Media releases: 1 December 2024
FRRR is pleased to announce the appointment of David Gunn as the Foundation’s Chief Finance and Operations Officer (CFOO). In addition to serving as Company Secretary, David is responsible Finance, People and Culture, IT, Risk and Compliance.
David brings a wealth of senior executive experience to the role, with a strong background in commercial business partnerships and a wide range of positions in the corporate services portfolio, most recently as an Executive Director at Bendigo District Aboriginal Corporation.
He has previously held COO roles at Respect Victoria and Oxfam, and prior to that held executive roles with Community Energy Scotland and Highland Airways, in his Scottish homeland These have equipped David well to identify and mitigate potential risks to FRRR’s ability to achieve its objectives, in addition to the strengths he will bring to the leadership of core business functions.
Based in Central Victoria, David is an experienced board director, company secretary and mentor, and well as a Fellow of CPA Australia and graduate of AICD. He holds an international MBA from the East China University of Political Science and Law, and an honours degree in Mathematics and Statistics.
During a decade in the international humanitarian sector, he led a multi-country, multi-million-dollar innovation project providing welfare support to marginalised communities in times of disaster in the Pacific using emerging blockchain technologies for social good.
Importantly, David’s previous senior leadership experience with Aboriginal communities, public sector construction projects, family violence prevention, remote healthcare, community-scale renewable energy projects, cargo logistics and banking, all contribute to his ability to confidently deliver in his new position
FRRR’s CEO, Natalie Egleton, says that David has joined at a critical time in FRRR’s development.
“Over the last few years, the Foundation has grown significantly. We now need the support of an experienced finance officer and operations officer to help us put in place the systems and processes that will underpin the next phase of growth, enabling the organisation to continue to grow our service provisions to support rural and regional Australians.
“We’re very lucky to have David, as he has a track record of successfully managing change within corporate service functions, especially in organisations with a strong social justice mission,” Ms Egleton said.
David said that he is thrilled with the opportunity to put his skills and experience to good use.
“As someone who has chosen to live in a rural area, I’m delighted to be joining FRRR as I know first-hand the importance of supporting local community groups, who play such a vital role in making these areas great places to live and work. There’s a great opportunity to build on what is already in place to ensure that FRRR can efficiently scale and continue to support local leaders in creating vibrant, resilient, sustainable and empowered communities,” he said.
