Not-for-profit leadership 2023 award finalists announced

The Australian Scholarships Foundation is delighted to announce the finalists for the inaugural Not-For-Profit Leadership Awards.
The awards program shines a light on organisations, teams and individuals who have demonstrated excellence and courage in their leadership. The program also helps recognise and support the outstanding leaders of the many charities and not-for-profits that deliver on fundamental societal needs.
Louisa Graham, CEO of the ASF, said: “I’m incredibly inspired by our first list of finalists, all of whom deserve this acknowledgement. By celebrating their achievements, we can create a stronger and more effective not-for-profit sector that is better equipped to address key social and environmental challenges important to us all.
“In a sector where salary is not the primary career motivation, rewarding excellence is crucial. We look forward to celebrating the winners in Sydney on June 15.”
“We would also like to acknowledge and thank the organisations who have supported the awards through their sponsorship, in particular The NonProfit Alliance.”
Finalists are peer-judged and assessed on the overall merit of their contribution to the sector. The ASF encourages a diversity of entries from NFP leaders around Australia.
You can find out more information about the judging process and criteria for entry on the ASF website.
The Australian Scholarships Foundation has a mechanism for dealing with any conflicts of interest, actual or perceived, that may arise during the judging process. The guidelines are based on the principle that all actual conflicts of interest are to be avoided and that even a perceived conflict may be damaging to all parties. You can read more about the conflict guidelines here.
All 2023 Not-For-Profit Leadership Awards winners will be announced at a cocktail event at Doltone House, Hyde Park, in Sydney on Thursday, June 15. Tickets to attend the event are available for purchase HERE.
In each award below, the finalists are listed in alphabetical order.
2023 Not-For-Profit Leadership Awards Finalists
OUTSTANDING LEADER
Supported by The NonProfit Alliance
Finalists: Outstanding Leaders currently working with organisations with annual revenue of over $3 million
- Sharon McGowan, CEO, The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
- Tanya O’Shea, Managing Director, IMPACT Community Services
- Suzie Riddell, CEO, Social Ventures Australia
OUTSTANDING LEADER
Supported by the Australian Scholarships Foundation
Finalists: Outstanding Leaders currently working with organisations with annual revenue of under $3 million
- Shaun Christie-David, Founder, Plate it Forward
- Sonia Di Mezza, CEO, Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services
- Paul Higginbotham, Executive Director, Earbus Foundation of Western Australia
OUTSTANDING EMERGING LEADER
Supported by Leadership Space
Finalists: Outstanding Emerging Leaders currently working with organisations with annual revenue of over $3 million
- Hally Lara and Laura Glendinning, National Partnerships Lead (shared role), OzHarvest
- Trent Miller, Executive Manager of Employment, Training, and Social Enterprise, Youth Projects
- Vicky Worland, Head of Program Management, Gotcha4Life Foundation
OUTSTANDING EMERGING LEADER
Supported by the Australian Scholarships Foundation
Finalists: Outstanding Emerging Leaders currently working with organisations with annual revenue of under $3 million
- Noel Lim, CEO, Anika Legal
- Liz Martin, CEO, Accessible Arts
- Angelique Wan, Co-founder and CEO, Consent Labs
OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP IN TALENT GROWTH
Supported by Clayton Utz
- Francesca Caccamo, Head of People and Programs, Consent Labs
- CHASE Team, Community Health Advancement and Student Engagement
- Angela Gaylard, People and Culture Manager, Youth Projects
OUTSTANDING EDUCATION PROVIDER
Supported by AGSM at UNSW Business School
- CareFlight, Trauma Care Workshops
- Minus18 Education Team, Minus 18
- UNSW Sydney, The University of Western Australia, Flinders University and Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Social Impact
OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP IN WELLBEING GOVERNANCE
Supported by The Wellbeing Hub, an initiative of The Xfactor Collective Foundation
OUTSTANDING SCHOLAR
Supported by the Australian Scholarships Foundation
The winner of Outstanding Scholar will be announced on June 15. No finalists are announced in this category.
- Media enquiries: Leona Spencer, [email protected]
- Awards enquiries: Lauren Dixon, [email protected]
#NFPleadershipawards @ScholarshipsNP
Thank you to our judges
We sincerely thank all the hard-working judges who donated their time this year.
- Josephine Buontempo, Kasali Migration Australia, and Chair of ASF Assessment Panel
- Justine Butler, Corporate Giving Specialist
- Tara Castle, Queensland Community Foundation
- David Crosbie, Community Council for Australia
- Petrina Fraccaro, Cystic Fibrosis Queensland
- Anne Frankenberg, Musica Viva Australia
- Julia Keady, The Xfactor Collective
- Ric Leahy, XEd Space
- Rachael McLennan, People for Purpose
- James Montgomery, AFL SportsReady
- Kylie Pussell, Miracle Babies Foundation
- Katherine Raskob, Fundraising Institute Australia
- Leisa Sadler, Dress for Success
- Mary Spongberg, Southern Cross University
- Leonard Vary, The Myer Foundation and Sidney Myer Fund
- Ben Vasiliou, Youth Projects
- Beth Weatherly, Kilfinan Australia
