Leading Impact

Leader - Director - Influencer

Impact Strategist is led by Rosemary Addis AM, who has a storied track record for leadership and influence, bringing the value of her extensive global expertise and networks and unique blend of commercial acumen, policy insight and impact strategies to the boardroom, government and multi-lateral decision-making forums and into the public arena.

Photo United Nations/Cia Pak  

About

Impact Strategist is a leading voice for impact and purpose in the boardroom, government and multi-lateral decision-making forums and in the public arena.

The firm grounds Rosemary Addis AM’s international portfolio of Board and advisory roles bringing impact to where decisions are being made.

As one of the world’s preeminent impact pioneers, Rosemary has helped to shape the system to deliver innovation and investment that benefits people and the planet.  Rosemary brings to the table storied leadership and the value of her extensive global expertise and networks and track record for commercial acumen, policy insight and impact strategies.

Rosemary is Founding Managing Partner of Mondiale Impact currently hosted by Impact Strategist. Her current portfolio also includes Chair of Climate Ready Australia 2030 and the Sweef Capital Board of Advisors, Ambassador for the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment, Member of a World Bank Steering Group for Innovative Finance and Non-Executive Director Indigenous Business Australia.

Rosemary has advised SDG Impact at the United Nations Development Programme, the OECD Social Impact Investing Initiative, the World Economic Forum Ideas to Practice, private markets clients from major banks to institutional investors, governments internationally and collaborated with Oxford University and Harvard Kennedy School.

Rosemary’s thought leadership is published widely and her work is the subject of numerous international case studies informing the work of a generation of leaders. She was ranked among Australia’s 100 Women of Influence by the Australian Financial Review for achievements in innovation (2015) and among the top thought leaders in finance as finalist for Women in Finance Thought leader of the Year (2017) and was made a Member of the Order of Australia for significant contributions to social innovation and investment and to the law (2020).

Rosemary’s 30+ years track record spans sectors, disciplines and geographies from a global legal career with Allens-Linklaters and Kirkland & Ellis NY, where she ranked among the world’s leading lawyers, to the first Social Innovation Strategist for the Australian Government and member of the Social Impact Investment Taskforce established under the UK Presidency of the G8. She founded and served as Executive Chair of the Australian Advisory Board on Impact Investing (2014 – 2019) and of Impact Investing Australia, recognised as Australian Market Builder of the Year 2018 & 2020 (2014 – 2020) and retains an Ambassadorial role as Founding Chair.

Rosemary’s qualifications include a law degree (First Class Honours), the New York Bar, Graduate membership of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (2002) and an international accreditation as a broker of cross-sector partnerships (2005).

Roles & Recognition

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  • 1999

    Equity Partner Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks (now Allens Linklaters)

    Equity Partner Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks (now Allens Linklaters)

    1999

    In 1999 Rosemary was invited to become an equity partner of what was then Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks, Australia’s leading professional services firm.  From 2000 – 2002 she was ranked by Chamber’s Global among the world’s leading lawyers

  • 2002

    Australian Institute of Company Directors

    Australian Institute of Company Directors

    2002

    In 2002 Rosemary was among the first cohorts to undertake the Australian Institute of Company Directors Course and she has nearly 2 decades of experience as a Director and Chair

  • 2008

    Victorian Government, Premier’s Department leading National Reform

    Victorian Government, Premier’s Department leading National Reform

    2008

    Recruited to Victorian Premier’s Department to lead ambitious productivity oriented suite of national reforms in social and economic policy and federal financial relations across Australian jurisdictions, including leading on engagement through the Council of Australian Governments agenda.

  • 2010

    Australian Gov Social Innovation Strategist

    Australian Gov Social Innovation Strategist

    2010

    Invited to join Australian Government Senior Executive Service as the first Social Innovation Strategist to drive initiatives in social innovation, enterprise and investment across a Government agenda of productivity and inclusion. Oversaw ground-breaking initiatives translating economic policy tools to social policy.

