Mission

Menzies Foundation aspires to raise the profile and importance of ‘outstanding’ leadership by encouraging Australians to reflect on leadership, build their leadership capability and act for the ‘greater good’. 

Vision

The Foundation supports leadership platforms which facilitate the exploration, understanding, and codification of approaches to leadership.

Our efforts to examine various dimensions of leadership from diverse perspectives reinforce the Foundation’s commitment to identifying the essential leadership qualities and attributes required for effective leadership in both the Australian and global contexts.

This important work supports our leadership movement as we share these insights with the Australian and Global community; contributing to the leadership discourse.

Pivot to Purpose

The legacy of Sir Robert Menzies, Australia’s longest-serving Prime Minister, continues to inspire us today. Menzies’ leadership qualities included integrity, a clear sense of purpose, strong values, a deep respect for all Australians, and pride in our nation. Menzies dedicated his life to service for Australia. 

At the Menzies Foundation, we support leadership initiatives that address issues crucial to Australia’s future. Our work recognises the significance of purpose as a foundation for any leadership journey. Purpose and the elucidation of the values and principles that underpin it, provides direction, meaning, and a framework to identify goals and actions that anchor leaders and orient them toward the greater good.

 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.

Menzies Foundation Team

Liz Gillies

Chief Executive Officer

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Sarah Jenkins

Strategic Communications Manager

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Trudy Morrison

Operations Manager

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Natasha Eskinja

Digital Communications Coordinator

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Menzies Foundation Board

Peter Jopling AM KC

Naina Subberwal Batra

Kathryn Greiner AO

Harvey Kalman

Catherine Liddle

Rachael McLennan

Tony Surtees

Samuel Richards

Matt Tyler (LOA)

History

During its first 40 years, the Foundation awarded scholarships to support outstanding young Australians to pursue their interest in the law, engineering, medicine, allied health and more. Throughout this time the Foundation made several significant grants to support medical research.

The Foundation is proudly non-partisan and as such, our strategic platforms aspired to ensure that Sir Robert Menzies legacy as a leader continues to inform and influence the development of a contemporary understanding of outstanding leadership. This is inspired by the seminal role played by Menzies in Australia’s post war emergence as an independent nation. Like our namesake, the Menzies Foundation is dedicated to endorsing leadership initiatives that tackle pertinent issues relevant to Australia’s future.

Like all leaders, Sir Robert Menzies experienced success and failure, him many notable achievements were punctuated by moments of uncertainty and discouragement. One of the key attributes of great leaders is how they face adversity. Menzies used the setbacks and moments of introspection to leader, grow and ultimately become a leader who inspired the nation and was respected by all, irrespective of political persuasion.

Sir Robert Menzies embodied many of the leadership qualities that remain important today. Integrity, purpose, strong values a regard for all Australians and pride in our nation provided the strong core from which he devoted his life to service.

Please consider joining The Leadership Pledge to raise the profile and importance of outstanding leadership as we encourage Australians to reflect on leadership build their leadership capability and act for the greater good.

Menzies Foundation Annual Report

Download the full report to learn of the Foundation’s strategy and impact

View Annual Report

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

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

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

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

Charlotte Zelouf

Communications Assistant

Charlotte is nearing the completion of her Double Degree of Business and Design at Monash University, majoring in Marketing and Communications design. Charlotte has joined the team to assist with the advancement of the communications and marketing strategy, with a focus on social media and the implementation of the Menzies Viral Co-efficient Model. 

Charlotte offers expertise in the design field with her previous work being exhibited at the Melbourne Museum. She focuses on branding, digital content creation, and print based design which, in collaboration with her marketing knowledge, compliments her role at the Menzies Foundation. 

LinkedIn | charlotte.zelouf@menziesfoundation.org.au