A disruptor with decades of leadership experience, Catherine Fitzpatrick will now lead the Diversity Council of Australia during one of the most complex periods in its 40-year history.
The DCA announced Fitzpatrick’s appointment today, following the abrupt resignation of former CEO Catherine Hunter earlier this month.
In recent years, Fitzpatrick has become known for her work to disrupt financial abuse and gender bias by smarter product and service design, launching her Designed to Disrupt reports and Respect and Protect campaigns.
She recently founded The Financial Safety Alliance bringing together the Australian Banking Association, the Australian Finance Industry Association, the Customer Owned Banking Association and Arca.
She has also held leadership roles across the corporate sector, government and media, and served on the Board of DCA from 2019 to 2015.
DCA board Chair Sunita Gloster AM described Fitzpatrick’s career as centring around her ability to translate deep insights into systems and culture into measurable, large-scale change across some of Australia’s biggest organisations.
“The breadth of her experience across the corporate sector, policy and now her own social enterprise makes her ideally suited to support DCA’s diverse membership base as they navigate significant workforce transition,” Gloster said.
Fitzpatrick noted the pivotal time she would be leading the DCA through.
“We’re navigating a moment of rising complexity, polarisation and relentless technological change, workplaces are at a genuine inflection point.
“For more than 40 years, DCA has led the way on diversity and inclusion in Australia, giving members the guidance and tools to build workplaces where every person can thrive. That work has never mattered more. I’m delighted to be joining DCA as CEO and look forward to working with the team to help our members navigate what comes next,” Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick’s passion for addressing financial abuse stemmed from her experience in 2019 uncovering widespread abuse in online banking transactions while working as a banking executive. She further researched the issue before spearheading industry reforms to crack down on the practice.
She recently shared more about her work on The Women’s Agenda Podcast and has been featured on numerous panels and at events, passionately advocating for safety as the new frontier in innovation.
Fitzpatrick will begin transitioning into the role immediately and assume the position full-time in September 2026.