Our Board + Exec

Community Resources was established in 1987 on Worimi Country to provide training and employment opportunities for local Aboriginal people experiencing disadvantage. Becoming Aboriginal- led positions us to create even greater long-term impact for people, Country and communities. We want to embed Aboriginal knowledge in our work, create more pathways to employment for Aboriginal people, forge stronger partnerships with Aboriginal organisations, and ensure communities are at the centre of designing the solutions that affect them.

We were delighted to welcome new Board members Jack Beetson and Janelle Reid who bring experience in government policy, law, risk management and community development. Katriina Heikkenen stepped down as Co-Chair after seven years of dedicated leadership, handing over to Narelle Andersen. Katriina’s thoughtful stewardship, passion for our mission and belief in the potential of our people and communities have left a lasting legacy.

Our new CEO, Martin Paech, stepped up from his role as COO. We acknowledge Martin’s leadership, as well as the unceasing commitment of our Executive and General Managers to our purpose and people, throughout a period of transformation.

Community Resources works across 38 sites on 17 Aboriginal Nations. This year we were proud to have created employment opportunities for 768 people. Across our organisation, our people demonstrate what can be achieved when social purpose and commercial discipline combine to create meaningful employment, recover valuable resources and strengthen communities.

We launched our 2027-2029 strategy focused on four pillars: being a scalable Aboriginal-led organisation for all; building a safe and capable workforce; growing our impact and pursuing new opportunities; and achieving operational excellence.

Community Resources delivered an operating profit of $688,000 in FY2026, improving its financial result by $1.2 million on the previous year and strengthening our capacity to invest in future growth and community impact.

Financial sustainability remains essential to achieving our ambitions to lead the way in creating jobs for people and Country. Soft Landing, our largest social enterprise, invested in pioneering technology and spearheaded partnerships to secure unprecedented mattress volumes. This, of course, means more jobs for people who need them most. Creating a safe and supportive workplace remains fundamental to our culture, with over 90% of staff reporting high levels of confidence in our health and safety practices, access to training and equipment, and the availability of wellbeing support.

We thank our fellow directors for the experience, care and constructive challenge that makes us describe our Board to peers as ‘one of the best’.

Most importantly, we thank every one of our employees. It is your dedication, skill and belief in our purpose that turns vision into impact every day. We are incredibly proud to work alongside people who believe, as we do, that the work we are doing together is creating lasting change and making the world a better place.

To our customers, government partners, community organisations and supporters, thank you for continuing to stand alongside us. Your trust helps Community Resources create jobs that care for people and Country and contribute to stronger, fairer and more sustainable communities.

As we enter this new chapter as an Aboriginal-led organisation, we do so with pride, humility and a strong sense of responsibility.

CO-CHAIRS