79 rising leaders benefit from leadership development scholarships

Scholarship recipient announcement
We are delighted to announce the McKinsey Rising Leaders Forum recipients for 2023. Seventy nine recipients have been selected to join the Rising Leaders Forum program in October this year.
Recipients are from across Australian cities, regional and rural areas, and across areas including social services, health, education, environment and animal welfare, international development, and the arts, culture and recreation.
This year there were multiple applications and recipients across single organisations, including eleven team members from Cerebral Palsy Australia, seven team members from World Vision, five from Cancer Council NSW and Save the Children. Our 2023 recipients include:
Australian Capital Territory
- Leah Blankendaal ACT & National Public Affairs Manager Musica Viva Australia
- Mark Papinczak Global Chief Digital Officer 180 Degrees Consulting
- Michelle Barclay Volunteer Board Member Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre
- Sarah Tynan Director of Policy and Engagement Science & Technology Australia
New South Wales
- Costeen Sekhas Unit Manager, Community Fundraising Cancer Council NSW
- Eleanor Zurowski Member Engagement Team Leader Community Broadcasting Association of Australia
- Ellen Stay Senior Coordinator, Philanthropy Communications The Smith Family
- Emilia Agostino House Manager Cerebral Palsy Alliance
- Emma Langley Data Analytics & Insights Lead Cerebral Palsy Alliance
- Emma Sinclair-Wadham House Manager Cerebral Palsy Alliance
- Holly Brown Major Gifts Lead Cancer Council NSW
- Hui Yi Quek Finance Manager Opportunity International Australia Limited
- Jak Brown Sydney Manager of Centre day programs Cerebral Palsy Alliance
- Jennifer Jones Programme Coordinator Opportunity International Australia Limited
- Jenny Smith-Joyner Jr Senior Operations Manager Access Care Network Australia
- Jeremy Graham Digital Radio Project – Team Lead Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA)
- Joanne Smith Operations Manager – Community Recovery Program Royal Far West
- Jonathan Hall Spence Principal Solicitor, Strategic Litigation Public Interest Advocacy Centre
- Leah Cutler House Manager Cerebral Palsy Alliance
- Linda Wilson House Manager Cerebral Palsy Alliance
- Louise Varano OOSH Manager Growing Potential Ltd
- Madeleine Estherby Partnerships Lead Cancer Council NSW
- Michael Tame Commercial Manager Lasercraft Australia Limited
- Natalie Dillenbeck Club Resource Manager Rainbow Club Australia
- Neel Banerjee Creative Director Nautanki Theatre Incorporated
- Olga Camacho Duarte Customer Experience and Research Lead SDN Children’s Services
- Owen Mitchell House Manager Cerebral Palsy Alliance
- Samantha Bing Site Manager Cerebral Palsy Alliance
- Satinder Singh HOUSE MANAGER Cerebral Palsy Alliance
- Simon Jones Program Manager (Student Stream) CareerSeekers
- Siobhan Lloyd House Manager / Acting Regional Manager Cerebral Palsy Alliance
- Sophia Romano NSW Young Mob Project Manager World Vision Australia
- Thomas James House Manager Cerebral Palsy Alliance
- Tim Siow Story Lead Cancer Council NSW

Northern Territory
- Danielle White National Events Manager Starlight Children’s Foundation
Queensland
- Alexandra Jackson National Manager Brand, Content and Digital Mission Australia
- Courtney Smith Wishgranting Program Manager Starlight Children’s Foundation
- Daniel Raffell National Engagement Manager and Trainer SMART Recovery Australia
- Emma Gray CEO/Founding Director The Nurtured Village Hampers Ltd
- Jaya Myler Reports and Proposals Specialist Opportunity International Australia Limited
- Nick Malham State Committee Member Special Olympics Australia
- Ryan O’Leary Manager Community Engagement Queensland Council of Social Service
South Australia
- Garima Sethi Senior Grants Accountant World Vision Australia
- Jessie Bennie Education Manager Sammy D Foundation
- Rebecca Miller Head of Philanthropy Foundation for Australia’s Most Endangered Species (FAME)
- Robert Kavanagh Chief Executive Officer Newosis Mental Health Foundation
- Sandra Taylor SA State Manager Musica Viva Australia
Tasmania
- Jessie Bodor Philanthropy & Engagement Manager Tasmanian Land Conservancy

Victoria
- Callum Ross Partnerships Manager Greening Australia
- Chris Long Senior Management Accountant Save the Children Australia
- Christina Johns Marketing Performance Lead Save the Children Australia
- Claire Nettley Senior Lead, Marketing Manager Teach For Australia
- El Teptada Data Scientist World Vision Australia
- Harleen Kaur Senior Management Accountant Save the Children Australia
- Heidi Puronpää Community Partnership Coordinator Youth Projects
- Johnny Zheng eCommerce Manager The Salvation Army
- Jonathan Chau Senior Management Accountant Save The Children Australia
- Joseph Tan Marketing Analytics Manager World Vision Australia
- Kate Pallot Lead, Cancer Council Liaisons – Regional and Rural Cancer Council NSW
- Lachie Mulcahy Bid Specialist 54 reasons (Save the Children Australia)
- Mark Harwood CEO ygap LTD
- Martin Jellinek General Manager, Learning Services Skyline Education Foundation Australia
- Melanie Ahkin Finance Team Lead Infoxchange
- Nadina Brockhurst Director/Trustee The Self Determination Fund
- Nicole Gattellari Finance Business Partner – Pacific Save the Children Australia
- Rachel Lim Manager, Growth Marketing World Vision Australia
- Reem Hasib Brand and Communications Manager, 54 reasons 54 Reasons
- Rosie Lane Index Lead Australian Network on Disability
- Sarah Ramantanis Chair and Acting CEO Australian Youth Affairs Coalition
- Tom Downie Senior Youth Coach Youth Projects
- Vidhya Vijayakumar Strategy Manager World Vision Australia
- Vivien Lee Experience Lead World Vision Australia
Western Australia
- Helen Dwyer WA State Manager Musica Viva Australia
- Jack Anderson Co-Founder, Chief Innovation Officer and Board Member Elucidate Education Ltd
- Jemma Gericevich Intake and Referral Coordinator (Aged Care) Rise
- Kerry Picotti Head of Clinical Services Telethon Speech and Hearing
- Liz Lang General Manager Health and Medical Womens Health and Family Services
- Scott Duffield Treasurer Leading Youth Forward Incorporated
- Sofia Erhard Finance Manager Womens Health and Family Services
Read more about our recipients and their organisations in this article.

Tailored learning offerings for not-for-profit leaders
Book and join a cohort of for-purpose leaders in September. Register here.

Events for NFP leaders
The next event in Sydney is on 6 September. Register here.