Our team of passionate professionals come from a range of backgrounds and bring expertise in many fields surrounding the protection of children, providing a service that is thorough and evidence based.
Executive team
Nikki Lowe
Chief Executive
Nikki has a wealth of knowledge and experience in organisational innovation, strategy and leadership, development of strategic partnerships and customer service excellence across the government, private and NFP sectors. She also has a strong record of leading strategic transformation to drive improved health and human services. She is particularly committed to upholding children’s right to be properly cared for and protected from violence, abuse and neglect.
Before her appointment to Child Wise, Nikki was Director of Strategy and Transformation at Save the Children Australia, most recently as the architect of the Fearless for Children Strategy 2024. She also played a key role in supporting the establishment of Save The Children Global Ventures, the innovation engine of the Save the Children Movement globally. Prior to that Nikki held roles as Head of Transformation at Lifeline Australia and National Manager at 1800RESPECT.
Tomas Lopata
Director of Global Industry and Strategy
For over twenty years, Tomas has enjoyed a career in strategy, public policy and program development and implementation. His experience spans all spheres of government, management consulting and the tertiary education sector. He has worked in executive and operational leadership roles since 2007.
Tomas has content expertise in ageing, disability, crime prevention, criminal justice, health, housing, tertiary education, and youth employment. He has also led and contributed to numerous social research projects with a focus on issues impacting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.
In addition, Tomas has operational expertise in all aspects of business leadership and management in both public and commercial contexts, including: Strategy development, execution and review; finance and budgets; operational reviews; human resources and recruitment; procurement; negotiations and brokerage and, business development.
Harriet Sheppard
Director of Operations & Safeguarding Technology
Harriet brings years of experience in senior management and a deep understanding of business strategy and compliance across a diverse number of industries in Australia and New Zealand.
Harriet brings over 15 years’ experience in Education, Training & Operations, including Manager Curriculum & Training Services at the Australian Institute of Management, as well as over 20 years of experience in corporate environments. As School Board Chair for an elected three-year term at Aranda Primary School and Walking School Bus team leader, child protection and safety were always paramount, resulting in Volunteer of Year Nomination (ACT) in 2009.
Donna Webb
Head of Global Safeguarding
Donna has enjoyed a 20 + year career within the Australian and International non-government sector. She is an experienced leader and manager, with strong skills and expertise in portfolio, program and project management and a keenness for clear finance and risk management approaches.
Donna has a background in training, coaching and development for staff, leaders and boards of small to medium sized organisations that deliver community-based programming. Donna’s roles have spanned State, Country and regional management and coordination functions as well as oversight of specific portfolios of HIV and AIDS, Wash, Disaster Management and public health. Donna is a committed to amplifying and listening to the voices of program and service users in the design and ongoing implementation and monitoring of programs. She is a passionate believer that community empowerment and engagement is a critical component of a strong evidence base and you will find this a common thread across Donna’s career.
Donna has a Degree in Management and post graduate degrees in International Development. She has deployed internationally for both short and long term postings and is also experienced at conducting program and thematic reviews and evaluations.
Susan Walsh
Head of Communications
Susan has over 10 years communications management experience, a Bachelor’s degree in Business, post-graduate qualifications in marketing and journalism, and is a Certified Prosci Change Management Practitioner.
Susan has significant experience working with a diverse range of stakeholder audiences, including Aboriginal people and communities, a wide range of disability groups and all Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) audiences.
In addition to twelve years in the public sector, working in areas as diverse as supporting victims of violent crime, Aboriginal housing, child support and school infrastructure, Susan worked in the not-for-profit sector for over five years.
Susan has also consulted to disability organisations and other NFPs, developing strategies to provide support services for people feeling the effects of social exclusion.
Susan is an accredited bid writer with Shipley International, has extensive written communications experience and has recently finished writing her first novel.
Claire Grealy
Head of National Advisory Services
Claire’s career has spanned over twenty-five years in commercial, government, and non-government sector leadership. She has been a frontline social worker, an advocate, change agent, lecturer, trainer, manager, peer, colleague, role model and mentor.
Claire specialises in developing and improving responses to populations overlooked or excluded from mainstream services. This has included extensive work in evidence translation to inform program design, evaluation informed design, and a focus on partnership and governance arrangements. She has led and contributed to a significant body of work on the design and operation of person-centred human service systems, and multi-disciplinary and integrated models.
Claire is a skilled facilitator, with experience in training design and delivery. While a Partner with Urbis she led the Victorian Economic and Social Advisory Group, with responsibility for several portfolios, in a highly regarded professional services firm. She led the portfolios of education, early childhood, disaster recovery, and consumers at risk of exclusion. She has also worked with Aboriginal partners for 20 years to listen to and document practice and governance, and to evaluate state and federal investments aimed at closing the gaps.