Give Where You Live Foundation CEO, Bill Mithen, announced today that he will be stepping down after a historic term as the longest serving CEO of the organisation during its 70-year history.
Over the past 13 years, Mr. Mithen has led the Foundation through a period of remarkable development and transformation.
Give Where You Live Foundation Board Chair, Daleene Kroger, acknowledged Bill’s vision, and leadership, highlighting his significant contribution to the Foundation and the wider Geelong community.
“Under Bill’s leadership, the Foundation has achieved remarkable success, driven by his passion and commitment to promoting fairness and equity in the G21 region.
“He has played a key role in launching some of the Foundation’s most impactful initiatives, and during his time as CEO, the Foundation has generated over $50 million in revenue to support the Geelong community,” said Ms Kroger.
“Bill has also been instrumental in developing the Foundation’s 2030 strategy, which has transformed how the organisation creates impact. This transformation has seen the Foundation evolve and expand its efforts beyond traditional grant funding, embracing a wide range of change initiatives, actions and support to help create community change.”
“On a personal note, it has been a pleasure as Chair of the Board to work alongside Bill, and on behalf of my fellow Board Members and Foundation staff, I extend our sincere thanks to him for his dedicated leadership, expertise and commitment over the past 13 years. I am sure Bill will not be lost to our community and we’re excited to see what will come next” she added.
Ms Kroger also highlighted the strength of the leadership team that the Foundation has built under Bill’s leadership.
“We have a strong Executive Leadership Team who will work closely with the Board, the incoming CEO, and all our partners to ensure the Foundation continues to grow and evolve.”
Reflecting on his time with the Foundation, Bill Mithen said he was incredibly privileged to have led the Foundation for 13 years.
“I have been honoured to lead the Give Where You Live Foundation, however, after 13 years as CEO, I believe the time is right for new leadership to take the Foundation forward into its next chapter.”
“Serving as CEO has been an incredibly rewarding and humbling experience, and I am deeply grateful to the Foundation Board, our incredible team, and all our supporters.”
“For 13 years I have been a part of an incredible team at the Give Where You Live Foundation. Their dedication to fairness, passion for the community and commitment to doing more has been extraordinary.”
“One of the great privileges has been to play a small role in supporting the extraordinary frontline community service agencies in our region. They are on the ground doing the hard work and helping countless people in our community. They have always been a great inspiration to all of us and we all continue to owe them a great debt of gratitude.” said Mr Mithen.
In reflecting on his 13-year tenure Mr Mithen identified some of the key milestones The Foundation had achieved.
“I am particularly proud of how the Foundation has evolved beyond its traditional role as a grant maker to actively deliver a range of its own change initiatives, such as GROW, Community Choice, Feed Geelong, and the recent purchase of The Paddock. These initiatives now complement our grant making and ensure The Foundation is using every resource it has at its disposal to create change.”
“A major highlight for me personally was the Foundation’s bold decision to change its rules of incorporation to commit 1% of total revenue each year to our region’s Traditional Owners, The Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, demonstrating an enduring commitment to reconciliation and support for First Nations communities.”
Mr. Mithen will conclude his role at the end of the year, and the Board of the Give Where You Live Foundation has started a comprehensive recruitment process to appoint a new CEO who will guide the Foundation into the future.
To download a PDF of the media statement please click here