Overview

Join Philanthropy Australia and the Sydney Women’s Fund for an International Women’s Day event focused on the critical role philanthropy can play in advancing justice for women and girls, including safety, dignity and having a voice in decisions that affect their lives.

This is an opportunity to connect with like-minded peers, deepen understanding, and explore how collective philanthropic action can strengthen the conditions that enable women and girls to be safe, respected and supported.

Across Australia, many women face systemic barriers to safety, support and fair outcomes, including legal, financial and service systems that are often fragmented or hard to navigate. This conversation will bring together leaders working at the intersection of gender equity and justice to explore how philanthropy can help close these gaps and highlight innovative approaches to funding and collaboration.

Join a community of peers committed to learning, connection and collective impact, as we explore how philanthropy can help create fairer outcomes for women and families.

Generously hosted by

When

Monday 9 March 2026

11:00 am - 1:00pm AEDT 

Location

Clayton Utz, 1 Bligh St, Sydney NSW 2000

RSVP

Please RSVP below by 23 February to secure your spot.

Audience

This event is open to Philanthropy Australia Impact and Engage members, as well as Sydney Community Foundation and Clayton Utz guests. Should you have any questions or require additional information, please get in touch with membership@philanthropy.org.au. 

Speakers

Georgina Byron, CEO Snow Foundation, Board Member Philanthropy Australia and Sydney Women's Fund 

Georgina is CEO of The Snow Foundation, and since 2006 has significantly grown the Foundation’s reach and impact from its origins in Canberra. Through Georgina’s leadership, the Foundation has deepened its commitment to the local Canberra region, broadened into other key regions close to the family (Sydney and South Coast) and backed dynamic start-up social entrepreneurs with bold national agendas. Over the past decade, Georgina has led further expansion into social justice issues and championed major social change projects rallying with many others; marriage equality, Raise the Rate campaign, the Voice Referendum and the elimination of rheumatic heart disease and crusted scabies in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Georgina is passionate about creating social change to improve the lives of Australians, especially women, girls, and First Nations Australians. Collaboration is central to the Foundation and Georgina has led several co-funding initiatives and brought innovative programs to the ACT. Georgina is community-minded and committed to progressing a more inclusive, kinder and safer Sydney where everyone can thrive.

She is Co-Chair of Deadly Hearts Ltd, Deputy Chair of Sydney Community Foundation, Chair of Sydney Women’s Community Fund Advisory Council, Philanthropy Australia board member (previous Chair of their Family Foundation Network) and Ambassador for Australians Investing in Women. Georgina was previously a director of Good360, the Australian Women Donors Network, and Hands Across Canberra Community Foundation.

Jonathan Hunyor, CEO, Justice & Equity Centre, to speak directly to their Women’s Service

Jonathon Hunyor has been the CEO of the Justice and Equity Centre since August 2016. He is an experienced lawyer, manager, strategic thinker and leader of diverse teams.

Jonathon has over 25 years’ experience working as a lawyer on social justice issues. He has practised in NSW and the Northern Territory in areas including discrimination and human rights, migration and refugee law, Aboriginal land rights, criminal law, and coronial inquests.

As the Principal Legal Officer at the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency in Darwin (2010-2016), Jonathon led the organisation’s criminal and civil practices across the Top End of the Northern Territory. He maintained a practice in criminal law and coronial inquests, regularly appearing as counsel the Court of Appeal, Court of Criminal Appeal, Supreme Court and Local Court. Jonathon also featured in local and national media as an expert commentator on law and justice issues impacting upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the NT, including mandatory sentencing.

Jonathon was the Director of Legal Services at the Australian Human Rights Commission from 2007-2010, where he appeared on behalf of the Commission, President and Commissioners as intervener and amicus curiae in discrimination and human rights cases and was counsel assisting the National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention.

Prior to this, Jonathon worked as a lawyer at the Central Land Council in Alice Springs and the NT Legal Aid Commission in Darwin. He has taught discrimination law at the University of NSW and has published widely in academic and professional journals.

Jonathon is a Director of the Australian Pro Bono Centre and the Australian Financial Complaints Authority.

An Le, Senior Project Manager – Domestic Violence Clinical Lead, Bonnie Support Services Ltd

An’s professional journey is rooted in her commitment to fairness, equality, and social justice. Early on, she explored these values through work in pharmacy and visual design, focusing on communication and media - seeking meaningful ways to support and advocate for people. While those experiences were valuable, she wanted to connect more deeply with individuals and their lived experiences. That desire led her back to university, where she completed a Bachelor of Social Work at the University of Sydney and a Master of Counselling Social Work at UNSW.

An has worked across mental health and child protection. While each role has added depth to her practice, she feels most connected to working with women and children who have experienced domestic and family violence. For An, advocating for women and children means fostering safety, trust, and choice, centring their voices and agency, and honouring their courage and the complex decisions they make as they navigate dangerous circumstances. She has found both personal and professional alignment at Bonnie Support Services, where her values are reflected in the work every day.

In addition, An is a member of the Domestic Violence Death Review Team (DVDRT), a multiagency committee convened by the NSW State Coroner. She contributes to examining systemic responses and developing recommendations to improve interventions, reduce similar deaths, and strengthen responses to domestic and family violence more broadly.