Libby Ward-Christie to lead our social purpose initiative

With a new Director and a new name, our Centre for Social Purpose Organisations is committed to helping not-for-profits and other social purpose organisations thrive.

Libby Ward-Christie has been named the new Director of Melbourne Business School’s Centre for Social Purpose Organisations, supported by the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust. 

Libby steps into the position having served as the Centre’s founding Executive Director for the past 12 months, where she has helped build the Centre’s engagement, research and educational offerings.

The announcement of her new role coincides with the re-naming of the Centre, which launched last year as the Social Purpose Centre.

“Over the year we have crystalised our Centre’s purpose and the new name reflects that,” Ward-Christie said.

“Initially we were focusing on helping organisations across all sectors deliver meaningful impact, however, the not-for-profit and social purpose sector operates in such a complex ecosystem that their business needs are incredibly unique.

“There is such a demand for business education and research that addresses the interdependencies of social issues, strategy, management and revenue generation activities that we believe focusing our offering squarely on these sectors will help maximise our impact.”

Libby takes over from the Centre’s inaugural director, Professor Will Harvey, who will be spearheading a new initiative for the School.

"Will’s leadership over this last year has been instrumental in establishing the Centre and helping us formulate our vision for developing organisations and leaders to tackle social inequity and create a better future for all. 

“We cannot thank him enough for his leadership and guidance, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with him, drawing on his expertise in reputation and leadership management.”

Unleashing ideas and leaders for sustainable social impact

Ward-Christie’s new strategy will see the Centre’s activities strive to support not-for-profit and other social purpose organisations by enhancing their financial viability and impact.

“The Centre exists to help these businesses become more effective organisations with stronger financial sustainability and impactful social and environmental outcomes,” Ward-Christie said.

“We do that by working with for-purpose leaders to help address their challenges at an organisational and eco-system level, upskilling them in leadership, management and strategy.”

Social purpose organisations already have deep expertise in understanding and addressing complex issues. By leveraging the business acumen of Melbourne Business School, as well as the School’s relationships with the corporate community, the Centre is well placed to help these organisations realise their social purpose goals.

Leading with experience

Formerly Director of the Centre for Social Impact at Swinburne and a member of the Centre for Social Impact National Executive, Ward-Christie is also an alum of Melbourne Business School and recipient of an alumni award for her work with not-for-profit and social purpose organisations.

Outgoing Director Professor Will Harvey said Libby’s experience that spans research and practice, makes her the ideal candidate to take over.

“The Centre is heading into an exciting new era under Libby’s excellent leadership. Her extensive experience across social entrepreneurship, social finance and philanthropy, impact measurement and evaluation, for-purpose strategy and governance will be invaluable as the Centre works to scale their activities,” Professor Harvey said.

Supporting the next generation of social purpose leaders

One of the first activities Libby will be overseeing, is the recruitment of the second intake of the Emerging Social Purpose Leaders program.

“Social-purpose organisations operate in highly complex context and face very different challenges to for-profit companies,” Ward-Christie said.

“This course is tailored specifically to address these challenges and provides practical experience that traditional management and leadership courses can’t. “This is because at every step we are taking fundamental business principles and applying them to a not-for-profit and social purpose organisational context.”

Last year 28 participants completed the course, which is delivered in three, two-day sessions over 12 weeks, with attendees staying at Melbourne Business School for each module.

Applications are now open for the 2025 intake, with generous scholarships available. 

Boards and beyond

Ward-Christie has plans to build on the success of the Centre’s inaugural program and expand its offerings with a program to support the strategic capability of not-for-profit boards, leveraging the Centre’s knowledge and the energy and expertise of recent MBS alumni.

The Centre is also in the initial stages of several research projects, looking at not-for-profits and social purpose organisations who have scaled successfully and the challenges they faced along the way.

This case study will be used by the organisation as they plan for future growth and to inform MBS’ own educational offerings.

To learn more about how the team is strengthening the social-purpose ecosystem, visit the Centre for Social Purpose Organisations page.

To find out more about studying at Melbourne Business School, visit our Degree Programs and Short Courses pages, or learn about our range of services For Organisations.