Image: L to R Bianca Stern, General Manager, All Things Equal. The All Things Equal Cafe is based in Balaclava, Victoria.

We are delighted to announce 13 recipients of the Kilfinan Australia Not-For-Profit Mentorship Scholarships in 2023.

In 2023 for the first time, Kilfinan Australia and the Australian Scholarships Foundation offered mentorship scholarships for not-for-profit Emerging Leaders to be mentored by a senior corporate executive to provide support and personal growth and improve cross-sectoral understanding. The calibre of applicants was exceptional in this first year and the program was extended from ten to 13 mentorship places.

Congratulations to all the recipients including:

“The calibre of the Kilfinan Emerging Leader applicants was, quite simply, outstanding. And frankly, this is unsurprising! Our sector is absolutely brimming with purpose-driven leaders whose potential is just waiting to be unlocked.”

BETH WEATHERLY, CEO OF KILFINAN AUSTRALIA


Bianca Stern (pictured above) is General Manager and a founding member of All Things Equal, a non-profit social enterprise providing award-wage paid employment and training for people with disability in hospitality settings. Bianca is a keen advocate for seeing young people in leadership positions and ensuring young adults with disability are meaningful contributors to society.

On receiving the scholarship Bianca shares, “It can often be challenging as a young person to seek direction and mentorship when you’re not in the position of being a CEO. As someone that is incredibly committed, passionate and ambitious in what my future looks like, this mentorship opportunity will be invaluable to me. I’m looking forward to being challenged and inspired by my mentor, and to leverage their insights and experiences to further motivate the work I do. I’m incredibly grateful to Kilfinan and Australian Scholarships Foundation for this opportunity and am committed to continuing my social impact journey as my career progresses.”

Matt Hooey is the Head of Continuous Practice Improvement for Barnardos Australia. Matt has worked in the social care sector for over 11 years, predominantly in child protection and juvenile justice. Matt has a passion for improving the lives of vulnerable children, young people and their families, as well as practitioner development, saying, “I value life-long learning and enjoy learning other perspectives to make me a stronger leader in the sector. With different perspectives and insights into situations we can collectively improve each other and better influence those around us.”

Matt Hooey, Head of Continuous Practice Improvement, Barnados Australia

For recipient Mike Davis, Head of Strategic Partnerships & Communications at Infoxhange mentorship has been a critical part of his life and career journey to date. He shares, “I’m lucky to have been mentored unofficially by nearly 300 of Australia’s leading purpose-driven leaders through my podcast Humans of Purpose and by top executive leaders in the for-purpose sector including Ray Blessing, CEO at TaskForce previously and currently David Spriggs, CEO at Infoxchange. Their leadership has inspired me to stay curious, put my best foot forward and most importantly to bring my whole self to the jobs I take on.”

Mike feels the mentor-mentee relationship is vital for personal and career growth and development., notes, “with the support of Kilfinan and acceptance into the mentoring program, I look forward to further developing my executive leadership skills and using the opportunity to work on my character, virtue and further explore how I can generate maximum social impact in the technology for social justice space.”

Mike Davis, Infoxhange
The Infoxhange Team

Each scholarship includes bespoke matching with an experienced corporate executive mentor with 2 years of mentoring support, plus access to Kilfinan Australia Thought Leadership, Roundtable, and other mentee events.

On the announcement of the 2023 scholarship recipients Beth Weatherly, CEO of Kilfinan Australia noted, “The calibre of the Kilfinan Emerging Leader applicants was, quite simply, outstanding. And frankly, this is unsurprising! Our sector is absolutely brimming with purpose-driven leaders whose potential is just waiting to be unlocked. They are a constant source of inspiration and drive us at Kilfinan to continue doing our part to build for-purpose leadership. Best of luck to the successful candidates as they commence their mentorships.”

The Australian Scholarships Foundation (ASF) is offering over 500 scholarships for not-for-profit and disadvantaged leaders in 2023. Louisa Graham, CEO of the ASF shared, “mentorships are invaluable for emerging leaders to build their networks and skills to continue to excel in their professional and personal roles. We are delighted to celebrate such a high-calibre and diverse group of leaders across Australia. Retaining talent is a continuing challenge for not-for-profit organisations and we applaud Kilfinan Australia for this initiative. The ASF is proud to forge partnerships that offer high-quality professional development opportunities to support the sector to develop healthy organisations and achieve mission.”

We are delighted to celebrate such a high-calibre and diverse group of leaders across Australia. Retaining talent is a continuing challenge for not-for-profit organisations and we applaud Kilfinan Australia for this initiative.

. Louisa Graham, CEO, AUSTRALIAN SCHOLARSHIPS FOUNDATION

Congrats everyone and enjoy the experience.

Read more about the Kilfinan Australia Not-For-Profit Mentorship Scholarships here.