VA’s Former Chief Takes on Variety

The former boss of Volunteering Australia Cary Pedicini has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of the children’s charity, Variety, in Victoria.

Pedicini was out of a job when the country’s peak volunteering body, Volunteering Australia, closed the doors of its Melbourne headquarters at the end of June 2012, with all the staff including Pedicini, being made redundant.

The closure was part of a major structuring of Volunteering Australia by its Board and the re-establishment of its operations in Canberra with a new and smaller team.

Variety says Pedicini brings extensive experience to the new role gained predominantly in leadership roles in Not for Profits, Associations and Government enterprises to the new role.

He is a member of several ministerial advisory groups and working parties which successfully advocated for and contributed to the development of the Australian Government’s National Volunteering Strategy and the harmonisation of legislation to protect volunteers in the workplace.

Prior to Volunteering Australia, Pedicini led the growth strategy of Mission Australia in Victoria.

Variety says Pedicini brings a ‘new pair of eyes’ to the organisation with his specialist expertise in identifying Not for Profit growth and innovation opportunities through organisational reform, service development, expansion and acquisition.

His Ministerial appointments have included the National Volunteering Strategy Advisory Group, and the Not-for-Profit Reform Council, Volunteer Workplace Health and Safety Working Group.

The children’s charity has not had a CEO since the departure of Victorian CEO, Norm Hutton at the end of 2011 with a general manager taking on the acting role.