Good Will Hunters

Welcome to Episode 46 of Good Will Hunters, with Chris Croker!

This episode is sponsored by SolarBuddy, the organisation providing solar lights to children living in energy poverty. The future is brighter with SolarBuddy! To learn more visit solarbuddy.org

Chris is the the Managing Director of Impact Investment Partners and the founder of the Indigenous Impact Investment Fund. Chris is a Luritja man from Central Australia, which is the area around Uluru and Kings Canyon. Chris is passionate about closing the gap for Indigenous Australians throughout impact investment.

The Fund aims to raise 500m to be spent across 15-20 projects focused on healthcare, education and energy solutions for rural and remote Indigenous towns. In this episode, we explore what a flourishing impact investment ecosystem would mean for social services in Australia.

I’m particularly excited about what the fund can do in the next 5-10 years, so long as investors, government and business gets behind the potential for impact investment to revolutionise social services.

Enjoy,

Rachel

Welcome to Episode 45 of Good Will Hunters, with Allan Gyngell.

This episode is sponsored by SolarBuddy, the organisation providing solar lights to children living in energy poverty all over the world. The future is brighter with SolarBuddy!

Allan Gyngell AO was appointed the National President of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) in September 2017, having previously been named a Fellow of the AIIA in 2010.

He is an honorary professor with the Australian National University’s College of Asia and the Pacific and was most recently Director of the ANU Crawford Leadership Forum.

Allan has had an extensive career in Australian international affairs. He was the Director-General of the Australian Office of National Assessments (ONA) from 2009 to 2013. Prior to leading the ONA, he was the founding Executive Director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy from 2003 to 2009. Additionally, he has worked at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, serving as an Australian diplomat in Rangoon, Singapore and Washington. He was Senior Advisor (International) to Prime Minister Paul Keating between 1993 and 1996.

Allan was appointed as an Officer in the Order of Australia in 2009 for services to international relations. In 2007, he co-authored Making Australian Foreign Policy with Michael Wesley. His most recent book, Fear of Abandonment: Australia in the World Since 1942, was released in 2017 to considerable acclaim.

In this episode we chat about Australian foreign policy, including the importance of inclusive and accessible public debate, our impact on world order over the last 70 years, relations with the Pacific, foreign aid and more. Allan is a brilliant intellectual who continues to make an enormous contribution to foreign policy in Australia.

Enjoy,

Rachel and the GWH Team

Welcome to Episode 44 of Good Will Hunters, with Mike Kelly MP, Member for Eden-Monaro.

This episode is sponsored by SolarBuddy, the organisation bringing solar lights to children living in energy poverty all over the world. The future is brighter with SolarBuddy!

Mike began his career fighting for the rights of injured workers and campaigning for those suffering from asbestos-related diseases in Sydney. In 1987 he joined the Army and had extensive military experience, serving in several international operational deployments including Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Somalia, East Timor and Iraq.

Mike is a leading expert on peace and stabilisation operations, post-conflict reconstruction and counter-insurgency. He has a PhD in related fields, has published two books, and numerous articles. Mike is passionate about renewable energy and the need to act on climate change. He is a strong advocate for veterans and the interests of rural and regional Australia within the Labor Party and Parliament.

In this episode, we discuss Australia's onshore and offshore humanitarian policy, coordination and outsourcing in humanitarian emergencies, the military-NGO nexus, AusAID and the aid budget, democracy and more. This is a big, important discussion - as always, we'd love to hear your thoughts!

Enjoy,

Rachel and the GWH Team

Welcome to Episode 43 of Good Will Hunters, with Felicity Green.

This episode is sponsored by SolarBuddy, the organisation bringing solar lights to children living in energy poverty all over the world. The future is brighter with SolarBuddy!

Felicity is the Founder and Director of Spark Strategy, a consultancy specialising in strategy and operating models for the not for profit sector. Felicity is an absolute whiz - I am in awe of her knowledge and the highly impactful ways she supports charities to do what they do.

