When the international development sector faces increasing global pressures, the right leadership can make all the difference. Caritas Australia engaged People for Purpose to help identify a CEO who could navigate a complex operating environment while upholding the organisation’s faith-based mission of confronting the challenges of poverty.
Appointing the right leader
Our work led to the appointment of Kirsten Sayers, whose career spans international law, diplomacy, humanitarian action, and governance. Previously, Kirsten led RedR Australia, where she partnered with United Nations agencies and sovereign governments to deliver and advance global emergency response capabilities. She has also held senior diplomatic appointments in Paris, Bangkok, Taipei, Singapore and ASEAN, and served as Australia’s inaugural Investment Commissioner to ASEAN.
Looking beyond assumptions
The appointment demonstrated the value of looking beyond initial assumptions. While Caritas sought a leader from within their faith tradition, the process helped clarify which qualities were non-negotiable beyond that, and which were simply desirable. With our experience of working alongside hundreds of organisations, we are skilled at identifying these distinctions and seeing where gaps in leadership teams truly lie.
Prioritising capability and experience
For Caritas, faith remains deeply important, and what mattered most in this moment was securing the strongest leader from a faith background to advance their mission. By prioritising capability and experience, they gained a leader with the resilience, diplomacy and global perspective needed to navigate complexity and drive lasting impact.
The People for Purpose difference
Kirsten was first appointed as a non-executive director through our process, after which the board placed her as interim CEO. Earlier this year we supported Caritas Australia in the placement of Kirsten as the substantive CEO of Caritas Australia. This progression highlights the importance of matching capability and purpose, ensuring boards make appointments that serve both immediate needs and long-term vision. At People for Purpose, our role is not simply to give organisations what they want, but to help them find what they truly need.
If your board is reflecting on its leadership needs, explore our resource on five things every for-purpose non-executive director must get right
