Our board.
A dedicated team with a broad vision to improve our world.
Our funding is guided by a board of experts with unique and diverse skills and a shared vision for a better world.
Janie Forrest
Chair
“The way to a bright, healthy, happy and enriched future is through educating our youngsters.”
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Janie is the founder and Chair of the Coolaroo Foundation.
Janie created the foundation as a means to coordinate and amplify her and her family's philanthropic work.
Collectively, they bring their skills, passions and energies to collaborate on projects including expanding access to quality education, enhancing safety for disadvantaged women and children, and promoting environmental stewardship and biodiversity protection through responsible agricultural practices, among others.
Janie has long served as an ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation and has provided support to educate Indigenous, rural and regional children here in Australia, as well as in South America. Janie is also an ongoing supporter of regional arts programs.
Janie was born on a remote merino property, and later played a significant role in establishing the alpaca industry in Australia, pioneering one of Australia's first alpaca studs.
Janie's alpaca stud led the way in the understanding of artificial breeding techniques and fleece and skin traits earning its reputation on a world scale as an expert in these areas.
Janie's research led to a year-long project in Peru’s remote Altiplano region, where her young family learnt that massive disparity only exists if education and mentorship is unavailable to children.
This awoke Janie's drive to reach remote areas and/or disadvantaged children to give them the same opportunities her children enjoyed.
Since 2009, Janie has been a councillor with the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS), a not-for-profit organisation committed to supporting rural agricultural communities and sustainable Australian agriculture.
Janie has led the RAS's Rural Achiever youth programme and currently serves across various committees.
Through her work with the RAS, Janie was later also appointed to the Board of the RAS Foundation, where she has been involved in implementing and funding youth educational scholarships facilitating pathways for young Australians to enter careers in rural and regional communities, including in agriculture.
In 2021, Janie was awarded life member for her contribution to Youth by the Australian Alpaca Association.
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to encourage, give support, and lead the strategic direction of the Coolaroo Foundation, ensuring it will continue making a difference long into years beyond my own.
I see my role as being to enable thrilling futures for exciting projects that have the power to change our world.
I harness my energy for all manner of adventures whenever I can. Some tell me it is boundless so I had better put it to good use!
This drive underpins all I do as Founder and Chair of the Coolaroo Foundation.
I will do all I can, with heart and might, to be a catalyst for a better future, identifying opportunities of merit, forming strong teams and alliances, and focusing the skills and resources of all to drive action and change where it's needed most.
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Based on my very personal experience living both in Australia and in Peru, education is the pathway out of poverty.
It opens every child born on this earth to equal opportunities and instils wisdom in the choices we make for the future of our ourselves, our children, our families and our communities.
Education has immense power of exponential growth, amplifying itself with every successive generation, delivering lasting advantage to all it touches.
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As a child, I and my family played with our Indigenous friends, such was the station way of life in the 80's, blissfully unaware of the disparity that our futures would have.
As an adult, I saw my children doing the same with their indigenous friends in the Peruvian altiplano, but with a greater understanding of their intrinsic disadvantage.
The Coolaroo Foundation was established to address that disparity, by improving care for people and places most in need, with the goal of making the world a better place for all.
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As a lover of geography, I constantly pinch myself at the infinite magnificence of this earth of ours, from deserts to the seas.
As a kid, I loved riding up and down the deep parched gullies that shape the banks of Ashburton River, singing at the top of my lungs. This was unparalleled freedom to me and the remote station was my soulplace.
Today, I adore my home at Coolaroo, with its well-watered, vibrant greens against wide blue skies all around, embracing the hills of southern NSW.
Our Foundation is named after Coolaroo, sharing with the world the special meaning this special place has for me, my children and my Mum. It’s our Pacha Mama, our mother earth, our soulplace.
We all have rich memories of horseback antics, countless tumbles (getting on again and hence learning the courage to never give up trying, to have resilience, and to look after each other), the animals, and that beautiful land…..
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I am immensely humbled I can share the inaugural years of Coolaroo Foundation with such a board.
From such strong roots, big things must surely now grow.
Olivia Hicks
Director
“By empowering rural communities, we help to nourish our people and planet for generations to come.”
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A lawyer and policy advisor with a background in human rights and sustainability, Olivia works at the intersection of government and business.
Olivia is currently undertaking a fellowship with the School for Moral Ambition (Europe), focusing on accelerating the transition to sustainable proteins.
Formerly a senior lawyer at the Australian Government Solicitor, a policy officer within the Attorney-General’s Department and researcher at the Australian National University (ANU) Law School, Olivia’s career has revolved around public law and policy.
Olivia holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons I) & Arts from ANU and was a Senior Associate to the Hon Justice Mossop of the ACT Supreme Court.
In their role as a non-executive director of the Coolaroo Foundation, Olivia seeks evidence-based and effective ways to address inequality, foster sustainable communities and protect ecosystems.
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As a non-executive director of the trustee company for the Coolaroo Foundation and youngest daughter of our founder, Janie, I helped get the foundation up and running, particularly in the areas of administration, governance and reporting.
I am also involved in strategy formulation, focusing us to be an evidence-based organisation that leverages our networks, as well as our financial resources, to maximise impact in our focus areas.
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Regional and rural communities are the backbone of Australia. While these communities are prosperous in many ways, they also suffer from higher levels of insecurity and inequality. The Shoalhaven is one such community and is the home of the Coolaroo Foundation.
At the Coolaroo Foundation we aim to empower those in our communities that are disadvantaged, support conservation and foster sustainable business practices so our communities can nourish our people and planet for generations to come.
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... with my family.
Philanthropy, like business and government, has a critical role to play in bringing about social and environmental change.
My mother and the founder of the Coolaroo Foundation, Janie, has a long history of supporting causes that she believes in.
It was her passion that ultimately led to the establishment of the foundation.
I am delighted to contribute to this important work that my mother started.
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It is impossible to name one! Australia is too vast and magnificent.
If I had to narrow it down, my favourite places would be the lands, hills and farms upon which I have grown up - in particular, my mother and grandmother’s farm Coolaroo, after which the foundation is named. It is a magical place full of memories, life, love and opportunity.
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I adore sunshine, nature and activities that make me feel alive like surfing, bike-riding, bouldering and horse-riding.
On a quieter note, I am very fond of vegetable gardening with my wife and enjoy lazy afternoons with a great book and endless cups of tea.
Perhaps above all else, I love spending time with my family and friends and all our furry friends too.
Fiona David
Director
“Philanthropic resources must be used to maximum effect against the many social and environmental challenges we face.”
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Working at the forefront of research and law reform on modern slavery for more than two decades, Fiona has helped shape fairer laws and business practices globally. Fiona was part of drafting one of the UN’s earliest reports on human trafficking. Since that time, she has led major research projects on modern slavery globally, and is proud to have led the development of the Global Slavery Index from its first to its fourth edition. Today, the Global Slavery Index is a internationally recognised source of expertise, providing authoritative data on modern slavery in more than 160 countries.
As Chair of Research of Andrew and Nicola Forrest's Minderoo Foundation (2018-2022), Fiona advised and helped steward development of evidence-based solutions to some of the world’s most challenging problems facing people and the planet, from gender inequality to climate change.
Today, Fiona is the Alternate for Dr Nicola Forrest AO in her role as Governor of The Forrest Research Foundation and is a member of The Forrest Research Foundation's selection committees for PhD Scholars and Post-Doctoral Fellows.
A Chief Executive Women Scholar (Innovation), Fiona is a passionate advocate for equality, and an active member of the Chief Executive Women Connect Committee, working to support women in leadership.
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As the designated "Responsible Person" for the Coolaroo Foundation (a legislative term) and as a Director, I've been involved in helping to establish Coolaroo as a new Foundation, and in helping put the systems and processes in place to ensure we have good governance going forward.
Beyond these nuts and bolts, my focus is on achieving impact. How can scarce (in this case philanthropic) resources be leveraged for maximum social impact? With so much need in the world, it's vital that any philanthropic resources are used to maximum effect against the many social and environmental challenges we face. My background and experience relate to working out "what will have the most impact" on a particular issue or topic.
This is the lens to everything I do with the Coolaroo Foundation.
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The Coolaroo Foundation, its founders, and its board are all about making a contribution to social and environmental justice issues that I care deeply about - conservation, responsible stewardship of land and country, and the many challenges that flow from inequality and disadvantage, whether this is lack of equal access to education, safety or health care.
Geographically, Coolaroo operates in my extended backyard (I am also based in NSW), where I see and know firsthand the realities of disadvantage and inequality playing out on a daily basis. I find it incredibly rewarding to be able to have an outlet to try to make positive change on some of these issues.
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Janie and I share an interest in unlocking the value of private farming land to support re-introduction of endangered Australian species, like the bettong and quoll. So it was through these discussions, together with our long history and shared values, that led Janie to invite me join the board of Coolaroo Foundation.
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There are too many to list but one stand out is Bermagui, on the South Coast of NSW. Wallaga Lake is a beautiful place to camp, where you can see fish literally jumping out of the lake on the one hand, while listening to the rolling sea just over the hill at Camel Rock beach, and there is a vegetarian cafe on the main street.
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I'm an avid reader, a black-belt in napping in hammocks, a keen if perhaps glam-end camper (we have a fold out camper trailer), a regular gym goer, and a motorbike adventure rider.
We have two dogs who remind me everyday of what joy is all about.
John Morrison
Director
“With each grant we aim to make an impact and deliver meaningful change.”
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John Morrison is the Investment Strategist at the Coolaroo Foundation. John is CEO and Co-Founder of investment firm Swilken Capital and chairman of Portside Credit Partners, and formerly a Managing Director of investment banking and advisory firm Grant Samuel. John was an executive at ANZ McCaughan and a construction engineer with the Clough Group. He has acted as a non-executive director for several ASX listed companies, including acting as Chair for the HA Holdings Limited.
John is involved in several not-for-profit organisations, acting as the Deputy Chair of Rock Art Australia Limited and Trustee Director for the Noel and Carmel O'Brien Family Foundation. He also served as Chair at the Lauriston Foundation and is a member of the Investment committees at the Australian Ballet Company, Scope Australia, and the Royal Melbourne Tennis Club.
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I am a non-executive director of the trustee company for the Coolaroo Foundation.
I have been involved from its inception, helping to set up appropriate governance systems and formulate key policies for the foundation.
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The Coolaroo Foundation has a clear purpose.
It seeks to support organisations looking to empower people, communities and the local environment to help them overcome disadvantage and position them to not only survive but thrive in the future.
The foundation focuses on seven core areas and with each grant initiative aims to make an impact and deliver meaningful change to those affected.
Small changes can lead to significant differences and sustainable outcomes.
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I have worked in the investment banking industry and commercial sector for over 35 years.
I am currently CEO of Swilken Capital and Executive Chairman of Portside Credit Partners and have been a non-executive director member of a number of ASX listed companies.
I have also been involved with a number of philanthropic organisations, including Rock Art Australia Ltd (current board member and Chair); the Noel and Carmel O’Brien Family Foundation (current board member); the Lauriston Foundation (past board member and Chair); and The Australian Ballet Company (current member of audit, risk and investment committee).
The opportunity to help establish the Coolaroo Foundation and position it to deliver on its key objectives in the future was one of genuine interest for me.
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Australia has lots of great places!
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Outside of my various work roles, I enjoy spending my time relaxing with friends and family.
IMAGE | PAGE HEADER | The Coolaroo Foundation board with Odonata Staff at their Mt Rothwell reserve in Victoria, Australia. Left to right: Odonata staff member, Olivia Hicks (Director), Fiona David (Director), Odonata staff member, Janie Forrest (Chair), Odonata staff member, John Morrison (Director).