In this episode we discuss all things not for profit strategy - partnerships, funding, intellectual property, impact, competition, and profit. This is a practical resource for anyone working in the not for profit sector to listen to and learn from, as well as anyone with an interest in how organisations can create and sustain change!

Interested in becoming a sponsor and promoting your organisation to a growing community of change-makers? Reach out via our website www.goodwillhunterspodcast.com.au - we'd love to hear from you!

Enjoy,

Rachel and the GWH Team

Welcome to Episode 42 of Good Will Hunters, with Sandra Uwantege Hart.

This episode is sponsored by SolarBuddy, the organisation bring solar lights to children living in energy poverty all over the world. The future is brighter with SolarBuddy!

Sandra is the Pacific Cash and Livelihoods Lead for Oxfam, based in Vanuatu. One of my absolute favourite topics is humanitarian assistance, and particularly how we can deliver better humanitarian assistance in natural disasters. Sandra has been involved in multiple humanitarian responses in the Pacific Islands, including the response to the volcanic eruption on Ambae, Vanuatu,

In this episode, we chat about how Oxfam turned humanitarian response upside down, by conducting a cash feasibility study. Basically, they asked the question “Why not give cash in a humanitarian emergency?” and found that many parts of Vanuatu, including Ambae, were suitable for cash-handouts during a disaster. Fortuitously, the volcanic eruption on Ambae occurred just weeks after the cash feasibility study was complete. It became the first natural disaster in the country whereby those affected were given direct cash handouts - and the results were seriously impressive.

In this episode, we discuss the rationale and logistics of giving cash instead of in-kind support, the realities of working in humanitarian emergencies, how to align cash support with local economies, the role of banks during a natural disaster, and… blockchain! Hint: blockchain has enormous potential in natural disaster responses!

The Unblocked Cash pilot could not be delivered without the generous financial and non-financial support of key partners, including Sempo, an Australian startup (who built the blockchain platform), Consensys, a global blockchain firm who provided technical support, AND of course the Australian government - who funded this program and most of Oxfam's other cash preparedness work. In addition, the New Zealand government supported the Ambae Response work.

Enjoy,

Rachel

Welcome to Episode 41 of Good Will Hunters, with Naomi Steer.

This episode is sponsored by SolarBuddy, the organisation bringing solar lights to children living in energy poverty all over the world. The future is brighter with SolarBuddy!

Naomi is the founding National Director of UNHCR. She is a passionate advocate for refugees, with a deep understanding of the issues affecting displaced people. Naomi has worked in human rights and refugee issues since she began her career as a diplomat with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with postings at the United Nations in New York and in India.

Naomi established Australia for UNHCR in 2000. Under her leadership and with the support of Australian donors, Australia for UNHCR has become a top ten private sector contributor to UNHCR’s budget, ahead of many governments and international foundations. It is the only international agency in Australia solely focused on refugees and raises tens of millions of dollars annually to support UNHCR’s global humanitarian work.

In this episode, we discuss the programs that Australia for UNHCR helps fund globally, how to tell refugee stories in an empowering way, why local entrepreneurs need to be commercial, the power of women supporting women, and a whole lot more. I loved chatting to Naomi and hope you love this episode as much as I loved recording it.

Are you interested in sponsoring an episode? Or would you like to be on the show? Get in touch via our website - www.goodwillhunterspodcast.com.au

Enjoy,

Rachel

Welcome to Episode 40 of Good Will Hunters, with Adam Carrel.

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY SOLARBUDDY, BRINGING SOLAR LIGHTS TO CHILDREN ALL OVER THE WORLD. THE FUTURE IS BRIGHTER WITH SOLARBUDDY.

