Kathy McLean

Kathy's career in executive search started in 2000, and she has been a Principal in Penrhyn International since joining Fish & Nankivell as a partner in early 2004. She specialises in searches for critical roles – mainly chief executive officer or equivalent – for not-for-profit organisations which recognise the need for excellence in management and superior financial outcomes. In many cases she is called upon to search out those hard-to-find people who have experience in both the commercial profit-driven world and the community sector.

Her searches have taken place in every state and territory in Australia, and candidates she’s appointed have come from New Zealand, England, Canada, Sweden, Hong Kong and Madagascar.

Kathy has a BA with Honors in English, a Diploma in Education, a Graduate Diploma in Information Studies, and an MBA from Melbourne Business School.

Prior to her career in search Kathy worked for seven years with the publisher Curriculum Corporation, a company whose board comprises the Chief Executives of the nine State, Territory and Commonwealth departments of education. She was originally a teacher. She recently retired from the board of the Victorian Institute of Sport after 14 years, and (until it merged with another provider) served previously on the board of Urban Communities Ltd, a public/private housing provider which emerged from the Becton/Victorian government joint venture at the Kensington public housing estate in inner Melbourne. In 2016 she joined the Governance Committee of Netball Australia.