Social Ventures appoints new board members

Social Ventures Australia (SVA) has appointed two new members to their board, Mallesons lawyer Daisy Mallet, and Bain and Company Director Chris Harrop.

Mallett was a member of the Australian Delegation to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Arbitration and Conciliation Working Group, the New South Wales Law Society’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, the Law Council of Australia’s Transnational Litigation Committee, as well as a fellow of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration Group. Mallet was also a member of the Philanthropy Australia New Generation of Giving Program and is a chair of the Crawford Foundation PAF.

Harrop has worked with clients in many industries, and has specialised in projects addressing corporate strategy, growth strategy, customer experience improvement and broad-based transformational change. He was a long-serving member of the Board of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, and currently serves on the Brandenburg Foundation Board. 

SVA Chair Paul Robertson said the two appointments added new depth to the board at a time of significant growth for SVA.

“Both Chris and Daisy bring outstanding skills and networks to the SVA Board and a deep interest in breaking the cycle of disadvantage in Australia. With two of SVA’s core focus areas being strategy consulting and venture philanthropy, their expertise and experience in these areas is particularly compelling. I look forward to working closely with them,” said Robertson. 

Mallet said that sitting on the SVA Board would allow her to utilise and build on her philanthropic experience and her understanding of the drivers of disadvantage in Australia.

“SVA is a unique organisation that combines the expertise of both the business and social sectors to find new solutions to entrenched social challenges. It’s a pleasure to take on a more hands on role in their work as member of the Board,” she said.

Harrop said he was excited to join the board after a long association with the SVA team through a range of pro bono and mentorship initiatives.

“Since its inception, I have admired SVA’s aspiration to drive real-world change across the social sector through innovations that make a difference at scale. Its progress to date has been truly impressive, and I look forward to doing what I can to support its future progress,” he said.