It’s Episode 40! We made it. This week is significant for two reasons:

Firstly, I interview Adam Carrel, EY Partner and my boss. Unbeknownst to Adam, a conversation I had with him in January 2018 was one of the catalysts for starting this podcast. Back in January 2018 when I met Adam for the first time, I told him that I wanted to support the charitable sector by working in the private sector. I wasn’t entirely sure what I meant by that, but Adam reassured me that it was a viable career path and that the private sector was also a domain for large-scale positive social impact, when managed properly.

I walked away from the conversation and decided it was an important topic that I personally wanted to learn more about, and wanted to create a platform for the rest of the sector to learn from too. So I started GWH, and we’ve since produced 40 episodes all about private-public cooperation for social impact - so it feels only right that Adam is our Episode 40 guest.

Secondly, we have a brand new sponsor, and not just any sponsor but one of my favourite organisations, Solar Buddy. A few weeks back I had the absolute joy of handing out solar lights to primary school children in Southern Highlands and Milne Bay in PNG, with my friends at Kokoda Track Foundation. Solar Buddy is the perfect sponsor for GWH, because they create opportunities for corporations to meaningfully engage with international development, and provide a very practical form of support to children all over the world.

In this episode, Adam and I talk about the ONE big thing that the private sector can offer the public sector, the danger of mergers and acquisitions for charities, globalism and why we can’t recreate the 90s, private sector responsibility on the SDGs, the importance of self-regulation, and why we’re all better as individuals.

Enjoy, and Happy 40th Episode!

Rachel

Welcome to Episode 39 of Good Will Hunters! This week I chat to Kat Dunn, CEO of Grameen Australia, about her work to support social businesses.

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE INTREPID GROUP, THE TOUR COMPANY PROVIDING SUSTAINABLE, EXPERIENCE-RICH TRAVEL.

You might recognise Grameen Australia from the Grameen Bank, the well know micro loan bank started by Muhammad Yunus. Grameen Australia isn't an extension of the Grameen Bank, but rather is an independent organisation supporting social businesses in Australia to scale. What is a social business? I'd describe it as a business with a social mission, which reinvests profits back into the business rather than giving profits to shareholders.

In this episode, Kat describes why social businesses can do what governments and charities often can not. It's an important discussion and a fantastic insight into the work of Kat and her peers.

Enjoy,

Rachel

[Royalty free music by Ben Sound]

Welcome to Episode 38 of Good Will Hunters!

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE INTREPID GROUP, THE TOUR COMPANY PROVIDING SUSTAINABLE, EXPERIENCE RICH TRAVEL.

This week I chat to Julia Newton-Howes, CEO of Investing in Women (IIW)and former CEO of CARE Australia. Julia has been living in the Phillipines over the last couple of years, and recently moved back to Australia to continue her role as CEO of IIW. She managed to squeeze me in for an interview in the midst of moving!

Julia and I chat about the economic (and social) value of gender equality for businesses, why IIW targets the formal sector rather than the informal sector, the work of business coalitions in Myanmar, Vietnam, the Phillipines and Indonesia, gender transformative legislation, and designing aid programs with commercial outcomes.

Julia's heartfelt comments at the end of this interview are so important - a must listen for everyone who cares about aid and equality.

Enjoy,

Rachel

[Royalty free music by Ben Sound]

Welcome to Episode 37 of Good Will Hunters! This week I chat to Reece Proudfoot, Innovation Strategist at WWF Australia and Founder of Panda-Labs, Australia's sustainable technology accelerator.

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE INTREPID GROUP, THE TOUR COMPANY PROVIDING SUSTAINABLE, EXPERIENCE-RICH TRAVEL.

I first met Reece at a 'Blockchain Breakfast' hosted by WWF and NAB in November last year. Reece had a knack for discussing innovation with a mix of intellect, enthusiasm and caution. Reece has revolutionised WWF's approach to support innovation, and his work is the epitome of strong private sector and charitable sector collaboration.

In this episode we discuss whether technology can save the world, how charities can leverage their intellectual property, whether better oversight of expenditure will create more trust, the use of blockchain, and the importance of good corporate partnerships, plus a whole lot more.

Enjoy!

Rachel