Commencing on 15th June 2020 and following the departure of Adrienne Picone, the board of Volunteering Australia is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Pearce as interim CEO.
Mark has strong management and governance experience across not-for-profit and corporate organisations, formerly serving as Deputy Chair of Volunteering Australia and presently as a director of Animals Australia and as Principal Consultant at Mandala Advisory, assisting social purpose organisations and Traditional Owner groups to enhance strategy, advocacy and engagement.
With a background in financial markets, Mark holds a BSc. Politics and international Relations (Hons) and is currently completing a Masters in Human Rights. Prior to his current role, Mark served as Director, Corporate Partnerships at National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, assisting that peak representative body establish and develop key relationships across the government, civil society and corporate sectors.
Mark says, “The selfless contribution of almost six million volunteers nationally is the often unrecognised ‘social connector’ in our communities and ‘engine room’ in our economy. A strong and vibrant Australia relies upon strong, well-resourced volunteering organisations to support the important work of volunteers throughout the country.
“I look forward to stepping into this important role with Volunteering Australia and continuing to champion volunteering in Australia.”
Michelle Ewington, Chair of the VA Board, said, “We are delighted that Mark will be joining the team at Volunteering Australia. He brings with him a wealth of experience in the not-for-profit sector and we look forward to working with him to lead VA forward at this unusual time.
“We would like to again thank Adrienne Picone for her leadership of VA for the past three years, her work in strengthening VA’s position as the national peak body for volunteering leaves the organisation in good stead for the future.”
