Global Learnings for Local Impact: Angela F. Williams Joins Roundtable with Australian Leaders

  • 29 July 2025

The Centre for Social Impact was honoured to host a powerful roundtable with Angela F. Williams, President & CEO of United Way Worldwide, the world’s largest and most established place-based network across 1,100 communities and 37 countries.

Bringing together a diverse group of leaders from the community sector philanthropy, business and, academia, the roundtable explored how place-based and community-led approaches are shaping social impact globally and what that means for Australia.

Angela reflected on the experience:

“It has been wonderful to learn more about the deep, innovative, and impactful work happening in communities across Australia, and to share insights from our global but hyper-local network of 1,100 communities working to help people thrive.

Her visit highlighted the power of local innovation and the importance of global collaboration:

“I’m grateful to the Centre for Social Impact for inviting me to join this conversation with some of the leaders driving and supporting this important work in Australia. I look forward to finding more opportunities to connect and learn from each other as we continue to support communities around the world.”

Key Themes from the Conversation

Angela shared insights from her journey leading a global network and sparked a rich discussion on:

  • The importance of cultural grounding, deep listening, and being led by community—recognising both the needs and assets within place, while sharing insights across communities.
  • The value of long-term, multigenerational thinking and innovative funding practices, including investment in backbone institutions and systemic change.
  • Investing in women and girls as a powerful strategy to uplift entire communities.
  • The evolving conversation around ESG, both globally and within corporate Australia.
  • The promise and challenges of AI, including how philanthropy is considering its impact on the not-for-profit sector and communities.
  • The need to invest in leadership, supporting emerging leaders and encouraging futurist thinking to shift systems toward greater impact.

CSI CEO Arminé Nalbandian reflected on the significance of the event:

“Angela is an absolute powerhouse who generously shared her insights and global influence from trust-based philanthropy to her work with OpenAI. Her presence reminded us of the importance of learning from global peers while staying grounded in the unique strengths of our local communities.”
“This roundtable reinforced the value of cross-sector collaboration and the need to invest in leadership, innovation, and equity to drive meaningful change.”

Thank You

A heartfelt thank you to our guests from United Way Australia, AMP Foundation, The Smith Family, Siddle Family Foundation, PLACE, Paul Ramsay Foundation, and PwC. Your insights will stay with us as we continue to build a sector rooted in equity, collaboration, and community self-determination.

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