP Billiton, Stockland Corporation and is a Trustee of the Westpac Foundation. She has previously been a Director of Westpac Banking Corporation and BT Investment Management and was recently a panel member for the Financial System Inquiry.
Carol Schwartz OA
Ambassador
Carol is an accomplished business and philanthropic leader, and an esteemed commentator on gender equality, women’s leadership and social enterprise. She is a Director of the Reserve Bank of Australia, a Non-Executive Director of Stockland and the founding Chair of Our Community and Women’s Leadership Institute Australia.
Together with her husband, Carol established the Trawalla Foundation, an impact investing pioneer that, in addition to its grants, makes investments in social enterprises, not for profit organisations and programs demonstrating innovation and promoting women into leadership positions.
Peter Shergold AC
Ambassador
Peter is Chancellor and Chair of the Board of Trustees of Western Sydney University. He serves on a number of private sector, government and not-for-profit boards, including as a Non-executive Director of AMP Ltd., Corrs Chambers Westgarth and Chairman of Opal Aged Care.
Previously, Peter served as Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Chief Executive Officer of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, Public Service Commissioner, Secretary of the Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business, and Secretary of the Department of Education, Science and Training. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1996, awarded a Centenary Medal in 2003 and made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2007, each being for public service.