  • 2010

    NSW Government Social Impact Expert Advisory Group

    NSW Government Social Impact Expert Advisory Group

    2010

    Appointed to NSW Government Social Investment Expert Advisory Group chaired by Professor Peter Shergold AC, to advise NSW Treasury and the cross-departmental steering group on social investment policy. Informed whole of government strategy 2015 including establishment of the Office of Social Impact Investment.

  • 2013

    G8 Social Impact Investment Taskforce

    G8 Social Impact Investment Taskforce

    2013

    Invited to join the Social Impact Investment Taskforce established by then UK Prime Minister David Cameron during his presidency of the G8 and Chaired by Sir Ronald Cohen. Australia was the only country outside the G7 invited to participate and Rosemary led a sector based effort to enable Australia to take up this leadership position at the forefront of impact investment.

  • 2013

    Australian Advisory Board on Impact Investing

    Australian Advisory Board on Impact Investing

    2013

    At the first meeting of the G8 Social Impact Investment Taskforce at the White House conference centre in late 2013, participating countries agreed to establish sector led national advisory boards to inform the global effort and lead an action-oriented agenda in their own countries. Rosemary founded the Australian Advisory Board on Impact Investing, which she chaired until July 2019; she remains an Ambassador.

  • 2014

    Impact Investing Australia

    Impact Investing Australia

    2014

    To ensure that the market-building work of the G8 Taskforce and Australian Advisory Board on Impact Investing could be delivered as a public good in Australia, Impact Investing Australia was established to provide the operating platform and drive strategy and implementation.

  • 2014

    Expert Review Committee World Economic Forum

    Expert Review Committee World Economic Forum

    2014

    Rosemary was invited to be join a three member expert review committee for the World Economic Forum Margins to the Mainstream initiative From Ideas to Practice, Pilots to strategy

  • 2014

    Expert Reviewer, OECD Impact Investing: Building the Evidence Base

    Expert Reviewer, OECD Impact Investing: Building the Evidence Base

    2014

    Rosemary was a member of the expert group informing and was asked to review OECD research for its second impact investment initiative, Impact Investing: Building the Evidence Base, published January 2015

  • 2015

    Global Steering Group for Impact Investment

    Global Steering Group for Impact Investment

    2015

    Founding Executive Board member of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment, which took the baton for catalysing and scaling global markets for impact from the G8 Taskforce in August 2015

  • 2015

    Australian Financial Review Women of Influence

    Australian Financial Review Women of Influence

    2015

    Acknowledged as one of Australia’s 100 Women of Influence for contributions to innovation in the Australian Financial Review Women of Influence

  • 2016

    Impact Capital Australia

    Impact Capital Australia

    2016

    Founding Chair of company to lead implementation of game-changing wholesale impact institution.  Fellow Directors are Sally McCutchan, CEO of Impact Investing Australia, and Simon Longstaff AO, CEO of The Ethics Centre. Ambassadors for ICA include: Carol Schwartz AO, Carolyn Hewson AO, Greg Hutchinson AM, Jillian Segal AO, The Hon. John Brumby AO, Peter Hunt AM, Prof Peter Shergold AC, Simon McKeon AO and Rob McLean AM.

  • 2017

    Women in Super Annual Roadshow

    Women in Super Annual Roadshow

    2017

    Invited to keynote for the Women in Super Annual Roadshow which toured all Australian capital cities, joining an alumni of keynote speakers for this flagship event in the finance calendar, including Liz Broderick AO and Rosie Batty AO

  • 2017

    Finalist Women in Finance Thought Leader of the Year

    Finalist Women in Finance Thought Leader of the Year

    2017

    Rosemary was a finalist for Thought leader of the Year In the inaugural Women in Finance Awards in recognition of her contribution to finance through pioneering thinking in impact investment.

  • 2018

    GSG Trustee

    GSG Trustee

    2018

    Rosemary was elected by member national advisory boards across 18 member countries and the EU as a Trustee of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment chaired by Sir Ronald Cohen with a growing membership of 23 countries and the EU.  In 2019 she was asked to Chair a Board Committee on National Advisory Boards and Governance.

