We believe leadership is not
confined to titles or institutions

Leadership is not a title or position. It is a collective endeavour, lived in communities, schools, organisations, and movements.
Each initiative is a partnership — co-designed with communities, experts, and funders to test, learn and scale what works.

Incubate

We support real-world initiatives that build leadership capability in practice. Across Emerging, School, Indigenous and Citizen Leadership, we work alongside communities, educators and partners to test new approaches to leadership in complex environments.

Leadership begins in communities.

Citizen leaders are the backbone of resilient societies. They foster agency, strengthen trust, and create the conditions for communities to thrive.

Citizen Leadership

Strong schools need strong leadership.

Teachers are the heart of education, but it is collective leadership that unlocks lasting improvement in student outcomes.

School Leadership

Economic empowerment is leadership in action.


Indigenous women are building enterprises that weave cultural knowledge, community strength, and economic independence.

Indigenous Leadership

The future belongs to those who can lead in complexity

The next generation faces unprecedented challenges. They will need to be collaborative, adaptive, and systemic in their leadership.

Emerging Leadership

The Engine

Leadership capability is not built through isolated programs. It develops through a connected system — where ideas are tested in practice, shaped through insight, and amplified to influence how leadership is understood and enacted. At the Menzies Leadership Foundation, this is how we work.

Insights

We generate and refine understanding of what leadership requires in complexity — connecting research, lived experience and application. Through the Complexity Leadership Lab, in partnership with the Australian National University, we translate practice into insight.

Building the Evidence Base for Leadership in Complexity

Outstanding leadership today requires clarity of purpose, shared values, and the capacity to act collectively. But how do we measure and cultivate it at scale?

Navigating 21st-century complexity with the ANU Complexity Leadership Lab
Civic Health In Australia with the Australian Leadership Index
New challenges, new leaders with the Economist Impact

Influence

We convene leaders, share perspectives and shape the national conversation — extending the reach and impact of leadership practice. Through the Menzies Leadership Forum, we bring ideas into the public domain.

Changing the Narrative on Leadership

Leadership today must be collaborative, adaptive, distributed, and grounded in values. The stories we tell shape the leadership culture we create.​

The Menzies Oration - An annual keynote event exploring leadership in the context of contemporary challenges.

The Intersection of Leadership and Truth with Kim Williams AM

Podcasts & Media - Curated series with experts and practitioners sharing real-world leadership insights.

Menzies Leadership Forum

How It Works

Our approach recognises that: leadership must be distributed, not centralised; collaboration is essential to progress; and lasting change happens through systems.

We create impact through: initiatives and programs; partnerships and collaboration; convenings and platforms; research and insight generation; and storytelling and influence. Together, these form a leadership ecosystem — enabling ideas to move from practice to insight to global impact.

Leadership is not built in one place. It is built across a system.

Stories of Leadership

Purpose is crucial for developing the essential attributes of leadership, including resilience, empathy, adaptability and provides the foundation from which to navigate the challenges of an increasingly complex, global, tribal, and digital world.

Join the Movement

Natasha Eskinja

Digital Communications Coordinator

Natasha is driven by a profound passion for both creativity and analytics, a synergy that fosters authentic storytelling in the digital realm with both innovation and integrity. 

Throughout her career, she has consistently integrated the overarching marketing and communications narrative with the emotional connections of audiences. She is currently pursuing a Certificate in Society and the Individual from Flinders University, furthering her exploration of human behaviour and the critical importance of connectedness between organisations, individuals, and communities.

LinkedIn | natasha.eskinja@menziesfoundation.org.au

Sarah Jenkins

Strategic Communications Manager

Sarah has more than 18 years’ experience in communications and marketing leadership across a range of sectors.

Communications strategy and organisational growth is a continuing theme in Sarah’s career. Most recently, she leads the development of a Leadership Movement, evaluated by Menzies Viral Co-efficient Model; a contribution to the NFP. 

Sarah’s early career centred around best practice in marketing and communications which later culminated into the establishment of her very own agency. This work extensively spanned across PR, traditional media, event management, strategy, digital marketing, graphic design and business development consultancy. 

