ANROWS appoints new Chief Executive Officer
The board of ANROWS today announced that Ms Padma Raman PSM has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS), on the retirement of current CEO, Dr Heather Nancarrow. Ms Raman will take up the position in July.
Ms Raman has a wealth of experience as a senior executive at both state and federal levels, and in 2018 was awarded the Public Service Medal. For the past 11 years, Ms Raman has been chief executive of the Australian Human Rights Commission. Prior to that she established and was chief executive officer of the Victorian Law Reform Commission for nine years. She has a Master of Laws in research focusing on the experiences of immigrant and Indigenous women under the Australian legal system.
“I am delighted that Ms Raman has accepted our offer to lead ANROWS,” said chair of the ANROWS board, Ms Sam Mostyn AO.
“Padma brings extensive leadership and stakeholder engagement skills to ANROWS. She has demonstrated a strong record of delivering outcomes in senior roles, and has deep experience in women’s safety. The board and I look forward to working with Ms Raman in leading ANROWS in its next phase under a new National Plan to address violence against women.”
Ms Raman said she felt honoured to take up the role: “At a time when women’s safety and gender equality is receiving the attention it needs, I look forward to leading and contributing to the national conversation and to finding solutions to reduce violence against women.”
Outgoing CEO, Dr Heather Nancarrow, said, “As the founding CEO of ANROWS, I welcome this announcement and extend my hearty congratulations to Ms Raman. I am confident that she will carry on and extend ANROWS’s work and performance, driving evidence-based policy and practice design to prevent and respond to violence against women and their children.”
Ms Mostyn said, “The board was impressed with the number and quality of candidates who applied for the position in an extensive CEO recruitment process. On behalf of the board, I want to thank and acknowledge the extraordinary service of Dr Nancarrow as inaugural ANROWS CEO. Dr Nancarrow has made an outstanding contribution to women’s safety over the course of her career, and we wish her a happy and fulfilling retirement.”