  • 2018

    Expert Reviewer, OECD The Impact Imperative

    Expert Reviewer, OECD The Impact Imperative

    2018

    Rosemary was a member of the expert group informing and was asked to review OECD research for its second impact investment initiative, The Impact Imperative, published January 2019

  • 2018

    Impact Investing Australia Market Builder of the Year

    Impact Investing Australia Market Builder of the Year

    2018

    Impact Investing Australia, founded by Rosemary Addis was named Australian Impact Investing Market Builder of the Year at the inaugural Australian Impact Investing Awards for its work developing impact markets in and from Australia.

  • 2019

    SDG Impact

    SDG Impact

    2019

    Rosemary was invited to become a Senior Adviser to the SDG Impact team at the United Nations Development Programme to anchor engagement of its Steering Group, facilitate development and consultation on SDG Impact Practice Standards and provide a sounding board to the team leadership.

  • 2019

    Leap of Reason Ambassador

    Leap of Reason Ambassador

    2019

    Rosemary was invited to join the global community of Leap of Reason Ambassadors: thought leaders, leader practitioners, progressive funders, policy makers, and instigators working to make high performance the norm to enable meaningful progress in addressing society’s most challenging problems.

    leapambassadors.org

  • 2020

    Member Order of Australia

    Member Order of Australia

    2020

    Rosemary was awarded membership of the Order of Australia on Australia Day 2020 for significant services to social innovation, impact investment and the law

  • 2020

    Sustainable Finance Initiative Asia Advisory Panel

    Sustainable Finance Initiative Asia Advisory Panel

    2020

    Rosemary was invited to join the Advisory Panel of the Sustainable Finance Initiative Asia, a community of investors across Asia who believe in capital that matters

    sustainablefinance.hk

  • 2020

    Non-Executive Director Indigenous Business Australia

    Non-Executive Director Indigenous Business Australia

    2020

    In September 2020 Rosemary Addis AM was invited by the then Minister for Indigenous Affairs to take up an appointment to the Board of Indigenous Business Australia.

  • 2020

    Ambassador, Global Steering Group for Impact Investment

    Ambassador, Global Steering Group for Impact Investment

    2020

    After finishing her term as an elected Trustee of the GSG, Rosemary was appointed by the GSG Board as Global Ambassador with a focus on impact governance – brining impact to the tables where decisions are made

  • 2020

    Chair, Advisory Board, Climate Ready Initiative

    Chair, Advisory Board, Climate Ready Initiative

    2020

    Invited by Griffith University to Chair an Advisory Board for the Climate Ready Initiative, a partnership-based social impact initiative focused on preparing society for its transition toward a net-zero emissions and climate-resilient future.

  • 2021

    Chair Sweef Capital Board of Advisors

    Chair Sweef Capital Board of Advisors

    2021

    Having been actively engaged in the spin out of Sweef Capital Management Pte Ltd, a women led investment firm based in Singapore, Rosemary took up the role of Chair of the Board of Advisors and actively guides the firm’s strategy and  partnerships.  She is also a member of the Investment Committee and Chairs the Sweef Capital Gender ROI™ Steering Committee

  • 2022

    Enterprise Professor University of Melbourne

    Enterprise Professor University of Melbourne

    2022

    Rosemary Addis AM was appointed as Enterprise Professor in Impact, Sustainability & Innovation in the Faculty of Business & Economics at the University of Melbourne

  • 2022

    Sorenson Global Impact Leader

    Sorenson Global Impact Leader

    2022

    Rosemary Addis AM was invited to join the inaugural group of Global Impact Leaders of the Sorenson Impact Center, a diverse and inclusive network of impact practitioners and thought leaders working toward positive social and environmental impact around the world, formed to recognize, elevate and amplify the contributions of those working to solve the world’s most pressing social and environmental problems.