In 2019, Sarah joined the lean and robust team at the Menzies Foundation. She has since crafted the Foundation’s narrative and communication strategy. The development of this strategic communications platform is essential for ‘movement building’ and requires a strong strategic, management and communication skills set. Sarah has brought so much to this important work, which sits at the forefront of communication practice. 

Sarah continues to contribute to the NFP sector through her commitment to Purpose; as she reflects on her own leadership, builds her own leadership capability and contributes to the greater good. 

LinkedIn | sarah.jenkins@menziesfoundation.org.au | 0401 880 071

Rohan Martyres

Director, Strategy and Partnerships

Rohan has 15 years’ experience in facilitating cross-sector collaborations to address complex social and health challenges.  He has worked with the World Economic Forum in Australia, led an international conflict resolution field team in Nepal, and directed a 10-year £40m initiative to reduce health inequity in London.

Most recently, Rohan was Major Grants Development Manager at the Ian Potter Foundation.  He refined the foundation’s major grants strategy, and co-developed a series of large scale initiatives, including joint philanthropic-government funding for a new national organization to support place-based approaches across Australia.

Rohan has held several non-executive roles, including with an international NGO and with London Funders, the peak body of independent foundations in London.  He holds several qualifications including a graduate degree in innovation and strategy from the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.

When Rohan isn’t exploring Melbourne’s creeks with his partner and 6yo daughter, he’s working on his currently weak Australian accent (after 15 years in the UK).

LinkedIn | rohan.martyres@menziesfoundation.org.au | 0404 505 954

Trudy Morrison

Operations Manager

A marketing and communications specialist with over 20 years experience in government, corporate and consumer marketing, Trudy brings her adaptive and organisational project management skills to the Menzies Foundation team. 

With a BA degree in Public Relations, Trudy began her career with the City of Melbourne and in magazine publishing, before moving into marketing communications consulting. She has worked in strategic marketing leadership roles with retail brands and enjoys juggling many projects and tasks simultaneously. Her skills were further enhanced when managing her own communications business representing industries across private education, financial services, aviation, government and the health industry. 

Trudy is passionate about leadership and all people being encouraged to reach their full potential through research and educational initiatives and opportunities throughout Australia. A skilled and accomplished writer and editor Trudy is enthusiastic about bringing her variety of skills to the Menzies Foundation team. 

LinkedIn | trudy.morrison@menziesfoundation.org.au | 0402 361 878

Liz Gillies

Chief Executive Officer

Liz Gillies has had over 25 years experience in a range of fields focused on initiatives for social impact. She has held roles in multiple sectors and academia.

In 2018, Liz was appointed CEO of the Menzies Foundation which aspires to build a leadership movement that supports Australians to pivot to purpose, build their leadership capability and contribute to the ‘greater good’.

Liz joined the Melbourne Business School in 2009 and was instrumental in establishing the Asia Pacific Social Impact Centre (APSIC) and The Centre for Ethical Leadership. In November 2011 she was appointed as research fellow to lead a partnership focused on strategic philanthropy which culminated in the release of the reports: Philanthropy: Towards a Better Practice Model (2018) and the Philanthropy: The Continued Journey to Real Impact and better Practice (2021).

Liz has extensive governance experience, having served on the Board of the Publish Galleries Association of Victoria, Social Firms Australia, Uniting Care Community Options, United Way Australia and the Development Committee of the Towards a Just Society Foundation. She is currently on the Philanthropy Reference Group of Barmal Bijiril and a Director of Philanthropy Australia.

LinkedIn | liz.gillies@menziesfoundation.org.au | 0416 112 703

Natasha Eskinja

Digital Communications Coordinator

Natasha is driven by a profound passion for both creativity and analytics, a synergy that fosters authentic storytelling in the digital realm with both innovation and integrity. 

Throughout her career, she has consistently integrated the overarching marketing and communications narrative with the emotional connections of audiences. She is currently pursuing a Certificate in Society and the Individual from Flinders University, furthering her exploration of human behaviour and the critical importance of connectedness between organisations, individuals, and communities.

natasha.eskinja@menziesfoundation.org.au