CLEA SMITH, (She/Her)
CEO, SENVIC
Clea is an experienced CEO, General Manager and Director with a passion for health, wellbeing, advocacy and social change. Clea has held leadership roles in the health, sport, business, not-for-profit and government sectors for over 20 years. She brings broad experience across strategic, legal, financial, human resources, membership, governance, program development, operational and commercial functions.
Most recently Clea was CEO at The Mind Room (3yrs) a psychology and wellbeing company, and previously spent nearly a decade in General Management at the Australian Cricketers’ Association, the collective & representative voice of past and present elite cricketers in Australia, leading a variety of health, wellbeing, education and inclusion programs. Clea was instrumental in the landmark 2017 industrial negotiations that delivered the first ever gender equity pay model in Australian sport. Prior to that she spent nearly a decade with the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, preventing and minimising alcohol related harm in community and elite sport. She’s worked in Local Government, for a Regional Sports Assembly and has also run her own consultancy delivering community sport and participation programs.
Clea is a former elite athlete, playing cricket for Victoria (vice captain) and Australia for over a decade, and winning two World Cups. She retired in 2012. She believes in the power of sport as a vehicle for social change and gives back to cricket as a Director on the Board of Cricket Australia.
She really enjoys experiential and peer based learning, and also has formal qualifications including an MBA, Bachelor of Applied Science (Sport Coaching and Administration) and is currently undertaking the Company Directors Course. She’s a member of the CEO Institute, Women on Boards and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
In her down time Clea enjoys gardening, walking Chief the dog, time at the beach and family time with kids 8, 15 and 17.
Clea is excited to have the opportunity to be involved in supporting SENVIC’s mission of building a stronger social enterprise sector in Victoria. And feels privileged to be working with such an experienced Board, staff team and network of social enterprise leaders.