Kirsten Armstrong

Executive Director, Social Impact Initiatives

Improving the lives of our most vulnerable demands big ideas, passion, and the know-how to make them happen. Working with government, providers, and investors, SVA helps turn those big ideas into reality.

Kirsten is Executive Director, Social Impact Initiatives. She leads SVA’s social impact bond and outcomes-based contracting work, supporting governments, social-purpose organisations and impact investors to create high impact projects that generate evidence and change lives.

Prior to joining SVA, Kirsten led the health practice at analytics consultancy Taylor Fry, with clients including the Disability Royal Commission and multiple health departments. Kirsten is an accomplished actuary and adviser, and has advised on major health reforms in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong and insurance system reforms in Russia, Estonia and Mongolia.

She created new ways for The Fred Hollows Foundation to access funds for eye care, through the world’s first healthcare development impact bond, the Cameroon Cataract Bond, and an investor-friendly social enterprise, Alina Vision, providing sustainable, affordable eye care in South-East Asia.

In 2019, Kirsten was recognised as one of the AFR’s 100 Women of Influence for this work. Kirsten is a non-executive of disability provider Northcott and of NSW’s workers compensation insurer, icare.