MEDIA RELEASE
Monday 20 May 2019
AUSTRALIAN PRO BONO CENTRE APPOINTS NEW CEO
The Australian Pro Bono Centre (Centre) is pleased to announce the appointment of Gabriela Christian-Hare as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Gabriela Christian-Hare practised law for over a decade with Clayton Utz in Sydney, Linklaters in London and Tokyo and as in-house counsel for leading investment bank, Nomura International, in London. She gained not-for-profit sector leadership and on-the-ground policy development experience as Special Advisor to Head of Mission of The Right Honourable Mr Tony Blair’s Office of the Quartet Representative in Jerusalem and with UNHCR in Damascus. Gabriela holds a Master’s degree in International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford.
Gabriela has worked as Head of Policy and Strategy for the Centre since 2017. She will start her role as CEO in May 2019.
“The Board is delighted to announce the appointment of Gabriela as CEO. Following a comprehensive search process, Gabriela was chosen by the Board out of a group of exceptionally strong candidates”, said Phillip Cornwell, Chair of the Centre’s Board of Directors. “Her knowledge of the sector and proven track record of delivering results with the Centre and throughout her career, combined with her leadership ability, dedication to social justice and strong vision for the next stage of the Centre’s evolution confirmed her as our choice.”
“I am proud and excited to assume this new role”, said Gabriela. “Australian lawyers record the highest number of pro bono hours in the world after the United States. They provide access to justice to a wide range of clients including refugees and asylum seekers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and those experiencing homelessness. As the new CEO of Australia’s peak pro bono body I look forward to working with our dedicated team and the legal profession to stimulate pro bono growth and impact, provide leadership in the sector, and build on the legacy of our former CEO, John Corker.”
The Centre is an independent centre of expertise funded by the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments and kindly hosted by the Faculty of Law at UNSW to grow the capacity of the Australian legal profession to provide pro bono legal services. Those services are focused on increasing access to justice for socially disadvantaged and marginalised persons, and furthering the public interest. Please visit the Centre’s website for further information: www.probonocentre.org.au.
The Centre acknowledges and thanks the outstanding support provided on a pro bono basis for this recruitment process by Warwick Bowd of executive search firm Derwent.
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