Perpetual announces recipient of the 2020 Fulbright Professional Scholarship in Non-Profit Leadership

Perpetual Limited (Perpetual) has announced Dermot O’Gorman as the winner of the 2020 Fulbright Professional Scholarship in Non-Profit Leadership.

The Scholarship, funded through a partnership between the Australian-American Fulbright Commission, The Centenary Foundation and the Australian Scholarships Foundation (ASF), provides an opportunity for an emerging leader in the not-for-profit (NFP) sector to undertake a program of research and/or professional development in the U.S. with an approved U.S. charitable organisation for a period of three to four months.

Caitriona Fay, General Manager, Community and Social Investments at Perpetual said: “The Fulbright Scholarship is one of the highest accolades an individual wishing to pursue further learning can receive, and we’re proud to help make it available to the NFP sector.

It not only recognises the importance of investing in non-profit leaders but also demonstrates the strategic role NFP leaders play in creating social impact.”

Sam Sayers, CEO at ASF added: “We are delighted to be in our ninth year of supporting NFP leaders to apply to the Fulbright Professional Scholarship in Non-Profit Leadership. As usual, the quality of applicants we received was outstanding. As our tenth recipient, we look forward to welcoming Mr O’Gorman to join this prominent and growing group of Fulbright scholars.”

The recipient of the scholarship, Dermot O’Gorman, said he was grateful for this academic and cultural exchange to further his professional development within the NFP sector.

Mr O’Gorman is the CEO of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Australia. He is a global leader in sustainable development and has spent the past two decades as CEO of WWF-Pacific, then WWF-China and now WWF-Australia.

Mr O’Gorman has driven innovation thinking within WWF-Australia, especially on digital technologies, overseeing the establishment of WWF-Australia Panda Labs and WWF-Australia’s first global joint venture in OpenSC, of which he is Chair of the Board.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Mr O’Gorman will work with Stanford University’s Digital Civil Society Lab on rethinking the future of non-government organisations (NGOs). The research will look at the blurring of lines between profit and not-for-profit and how digital disruption is reshaping the notion of what civil society is and how it engages with stakeholders.

He will explore the re-imagining of environmental NGOs globally, strengthen Australia/U.S. civil society networks and contribute to peer-to-peer learning with philanthropy and NGO leaders.

Mr O’Gorman commented: “After 18 years as a CEO in NFPs around the world, this Fulbright Scholarship to Stanford University is an amazing opportunity for me to take stock and re-imagine the future of civil society in a digitally disrupted world. The chance to share experiences with U.S. NFPs and foundations is not only a privilege, but also an extraordinary personal learning journey for which I am truly grateful.”

Speaking on behalf of the Australian-American Fulbright Commission, Executive Director Thomas Dougherty said: “We’re very proud to name Dermot among our 2020 Fulbright cohort – his exceptional career with the World Wildlife Fund driving innovation and contemporary leadership practices make him an ideal recipient of the NFP award, and we look forward to hearing about his achievements during his time at Stanford.”

The Fulbright Professional Scholarship in Non-Profit Leadership is valued up to $30,000. It is funded by The Centenary Foundation which is managed by Perpetual, and supported by ASF.

Scholarship applications are now open for the ninth year and will close on 6 July 2020. Australian Fulbright Scholarship candidates are interviewed and selected by panels of experts from academia, government, not-for-profit and professional organisations as well as the U.S. Embassy.

Pearl Dy

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Pearl Dy is a community manager and journalist. She is passionate about business and development particularly involving not-for-profits, charity and social entrepreneurship.

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