Adelaide solicitor new national president of Vinnies
National
Adelaide solicitor Claire Victory has been elected as the new national president of the St Vincent de Paul Society, creating a number of ‘firsts’ in taking on the role.
Ms Victory becomes the first South Australian and the first woman elected to fill the position and is also the youngest president in the society’s 165-year history in Australia.
A solicitor working in private practice for a small Adelaide firm, Ms Victory has plenty of experience with Vinnies as she has been a member of the society since the age of 10. She has been involved in various capacities over the years, including extensive involvement in Vinnies Youth programs and has served eight years on National Council.
Ms Victory said she was looking forward to continuing and strengthening the society’s work towards building a more just and compassionate society.
“In a context of persistent poverty and new forms of inequality, I look forward to supporting the society in its role as a leading voice for social justice and change,” she said.
“A key challenge for the future of our organisation is ensuring the dynamism of our membership so that we can continue to respond with hope and love to those bearing the brunt of poverty and inequality.
“A priority for the new council will be reviewing governance across the society – everything from training, formation and succession planning for our members in conferences to looking at legal structures and reporting standards for councils. We need to ensure that we are operating in the most effective way possible while retaining our mission at the heart of all we do.”
Ms Victory succeeds Graham West as president. She will be supported in the role by new deputy president Warwick Fulton.
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