People & Purpose

In this next episode of our podcast series, we had the pleasure of talking with Gabriela Christian-Hare, CEO of the Australian Pro Bono Centre.

The Australian Pro Bono Centre is the centre of leadership for pro bono legal services that aims to grow participation and excellence in pro bono, our unique contribution to closing the justice gap and creating a more equitable and sustainable society.

Gabi is full of brilliant energy, ideas, vision and creativity. We really enjoyed this conversation about the state of the pro bono sector in Australia, the impacts of Covid and Gabi’s key priorities for the year ahead.

In this episode of People & Purpose, we spoke with Peter Walton, CEO of CARE Australia, and Diana Nicholson, Senior Partner at King & Wood Mallesons and Board Director of CARE Australia, about the challenges and opportunities facing the for-purpose sector in such uncertain times and how the organisation they lead is continually adapting and responding to change, while mobilising broad support and staying focused on the short, medium and long term goals of a leading international aid organisation that works around the globe to save lives and defeat poverty.

Peter Walton became CEO of CARE Australia in January 2020. He has over 28 years of international experience seeking better outcomes in both international development and humanitarian activities. During his career he has undertaken assignments in over 50 countries. Peter has held a number of senior roles in the humanitarian / development sector including international director with Save the Children Australia and Chief Executive of Infoxchange, an enterprise that uses technology in support of social impact and social justice. 

Diana Nicholson is a senior partner in the Mergers and Acquisitions practice of KWM. Her practice primarily involves securities industry law, fundraising, acquisitions and takeovers, as well as the more general aspects of commercial law. Diana has held many roles at KWM including Partner In Charge of the Melbourne centre and she is a long-standing board member of KWM Community Impact, our large-scale social impact programme. In 2019, Diana was appointed to the Board of CARE Australia, continuing her long history of supporting the communities in which she lives, works and operates.

Technology and innovation is increasingly seen as a key enabler for meeting legal needs and providing citizen-centred services by enhancing access to information, facilitating provision of legal and justice services, and enabling integrated access to services in the justice sector. Tech, innovation and human-centred design thinking is often being used to automate current processes and make them more efficient and accessible to citizens and businesses, create new pathways to justice, and provide direct access to justice services. In this episode of People & Purpose, we had the privilege of speaking with Kate Fazio who is Head of Innovation and Engagement at Justice Connect, a strategic community partner of KWM. Kate is a change-maker in the legal assistance sector. As a lawyer, technologist and journalist with a Master’s in Social Impact, Kate brings a uniquely intersectional lens to her work to improve access to justice in Australia. Kate has won many awards for her work transforming justice including the 2020 Telstra Business Women’s Award (For Purpose) and the 2019 Victorian Premier’s Design Award in Service Design. Kate is globally recognised as a thought leader in legal service transformation and regularly speaks at international conferences. Kate is also an alumna of King & Wood Mallesons.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart is an invitation from First Nations to “walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future”. It was issued to the Australian people in May 2017 following almost two years of work. The Uluru Statement calls for structural reform including constitutional change. Structural reform means establishing a new relationship between First Nations and the Australian nation based on justice and self-determination where Indigenous cultures and peoples can flourish, and we all move forward. In this episode of People & Purpose, KWM's Head of Pro Bono & Community Impact, Dan Creasey, spoke with Indigenous leader (and expert consultant to KWM), Mr Dean Parkin.  Dean played a key role in the creation of the Uluru Statement and is now working tirelessly for constitutional change. We hope you find this conversation with Dean informative and motivating.

Welcome to People & Purpose, a monthly podcast series brought to you by the Community Impact programme of global top tier law firm, King & Wood Mallesons.