SVA welcomes two new Board directors

Social Ventures Australia (SVA) is pleased to welcome two new board directors this month, Cindy Reese Mitchell and Verity Lomax.

SVA Board Chair Rob Koczkar shared the announcement, stating he was delighted that two outstanding social sector leaders were stepping forward to contribute their expertise and passion for change towards SVA’s mission.

‘We are excited to have Cindy and Verity join us as Board directors, each bringing with them a wealth of experience uniquely suited to SVA’s work. I’m looking forward to working alongside them towards our vision for an Australia where all people and communities can thrive.’

Cindy Reese Mitchell is the founding CEO of The Mill House Ventures, the Canberra region’s first dedicated social enterprise business development consultancy. Her background is in both commercial and government settings, and she is currently working on her PhD in Kimberly Aboriginal women’s entrepreneurship and leadership at the Centre for Social Impact at Swinburne University.

‘When I started my first community social enterprise, SVA unlocked a world of resources and expertise that I could not access on my own,’ Mitchell said.

‘A decade later, I bring a coal-face social venture practitioner perspective to my role as an SVA Board member. I hope to contribute to SVA’s growth and social license as a pre-eminent social impact intermediary for the next generation of change-makers.’

Verity Lomax is the Director of the Breaking Disadvantage unit in the NSW Department of Premier & Cabinet. She has an impressive career in social policy, working for both government and non-government organisations. In her current role, she leads the team advising the Premier on education, employment and skills with an emphasis on a whole of government and whole of community approach to breaking disadvantage.

‘I have always seen SVA as a powerful agent of social change and I am honoured to be joining the board.’

‘With a strong synergy between my personal quest to create high impact social change and that of SVA’s vision, I look forward to joining a team of people with a deep commitment to making Australia a better place for everyone’.

SVA CEO Suzie Riddell joined Rob Koczkar in welcoming the new Board appointees:

‘We feel extremely fortunate at SVA to have two board directors with such strong backgrounds in delivering social change joining us. I know that our organisation will benefit from their guidance, expertise and leadership.’

Cindy Reese Mitchell and Verity Lomax join Adam Davids, Robert Fitzgerald AM, Tanya Gilerman, Chris Harrop and Daisy Mallett as Board directors, along with Chair Rob Koczkar and CEO Suzie Riddell.

Full details about our Board governance are available here.