Speakers
Katherine Miller
Terese Hooper
Meghal Shah
Session
Three visions from Australian impact organisations, one conversation.
Purpose: To hold three contemporary Australian impact lenses — international development, children’s wellbeing, and disability — in one conversation rather than in parallel, and ask directly what catalytic family capital could shift in each.
Discussion: Meghal, Terese and Katherine will each speak to where they see the highest-leverage opportunities right now, where Australian family philanthropy has shown up well or badly, and what genuinely connects the three lenses beneath the surface differences.
Outcomes: A current picture of three serious Australian impact organisations, three frank perspectives on where catalytic capital matters most, and the language to compare them honestly when your family is making decisions.
With over two decades of professional experience in the for-purpose-sector in both hands-on and management roles, Katherine brings not only commitment and passion to her work, but also strong communication and collaborative skills. She holds a Business Management Degree from the University of Queensland along with a Diploma of Leadership and Management from Deakin University. In her current role as Head of Philanthropy, leading a team of highly professional Major Donor, Stewardship and Senior Grant Writing Specialists, she continues to strengthen and embrace relationship-focused stakeholder management, collaborative leadership and cross-team facilitation.
Employing high-level organisational and project management skills, she believes that strategic and creative knowledge has helped to inspire investment and partnerships that work to achieve Vision Australia’s organisational goals and objectives. Agile and solutions focused with significant knowledge about the philanthropic landscape and a strong understanding of compliance, relationship management and accountability, her work is driven by purpose, integrity and a commitment to driving meaningful and strategic change, underpinning her desire to continue supporting Vision Australia’s mission to support over 40,000 clients across Australia to live the life they choose.
Terese is a purpose-driven executive and the Chief Executive Officer of Life Ed NSW/ACT, the state's most trusted health and wellbeing education provider. With over fifteen years of experience across education, leadership, and organizational development, Terese is dedicated to leading transformative growth and social impact. She is highly skilled at translating strategic vision into scalable action, empowering teams, and building robust partnerships across the government, community, and corporate sectors to advance youth wellbeing.
A qualified teacher, Terese possesses a unique, ground-up understanding of the organization she leads. Her journey with Life Ed began nearly a decade ago as an Educator delivering the iconic "Healthy Harold" programs in Sydney’s Northern Beaches mobile learning centre. Over the years, she has steadily advanced through the organization, holding pivotal senior roles including Director of Education, Chief Operating Officer, and Acting CEO for Life Ed Northern Territory. This rare combination of frontline program expertise and proven executive leadership ensures her approach is both deeply empathetic and highly strategic.
Now residing in regional NSW, Terese brings a nuanced understanding of the diverse metropolitan, regional, and remote communities that Life Ed serves. Her leadership is heavily informed by her own early life experiences with instability, which forged her profound belief in the transformative power of knowledge and the importance of trusted adult mentorship. She champions an evidence-based educational model that scaffolds learning year-on-year, guiding children from curiosity to confidence, and ultimately equipping them with the health literacy, resilience, and agency needed to navigate life's complex choices.
Terese holds impressive credentials from leading professional institutions. She is an alumna of the McKinsey Executive Leadership Program and Chief Executive Women (CEW), and she holds credentials from the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). As CEO, she is committed to guiding Life Ed through its next phase of growth, firmly believing that this work is not just about prevention, but about potential—ensuring every child has the support and opportunity to pursue a healthy, limitless future.
Meghal is a distinguished social impact leader who leverages deep commercial acumen to help purpose-driven organizations maximize their impact both in Australia and abroad. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Action on Poverty (AOP), where he leads a vital mission to empower communities to break the cycle of poverty through locally led, sustainable solutions.
Meghal brings extensive international development and operational expertise to his executive leadership. Prior to his appointment as CEO, he served as AOP’s Regional Director for Asia, based in Hanoi, Vietnam, and as Chief Operating Officer. In these roles, he successfully supported and scaled complex poverty reduction programs spanning 14 countries across Asia, the Pacific, and Africa.
Before joining AOP, Meghal served as the CEO of BCD Community Care. In this capacity, he orchestrated a highly successful turnaround that more than doubled the organization’s size, strategically positioning it for long-term success under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in New South Wales. This executive track record in the non-profit sector is heavily underpinned by a robust corporate foundation. With early career roles in finance, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and product development at PwC and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), Meghal cultivated a strong base in financial management, operations, and enterprise innovation.
A Chartered Accountant by profession, Meghal holds an MBA with Distinction from the University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours in Finance from the University of Auckland. His exceptional leadership and innovative approach have been widely recognized across the corporate and social sectors. His accolades include being named one of Acuity Magazine’s "20 Under 35 Future Leaders" (2020), receiving the prestigious University of Sydney MBA Scholarship for Community Leadership (2020), and being awarded "Intrapreneur of the Year" during his tenure at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (2017).
Louise is the founder and CEO of Walsh Capital. Louise has extensive capital raising experience across many sectors. Previously, as the CEO of the Future Generation companies, Louise and her team grew these ASX listed funds by $1bn in assets in just six years.
Louise has developed best practice investor and major donor engagement programs throughout her career. Of particular note, Louise has a substantial ultra-high net worth and high net worth network across Australia. This extensive network has been developed and nurtured over three decades, having started her career as a lawyer at Allens then Head of Sponsorships for the Sydney Olympic Games. Louise is widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading philanthropic advisers and is a fundraising expert.
Louise has been a champion of impact investing since her time as CEO of Philanthropy Australia and has engaged with PWN over many years. Louise sits on the Boards of the Snow Foundation and the St Vincent’s Curran Foundation.