In a sector often defined by outcomes, funding pressures and policy debates, it is easy to lose sight of the human core that underpins social impact work. For many leaders, the journey into the social sector is deeply personal, shaped by early experiences of justice, identity and community. That grounding continues to influence how they lead, how they define impact, and how they navigate a system that increasingly demands measurable results from inherently human work.
For Matt Clear, leadership is less about authority and more about connection, humility and purpose. His career spans decades of advocacy across some of the sector’s most complex issues, offering a perspective shaped equally by activism and lived experience.
Matt Clear is Executive Manager – Communications & Engagement at Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (SMCT). His career has taken him across human rights, mental health, aged care and advocacy, underpinned by a consistent commitment to social justice.
Q&A with Matt
What inspired you to pursue a career in the social sector?
I was brought up in a household that believed in the importance of rights, particularly for people with a disability, but more broadly being on my dad’s shoulders in May Day rallies, and land rights rallies. I believe firmly in social justice, and how disadvantaged people can be supported. I have seen the inequalities that exist across our society and seen it as my life’s purpose to do what I can to address it. I have worked across a multitude of social sector roles from drug and alcohol to mental health, from human rights, to implementing changes in residential aged care. I have campaigned for people in the child protection system, to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
What is the most fulfilling part of your work?
Relationships and personal connections. Being able to form bonds with people that have the same values and see the importance of wanting to support people that might otherwise be left behind. Illustrating that leadership is not about strength necessarily, but about being committed to lead with humility, kindness, and compassion. Recognising that the role of a leader is sometimes creating the pathways for your team members be given the opportunity to thrive and shine.
What is the most impactful project you have worked on so far?
As Director of Campaigns for Amnesty International Australia, collaborating with my team to develop an innovative and creative campaign to raise awareness on the human cost of war. This was a campaign against the War in Iraq. The illegal war that was based on a lie. We created a shopping list of all the “costs” and implications associated with waging any war that was separate to the “cost” of war, but the real human cost—from intergenerational trauma to grief—beyond the loss of human life and dignity. I felt like it was impactful because we flipped the narrative on war. This thinking on the human cost and impact of any war unfortunately is as important today as it was then. We should always strive for peace and never settle or believe that any form of war can be justified.
Read also: Sue Webeck on connection, accountability and leading from where you are
What are the biggest developments you have seen in the social sector so far?
Funding and the competitive nature of justifying the importance of the social sector in an economically challenging environment. This is not new, but when the social sector is often working in the world of support, care, connecting people with supports or other people, this is often hard to quantify and easy to dismiss.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing our sector nowadays?
Being able to effectively illustrate or quantify the impact of the social sector on the health of the community or society. We know that disenfranchisement is on the rise. I only see decision-makers using or turning to a big stick solution and being “tough” when we know that simply does not work. How can we show that if we invest at the grassroots or in an early intervention way the results are exponentially higher and more effective? So, how do we show this in a way that cuts through and illustrates impact, and outcomes?
What emerging technology or trends do you believe will shape the sector’s future?
I think the most obvious answer could be artificial intelligence (AI), and we don’t stop hearing about it, but for the social sector, it’s about how we ensure that we are not left behind in the race for the next technological solution. It’s often hard to fund platforms and technologies that may have great benefit, but will never replace the importance of that human connection that we are hard-wired to live healthily on. For the social sector it will also include the capacity to ensure that AI or any new technology is woven into the unique offering that is provided so that disadvantaged people are not left behind.
What advice would you give aspiring leaders in this sector?
Be authentic, be vulnerable. These are leadership super-powers that will resonate. We are all human. Connect as a human. Don’t say “going forward”—be a human and say “in the future”. Lead with kindness and compassion.
Tell us more about your organisation. What is something unique about it?
I work for Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (SMCT), a public entity reporting to the Minister for Health, purposed with providing cemetery, cremation, and related support services to the community on the government’s behalf. SMCT is unique because when people engage with us, they are often grieving and facing one of the most difficult times of their lives. We have the external tagline of honouring and celebrating life, so we constantly aim to demystify death and recognise that when you have a loved one pass, it can be an opportunity to celebrate their life and the impact they had on you. Internally, we have PRIDE values of Passion, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, and Empathy. If we all lived by those values, the world would be a more peaceful, kind, and compassionate place.
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Ritchelle is Content Team Manager at Akolade, producing stories for Australia's not-for-profit sector at Third Sector.
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