Bill Mithen selected for innovative leadership program

Bill Mithen, CEO, Give Where You Live Foundation, is one of 24 not-for-profit leaders from Victoria and Tasmania who have been selected to participate in the second cohort of the Social Impact Leadership Australia (SILA) Program.

The SILA Program is a five-year $9.6 million capacity building and leadership program funded by four of Australia’s major philanthropic foundations.

The 24 leaders, made up of CEOs from organisations within the climate arts, agriculture, health and the community services sector, all share a common goal of seeking to create positive change for a better society.

During the program the leaders will experience a series of immersive learning experiences, one-on-one coaching, dedicated capacity-building support, and a fully funded three-month sabbatical over the 10-month program.

Arminé Nalbandian, CEO of CSI, said the SILA Program aims to strengthen the entire for-purpose sector through its innovative and immersive approach – an Australian-first and fully funded offering.

“SILA is a groundbreaking program that recognises the importance of investing in for-purpose leaders. Corporate leaders have long had opportunities for intensive professional support and SILA is a way for us to provide those same opportunities to for-purpose leaders,” she said.

“As Australia’s leader in social impact education we’re proud to be delivering this flagship for-purpose executive leadership program.”

Leonard Vary, CEO of The Myer Foundation and Sidney Myer Fund, doubled-down on the importance of SILA to prop up the underinvestment in tailored executive professional development within the for-purpose sector.

“The for-purpose sector is crucial to communities all across the country and we must continue to drive best-practice leadership. We are proud to be supporting this second cohort of experienced leaders who are working to find solutions for climate action, community arts, family violence, and more,” he said.

“We know from Cohort One and the CEOs who have already experienced the program, that SILA will strengthen this new cohort’s professional networks and equip them with the latest leadership skills to manage complex organisational change and collaboration beyond completion of the program.”

On being selected as a SILA participant, Bill Mithen celebrated the program for its disruptive and evidence-based approach to developing leadership capability.

“I think we all inherently know that we’re at our best and most creative as leaders when we stop to consider all the angles and possibilities, but too often the daily imperatives don’t allow that. Getting the time to slow down, think and imagine is an exciting prospect which can only lead to greater impact.

“Leadership in smaller organisations often rests with the CEO and SILA provides a rare opportunity for us to take a breath and develop a more diverse breadth of leadership capability,” Bill added.

As part of SILA, participants will complete a tailored sabbatical enabling time to reflect and apply learnings from the program while their organisation receives capacity funding and executive support through an identified ‘Step-up Leader’.

Jo Flanagan, CEO of Women’s Health Tasmania and another Cohort Two participant, is looking forward to building her own capacity, but also her Deputy CEO’s.

“SILA is more than just a leadership program. It has an emphasis on organisational capability as well as individual leadership and is an amazing opportunity to develop my own skills and knowledge, and those of our Deputy CEO, who will be our SILA step-up leader. I’m hoping it will really help my organisation position itself strategically for the next 10 years.”

The SILA Program’s Cohort Two participants include:

Name Organisation
Adrienne Picone TasCOSS
Aileen Ashford Kids First Australia
Alison Lai Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Council Tasmania
Andrea Goddard Stars Foundation
Andrew Davies B Lab Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand
Bill Mithen Give Where You Live Foundation
Charlotte Jones Mental Health Legal Centre
Chris Povey Justice Connect
Daniel Santangeli Footscray Community Arts
Donna deZwart Fitted for Work
Elisa Buggy Western Region Centre Against Sexual Assault Inc (WestCASA)
Fiona Davis Farmers for Climate Action
Jaison Hoernel Good Cycles Inc
James Hattam Tasmanian Land Conservancy
Jane Hunt The Front Project
Josephine Flanagan Women’s Health Tasmania
Kirsty Albion Centre for Australian Progress
Melodie Potts Rosevear Teach for Australia
Michael Kelly Relationships Australia Tasmania
Natalie Egleton Foundation for Regional & Rural Renewal (FRRR)
Sam LaRocca The Sunrise Project
Sarah Neal Malthouse Theatre
Simon Ruth Thorne Harbour Health (Victorian AIDS Council Inc)
Tania Farha Safe and Equal