In July 2021, we farewell our Chief Executive Officer, Meredith Scott, and thank her for her immense contribution to Opportunity International Australia and families living in poverty over the past three years.

Meredith Scott - a woman for others

Meredith joined Opportunity in March 2018 after a long-standing career at EY. Described by staff as ‘a woman of grit, anchored in grace’ she used her decades of experience in accounting and auditing to bring new levels of accountability and governance across our organisation and to all our partners overseas.

Meredith has visited our programs in the field many times and has enjoyed working with our partners to relentlessly be a voice for the women and families we serve and an advocate for equality especially in education for girls. She is as comfortable in the boardrooms of our implementation partners as she is sitting on the dirt floor of a client’s house discussing their hopes and aspirations (and frustrations) for their children.

Her steadfast leadership before and during the unprecedented times of the pandemic, her faith, care and compassion has also extended to the staff and their families here in Australia. She is a CEO who knows and cares about the details of her team members’ lives and offers thoughtful words of affirmation and encouragement when they are needed most. She writes hand-written ‘thank you’ and ‘get better soon’ cards, places chocolates on staff members’ desks for many occasions, bakes ANZAC cookies, and gives gifts to staff member’s kids and dogs at Christmas. It’s been obvious that this job was more than a role, it was a calling.

Meredith is a woman of enormous capacity and accomplished in three years what others might attempt over a decade. We are grateful for a leader who has steered the ship with integrity, wisdom and generosity of heart and spirit in all she does.

We wish her and her family well in their adventures ahead.