Introducing our new Chair
We are excited to announce that as part of the evolution of Social Enterprise Australia, Belinda Morrissey will hand over the role of Board Chair to fellow Board member Alexie Seller.
Belinda has been Chair since we launched in 2022, and has long played a leading role in the development of the social enterprise sector. She will remain on the Board as Deputy Chair.
As CEO of English Family Foundation, Belinda was part of a core group of sector leaders who saw the need for a social enterprise national strategy in 2020 and established the Social Enterprise National Strategy (SENS) initiative.
That led to research by the Griffith Centre for Systems Innovation. They mapped a path forward that led to the establishment of Social Enterprise Australia, to work with the sector to lead its strategy.
"The research conducted by Griffith was a pivotal moment as it generated a sense of shared purpose and direction," Belinda says.
"Collectively we landed on an agreed way forward on how to unlock the potential of social enterprise in Australia in a way that is sector-led.
"Now Social Enterprise Australia will introduce a new membership model this month - to lock in sector-led governance. Social enterprises will be the voting members of the national peak.
"At the English Family Foundation we always seek to understand the role of philanthropy in systems change within the social enterprise sector. We look at how we can best add value. Part of this is also understanding when it is time to step into a different role because the sector can and should lead, and this is that moment for me.
"I am so proud to have been able to lead Social Enterprise Australia as Chair for these past years, it has been such a privilege to be able to walk alongside the sector within this important work.
"It is absolutely the right time for the Chair to be a social enterprise leader like Alexie - I see Alexie as a shining star within the next generation of female leaders."
Our CEO Jess Moore said: "Belinda’s vision, courage and conviction have been key to bringing people together around a national strategy, and to the launch of Social Enterprise Australia. Previous attempts to do this have fallen short, and Belinda’s approach to always listen to the sector first has been critical to it being different this time. I am so grateful to have worked with her as Chair to get this work to drive big-picture change off the ground.
"Alexie has been a critical part of the team through our first years too. I am grateful for her strategic approach, clear thinking, curiosity and pragmatism. She’s the perfect fit to be Chair of our organisation as we step into our next stage of development."
Alexie has been a Board member since we launched, has led social enterprises globally, and is currently the CEO of Impact North. In her current role, she works to empower remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entrepreneurs to transform their communities through enterprise.
