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.

FRRR is delighted to announce the appointment of Alison Maclaren as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Business Operations Manager.

In this role, Alison will be responsible for managing FRRR’s finances, working closely with the Finance and Audit Committee to manage FRRR’s investment portfolio, and will also serve as FRRR’s company secretary. In addition, Alison will oversee the day to day running of the HR, IT and shared services functions.

Alison brings more than 25 years’ experience working across the not-for-profit, private and public sectors. Most recently, Alison was working in the pharmaceutical and health sectors but she also brings deep experience across many sectors having worked in the audit divisions of Deloitte and KPMG in Melbourne and Canberra.

FRRR CEO, Natalie Egleton, said that FRRR is delighted to be welcoming Alison to the team.

“Alison brings an unusual breadth of experience and a skillset to the table that will be highly valuable to FRRR. Her perspectives and insights from having worked in big firms, in the public sector and for an NFP community health organisation, coupled with her past operations management experience, mean that she is well qualified to support us as we enter the next phase of our growth.

“We’re thrilled to have her joining us – even in the short time that she’s already been with FRRR, it’s become clear that she will be a real asset to the team,” said Ms Egleton.

Ms Maclaren said that when she learned about this role, she knew it was the right move for her both personally and professionally.

“In my 20’s, I spent some time working in a refugee camp in Malaysia and the sense of purpose I gained from that experience has never left me. I loved my corporate career but I felt drawn to doing something that contributed more to society – a role that had social value as well as economic value. When I saw that FRRR was searching for a CFO, I knew it would be the perfect move for me, especially as I live locally. It’s growing and has a national remit, which means I still get to experience a lot of the challenges that I enjoyed facing in my corporate career but I also have the satisfaction of contributing to some really important work.

“I’m excited to be joining such a dedicated team and am thrilled to be helping FRRR to work towards their vision of a vibrant, resilient and revitalised remote, rural and regional Australia,” said Ms Maclaren.

Ms Maclaren graduated from Deakin University with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting, Economics and Commercial Law (Awarded) and holds a Graduate Diploma in Accounting. She is a Chartered Accountant and Governance and Risk Specialist with the Chartered and Governance Institutes of Australia.

When not working, Alison enjoys spending time with her family on their small acreage property in Central Victoria, competing at equestrian events, skiing and hiking in the high country, and generally being active and adventurous.