Executive Team

Clare was appointed Chief Executive Officer of genU in June 2020 and brings a wealth of leadership experience to the organisation.

Clare joined genU following terms as CEO at both WorkSafe Victoria and Western Region Health Centre in Melbourne. Clare had been serving as an advisor to the Victorian Government’s newly formed Bushfire Recovery Victoria and was also an Executive with the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety after leaving WorkSafe in 2019.

Kelly Smith joined Activ in 2021 as the Head of Finance and Reporting, and was appointed to the Chief Financial Officer role in August 2022.

She took on the role of Activ Executive Director following Activ Foundation’s merge with genU on July 1, 2024.

Prior to commencing at Activ, Kelly held various roles in financial management within the university sector in Australia and the UK. Most recently, she was the Associate Director for Financial Services at the University of Western Australia.

Kelly is an experienced and analytical senior manager who is passionate about the not-for-profit sector and delivering high quality and culturally-aligned business solutions to support Activ’s vision and mission.

Kelly holds Bachelor degrees in Health Science and Commerce, is a Certified Practicing Accountant and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Brooke Draper was appointed to the Chief Operating Officer role in November 2023.

Brooke has most recently held the position of Head of Strategic Operations at Activ and has been pivotal in driving process reviews and growth, particularly in Accommodation, Employment, and Training.

She has extensive leadership and management experience in the disability sector, with previous roles at Ability WA, Mission Australia and YMCA, and a wealth of strong associations and relationships across the community services sector.

Michael joined Activ as Executive Manager Marketing, Fundraising and Events in February 2022.

With over 15 years’ management experience in commercial and charitable marketing, Michael brings a wealth of knowledge in strategic marketing, branding, fundraising, lotteries, philanthropy, donor relations and leadership to the role.

Prior to joining Activ, Michael led the National Lotteries Team at MSWA for over 11 years, driving significant growth in revenue, profitability, and brand awareness.

Michael is passionate about the adoption of cutting-edge marketing and management practices in the charitable sector to drive efficiency and profitability leading to a greater purpose-led community impact.

Michael holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Business and is also a State Committee Member of the Australian Marketing Institute.

Jamin Hirte was appointed to the role of Executive Manager Strategy and Digital in August 2022.

Jamin has significant experience across a number of not-for-profit and commercial organisations, including Chorus, RAC and Bankwest.

Jamin brings a wealth of experience in driving strategic outcomes for organisations, leveraging digital to enable strategy, leading operational teams and using analytics and data to drive strategic outcomes.