CEO of United Way Australia Quits

The CEO of community development Not for Profit organisation United Way Australia, Doug Taylor, has resigned.

Chairman of United Way Australia, Brian Long, said in a statement that Taylor would be missed and credited him for “reshaping” the organisation.

“At this week’s board meeting I announced that, sadly, Doug Taylor will be leaving his role as Executive Director and CEO of United Way Australia,” Long said.

“We have been most fortunate to have Doug as our CEO; he has been largely responsible for reshaping United Way in Australia, building a highly talented and committed team and putting us on the threshold of great success in our focus areas of Education and Community Impact.”

Taylor began as CEO of United Way Sydney in 2007, becoming the inaugural national CEO in 2010.

Long said Taylor had instigated a number of strategic changes for United Way locally and internationally, including bringing to life the new United Way Australia, delivering its Community Impact Strategy READLEARNSUCCEED and working with United Way Worldwide colleagues on the development of their Global and Asia Pacific strategies.

Long said that some of Taylor’s achievements as CEO included:

• The 90 Homes for 90 Lives Campaign which resulted in 105 long term homeless people from Woolloomooloo being provided with permanent housing and support through Platform 70.

• Leading the implementation or our commitment to child literacy which, through the Imagination Library, has supported over 4,000 children and raised over $1.2m in support to date.

• The early stage development of a Collective Impact initiative in Mt Druitt with the Ten20 Foundation, the NSW Family and Community Services and a number of Corporate Partners.

• New forms of impact aligned Corporate Partnerships including the Macquarie Park Partnership.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Doug for his leadership and commitment,” Long said.

“On a personal note, as Chairman, I have found Doug to be a pleasure to work with. We could not have asked for a more competent person to lead us through the challenges of recent years to our current healthy position.

“While disappointing for United Way, Doug goes with our very best wishes to his new role as Director of Strategic Engagement at Uniting Care NSW & ACT, one of the largest NGOs in NSW and part of the largest Community Services network in Australia.”

“Doug’s last day will be the 30th of January 2015. Anne Myers, current member of the United Way Sydney Council and former COO of INGDIRECT will act as interim CEO until the board appoints a replacement.

“Doug’s successor will have big shoes to fill, but I am confident we will find another great leader to take us to the next level.”