The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR), the only national foundation specifically focused on ensuring the social and economic strength of rural and regional communities, has appointed Alison Maclaren as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Business Operations Manager.
What does Alison bring to her new role at FRRR?
Alison will be responsible for managing FRRR’s finances, working with the Finance and Audit Committee to manage it investment portfolio, and will also serve as the company secretary. Also, Alison will oversee the day to day running of the HR, IT and shared services functions.
Alison brings over 25 years’ experience in the not-for-profit, private and public sectors. Alison worked in the pharmaceutical and health sectors but has expertise across other sectors having worked in the audit divisions of Deloitte and KPMG in Melbourne and Canberra. Alison graduated from Deakin University with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting, Economics and Commercial Law (Awarded) and holds a Graduate Diploma in Accounting.
Also, Alison is a Chartered Accountant and Governance and Risk Specialist with the Chartered and Governance Institutes of Australia. When not working, Alison enjoys spending time with her family on their small acreage property in Central Victoria, competing at equestrian events, skiing and hiking in the high country, and generally being active and adventurous.
What does this mean for FRRR?
FRRR CEO, Natalie Egleton, said that FRRR is delighted to welcome Alison to the team. “Alison brings a breadth of experience and a skillset to the table that will be highly valuable to FRRR.”
“Her perspectives from having worked in big firms, in the public sector and for an NFP community health organisation, coupled with her past operations management experience, mean that she is well qualified to support us as we enter the next phase of our growth. We are thrilled to have her joining us – even in the short time that she’s already been with FRRR, it’s become clear that she will be a real asset to the team,” Ms Egleton further commented.
Alison said that when she learned about this role, she knew it was the right move for her both personally and professionally. “In my 20’s, I spent some time working in a refugee camp in Malaysia and the sense of purpose I gained from that has never left me,” she commented.
“I loved my corporate career but I felt drawn to doing something that contributed more to society – a role that had social value as well as economic value. When I saw that FRRR was searching for a CFO, I knew it would be the perfect move for me, especially as I live locally.”
“It’s growing and has a national remit, which means I still get to experience a lot of the challenges that I enjoyed facing in my corporate career but I also have the satisfaction of contributing to some really important work. I’m excited to be joining such a dedicated team and am thrilled to be helping the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal to work towards their vision of a vibrant, resilient and revitalised remote, rural and regional Australia,” she said.
