Suzanne Findlay: A Master of Social Investment and Philanthropy

Photo of Suzanne Findlay. She has medium length dark hair and is wearing a blue cardigan, smiling at the camera.
Suzanne is a graduate of the Master of Social Investment and Philanthropy at Centre for Social Impact (CSI) Swinburne , and currently works at Sacred Heart Mission as Manager of Social Impact and Growth.

She was also recently named as a finalist in CSI Swinburne’s inaugural Michael Liffman Alumni Awards in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the social impact ecosystem since her graduation.

Suzanne worked as part of the team negotiating Victoria’s first social impact investment, using her corporate experience as an investment manager, equities analyst and consultant to contribute to the development of impact investment practice and research in Australia. She has co-authored numerous reports on Social Impact Investing and Homelessness and Affordable Housing, as well as working on both the 2016 and 2018 Benchmarking Impact Reports on impact investing in Australia.

According to Suzanne, completing a Master's degree at CSI Swinburne has been instrumental to her success.

“Work opportunities from my degree arose even while I was studying, and included being a co-author of Impact Investing Australia’s 2016 Benchmarking Impact report and the AHURI Inquiry into social impact investment for housing and homelessness.

“Both involved combining my studies and previous investment experience and confirmed my decision to move away from a corporate environment. Studying at CSI Swinburne facilitated my transition towards social impact through my interactions with fellow students, many of whom were from NFPs or social enterprises and who provided real-life examples of what we were studying.”

We believe that the world needs more people like Suzanne. And we think you might be one of them.

For over 20 years, CSI Swinburne has been providing the opportunity for our students to maximise their positive social impact. We combine highly-regarded research and teaching capabilities, with strong practice-based connections to the broader social impact ecosystem in all of our courses. Our aim is to equip you with the skills and connections you need to make a real difference in the world.