Leadership

Medha Wilson

Group Chief Executive Officer

Medha Wilson is the Chief Executive Officer at MicroLoan Foundation. In her current role she oversees the activities of MicroLoan’s operations in Africa and is responsible for developing the overall strategy of the Group. She serves on the board of the three MicroLoan subsidiaries in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Medha has extensive experience in financial inclusion in both senior operational and investment management roles in emerging and frontier markets, across Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Her expertise also includes establishing and scaling-up of greenfield operations, turnaround of struggling entities and governance. She also has considerable experience in engaging with a broad range of social and impact investors.

Medha is a Qualified Chartered Accountant and holds a degree in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics from The London School of Economics.

Brian Keen

Founder and Chair, MicroLoan Foundation Australia

I lived in Malawi, Central Africa for many years and it was here I established my first businesses.

When we left I wanted to do something to help the people I got to know and love. So in 2008, when I came across MicroLoan Foundation, an organisation providing business services to the poor in sub-Saharan Africa, I was hooked and decided to found the Australian sector.

We opened MicroLoan Foundation Australia’s first branch office in Mulanje, southern Malawi in May 2009 and have been privileged to steadily grow our loyal supporter base ever since.

Malin Rosenkvist

MicroLoan Foundation Australia Board Member and Group Director of Fundraising & Communications

Malin is Director of Fundraising & Communications at MicroLoan, responsible for managing relationships with high-value individual donors, ensuring that they have full insight into the impact of their philanthropic giving.

She brings ten years of experience in business development and fundraising in the international development sector to this role. Prior to joining MicroLoan, Malin worked with numerous charities focusing on education and poverty alleviation in sub-Saharan Africa. Her expertise is major gifts, and she has a track record of setting up successful major donor programmes and developing impactful corporate partnerships.

In this role Malin also develops tailor-made partnerships, events and employee engagement opportunities for corporate funders to maximise the mutual benefits.

Malin has a degree in International Politics and Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and has lived, worked and travelled extensively in sub-Saharan Africa.

Clive Hughes

CEO & Development Director

Clive is a Chartered Accountant who has been the Finance Director of a number of private and publicly listed companies over the last two decades, and, until recently, was the CFO of a property investment company based in Sydney. He is married with two young children and lives in Freshwater Sydney.

Before emigrating from Wales in 1984, Clive travelled extensively, and he particularly enjoyed his time in south east Africa where he felt that the people had a positive and balanced attitude to life. He has been drawn to the concept of micro finance as a way to give people the tools they need to create the life they want, rather than create the life we believe they should have.

Clive travelled to Malawi in June 2009, and was hugely impressed by what Microloan Foundation was achieving in the country, both with respect to benefits to our clients and the efficient manner in which the local operation was being run. Further details of his visit can be found on our Home page in the article “Our first office is open!”

Clive is our CEO and Development Director, and has been responsible for much of our initial set up, and a good deal of our fundraising in New South Wales.

Chris McArdle

Director

Chris McArdle is the Principal of McArdle Legal, a Sydney law firm specialising in Employment, Contracting, and Anti Discrimination Law and is on the board of MLFA. He has been in practice for 20 years, and is accredited as a Specialist in Employment and Industrial Law by the Law Society of NSW.

Prior to entering practice, Chris served as a judicial officer as a Commissioner of the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW.

Chris – like many in his profession, despite the reputation – has served on a number of volunteer and charitable bodies during his time in legal practice. He tells us that he has developed a passion for the work of MLF due to its aim of helping without patronising, and its emphasis on self sufficiency and dignity.

Chris lives in Sydney with his wife Mary Anne, and they are both keen minders of grandchildren. Chris provides the secretariat to MLFA and his firm provides the Sydney premises. This is in accordance with our philosophy of keeping overheads to a minimum, and ensuring that all Gift funds get to their intended recipients.

Jodie Darge

Director

Driven by social justice, Jodie has created a long standing and successful career in the Youth, Family and Welfare field for over 20 years in both Government and not-for-profit organisations.

Currently Jodie is leading a not-for-profit youth charity in Sydney, as the CEO.

Starting her career on the streets of Kings Cross in Sydney working therapeutically with young people experiencing drug and alcohol dependency, homelessness, incarceration, sex work, complex trauma and mental health issues; her career then took her to London where for 15 years she led on a range of services, policy and strategies. Some key areas of achievement are in domestic and family violence strategy, preventing violent extremism policy, sexual health innovation and training, violence against women and girls’ frameworks, early intervention operations, family preservation and child protection commissioning.

Jodie lives out her values through her voluntary work which has included Chairing a Board of Directors for a not-for-profit organisation for 8 years, as well as volunteer work in developing countries with young people and families.

There is another side to Jodie which involves a passion for travel that has seen her experience the cultures, food, environments and stories of places and people from over 70 countries around the world. This has expanded her horizons, challenged her thinking and inspired her to do more to advocate for healing and reconciliation in communities facing poverty, disadvantage and complex trauma.

Kirsten Shearn

Director

Kirsten is a Visionary and growth-focused leader with 20+ years’ experience in all facets of not-for-profit and commercial governance, and growth. Key strengths in strategic partnership building, not for profit turn around, social enterprise innovation, strategic business planning and executive leadership. Develops and executes on culture-changing projects, advising on best practice, trends and innovations in a way that challenges current paradigms and delivers optimal social impact. Combines emotional intelligence with strong commercial and business acumen. Understands the need to conduct responsible business to create meaningful and contemporary solutions that consider vulnerable members of the community and the human element of business.

Peter Ryan

Founder Microloan Foundation

Peter Ryan is the founder of MicroLoan Foundation. He spent much of his early career in marketing and setting up production for consumer goods, including ‘Old Spice’ ‘Imperial Leather Soap’ and ‘Duracell’, in Africa and parts of Europe.

His time spent travelling and working in Africa led Peter to look into ways business could support those living in poverty. In 1997 Peter visited the Philippines with a former college friend who was running a charity supporting some of the poorest people in the country. This visit sparked an interest to do more and by 1998 the idea for MicroLoan Foundation was born. Over the next four years Peter began fundraising and developing a strategy for operations. The first loans and training were made to women in Malawi in 2002.

Peter is a frequent speaker on microfinance, with a special interest in Africa and blending the need for financial professionalism and social change. He has a degree in International Marketing for Greenwich University.