The Australian Scholarships Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Samantha Sayers to the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), commencing this month.
Announcing the appointment, Paul Murnane, ASF’s Chair, said, “Sam brings to ASF over 20 years of diversified senior management experience in multinational FMCG companies, in leading not-for-profit organisations and in philanthropy.”
“Sayers cross-sectoral career, together with board experience as a non-executive NFP director, made her the ideal candidate to lead ASF through its next phase of growth,” says Murnane.
ASF’s partnerships with over twenty universities and other education providers, such as the AICD, has supported capacity development for nearly 3,000 NFPs over the past five years alone.
NFPs are adapting to significant regulatory and market changes, and there is significant unmet demand for education and development. Murnane observes, “There is growing recognition by philanthropists and corporates that investing in NFP board and leadership development generates big improvements in NFP effectiveness, and recent research conducted by UWA and CSI has found that investing in capacity is helping to build a more efficient and effective NFP sector.”
Reflecting on her appointment, Sayers said, “Boosting the leadership and management capacity of Australia’s 600,000 NFPs and social enterprises, including 55,000 registered charities, to help them become more efficient and effective, is critically important. NFPs play a vital role in Australian society, employing 9 per cent of Australia’s workforce and contributing $55bn to GDP annually. I am delighted to be working with ASF and its partners to continue to increase opportunities for NFPs to access education and development, and ultimately, improve their social impact.”