Katie McLeish

Katie McLeish has a diverse and extensive work experience in the field of fundraising and partnerships. Most recently, they served as the Chief Operating Officer at Welcome to Country since May 2022. Previously, they held the position of Partnerships and Fundraising Senior Adviser at Welcome to Country from June 2021 to April 2022.

Before that, Katie worked as a Fundraising & Partnerships Consultant at auDA - .au Domain Administration Ltd. starting in June 2021.

Katie also worked at the Australian Council for Educational Research as the Director, Philanthropy & Partnerships from March 2022 to February 2023. Their role involved leveraging partnerships and fundraising to support the organization's work in the field of education.

Katie's work experience also includes a role at the Country Fire Authority (CFA) as a Fundraising Consultant & Interim Executive Director from January 2020 to June 2021. In this position, they managed and administered a significant amount of donations and served as the Executive Director for the CFA & Brigades Donations Trust.

Additionally, Katie worked at the Grattan Institute as a Fundraising Consultant from October 2020 to April 2021.

Prior to that, they had a significant role at Social Ventures Australia, where they served as the Executive Director, Partnerships from January 2019 to November 2019 and as the Director, Partnerships from October 2017 to December 2018. In these roles, they were responsible for strategic direction, day-to-day management, and operations of the organization, specifically focusing on fundraising and donor partnerships.

Katie also has experience working at The Royal Children's Hospital Foundation Melbourne as an Interim Executive in the role of Director, Fundraising from September 2017 to December 2017. During their tenure, they implemented changes and managed the fundraising programs for the organization.

Furthermore, Katie worked as a Fundraising Consultant at the University of Melbourne, where they conducted projects for the Faculty of the Victorian College of the Arts and the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. Their work involved developing and delivering advancement and partnerships strategies.

In their earlier career, Katie held leadership positions at Melbourne Festival, including the role of Chief Executive Officer from November 2012 to December 2015. Under their leadership, the organization made significant progress in various areas including strategy, governance, financial management, and stakeholder engagement. Katie also served as the Deputy Executive Director and Head of Development & Planning from September 2011 to November 2012 at Melbourne Festival.

Additionally, Katie has significant experience working at New York City Center, where they served as the Vice President of Development from an unspecified start date to 2011. In this role, they led the fundraising department and played a key role in the restoration of the MainStage theatre and building education and program endowments.

Katie McLeish completed their Bachelor of Arts (B.A. Hons) degree at the University of Melbourne from 1987 to 1990. Afterward, they pursued a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Relations at RMIT University. It is unclear when Katie attended Ormond College, the University of Melbourne, as well as International House in New York City, as the start and end years for these institutions are not provided.