CARE Australia welcomes former board member Morgana Ryan as the new interim CEO, for a period of six months. 

Morgana commenced her transition week, initially on a part-time basis, but moving to full-time prior to outgoing CEO Peter Walton’s departure in early March. 

Morgana joins CARE Australia following extensive experience in the for-profit sector. Her work has spanned strategy, organisational change, International Programs, HR and IT at the International Secretariat, Regional and Country levels.  

She has spent more than 15 years working with many of the large INGOs, including overseas with Plan International, Amnesty International, CRS and Save the Children International, and in Australia, with Plan, Save the Children, Fred Hollows, ChildFund, World Vision and AVI. She has also worked alongside DFAT and led Accenture Development Partnerships in the Asia Pacific Region. Most recently Morgana has been involved in supporting The Observership Program to provide pathways to governance for diverse leaders, changing the composition of Australian Boards. 

Much of Morgana’s career has been spent providing strategic advice to organisations and she has considerable experience with the challenges of operating in complex contexts and navigating uncertain times. 

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Morgana’s own heritage as the granddaughter of Estonian refugees, along with her experiences living and working in Oman, Qatar, Brunei, Nigeria, Netherlands, Norway and the UK, have shaped her views and her strong passion for social justice, equality, diversity and collaboration. She is the co-author of two books on international NGOs. 

Having served as a board member for CARE Australia since 2021, Morgana is well-versed in the organisation and has also worked closely with the Executive Team in recent months on a range of organisational priorities. 

The CARE Australia Board is currently undergoing the recruitment process for the ongoing CEO role, which is expected to take a few months after which following a transition, Morgana will then step down from the interim role. 

In addition to welcoming Morgana into her new position, the board wishes to sincerely thank Peter Walton for his enormous contribution to CARE and to the broader INGO sector over the last four years. 

Peter has gone above and beyond in ushering in a new aid future through his representation on various international committees as well as his leadership around a Pledge for Change, which we know will have an enormous legacy well into the future. 

CARE Australia wishes him all the best in his new role as CEO at the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation.