- Aboriginal heritage
- Affordable housing
- Asylum seekers and refugees
- Child rights and child protection
- Community health
- Community legal
- Corporate accountability, responsible supply chains
- Diversity, equity and inclusion
- Environmental resilience
- Family and gender-based violence
- Gender equity
- Insurance
- International development and humanitarian aid
- LGBTIQA+ inclusive practice
- Maternal and child health
- Mental health
- Modern slavery
- Natural resource land management
- Performing arts
- Sexual and reproductive health
- Sustainability and ethical consumerism
- Sporting associations
- Women’s and gender diverse health
- Youth justice
About us
Who we are
We are a collaborative consultancy. We bring together customised teams with the specialist skills needed for each project. This ensures you'll always work with the right person for the job.
Red Dearnley (they/them)
Managing Director (Principal Consultant)
Red is a social change strategist and governance adviser. They are an experienced executive and non-executive director, specialising in not-for-profit leadership, strategy and governance.
With an activist’s heart and governance nerd’s head, Red is passionate about driving systemic change and understanding how change happens. Red is committed to embedding these approaches and the principles of intersectional feminist leadership throughout their work.
Red has previously held senior leadership, advocacy and communications roles in INGOs, non-profits and business associations across the UK, Australia and southern Africa. Their 20+ year career has spanned a wide range of sectors, but is known for their expertise in intersectional practice, diversity and inclusion; women's health and community health; social support; modern slavery; LGBTIQA+ rights and gender equity.
Red is currently CEO of Birth for Humankind (part-time). They are Deputy Chair of WIRE; Non-Executive Director of Maryborough District Health Service, and a trustee of the Influence Global Impact Fund.
Red is a graduate of the Australia Institute of Company Directors, and a member of the Institute of Community Directors Australia and GLOBE Victoria.
Mel Sherrin (she/her)
Senior Consultant
Mel is an experienced governance professional, general counsel and senior executive, who brings extensive experience as a trusted advisor to boards and CEOs.
She has strong expertise in driving organisational change, leading and embedding governance reform and providing strategic legal and risk advice.
Her key strengths are relationship building, strategic issues management, problem solving and in delivering fast outcomes.
Before commencing her consulting career Mel was General Counsel and Company Secretary at NEAMI (2017-2022), a national mental health service provider.
Mel is currently the National Risk and Assurance Manager for Kildare Ministries (part-time), Director and Company Secretary for both Red Stitch Actors Theatre and VMIAC (Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council), and is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia.
Mel lives and works in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia.
Our associates include:
Sectors we work in
Our knowledge of not-for-profit governance, strategy and communications can be applied in any sector. However we are called on for our technical knowledge and experience working in: