Our team has decades of experience working in and with for-purpose organisations to create change. 

We have experience across the philanthropy, not-for-profit, social enterprise, and campaigning sectors.  We are researchers, facilitators, strategists and advisors.

While we hold diverse expertise, we are alike in our passion for considered and impactful change.

We Value

Clarity

We help our clients arrive at clarity in the complex challenges they face. We love those moments where the dots connect and the spotlight shines on what’s really happening. We stand in clarity about our own work and roles too - we know who we are - we don’t take on work that is not ours.

Curiosity

We approach all parts of our work with genuine curiosity. While our work is grounded in proven frameworks and theory, there are no rote processes or predetermined answers. We love the sense of adventure this brings! 

Care

We take a relational and humanistic approach. We see people, and trust in everyone's innate capacity for insight, creativity and deep reflection. We work with thoughtfulness and care for each human in every process.

Contribution

We are committed to ensuring our work builds towards a future where the people working to transform society are working collaboratively, systemically and courageously. In all our work we ensure we are sharing, collaborating and building power. 

Meet the Team

May Miller-Dawkins - Founder, Aotearoa New Zealand

May has over 20 years experience working with community groups, social enterprises, for-purpose organisations, coalitions and social movements to support and understand effective and long-term social change efforts and build collective leadership capability. She is a highly skilled facilitator of catalytic discussions that identify pathways to impact and of action learning amongst leaders within or across sectors. 

She has a particular talent for cultivating collective leadership including through cross sectoral collaborations such as establishing the ten-year long Oxfam-Monash Partnership to drive applied action research, and designing and leading the Governance and Transparency Initiative of The B Team – a global collective of business and civic leaders.

May has led learning and impact development processes for Open Government Partnership (Washington DC), Transparency International (Berlin), Yuwaya Ngarra-li partnership between the Dharriwaa Elders Group and UNSW (Walgett & Sydney), The B Team (New York), WEDO (New York), Toitū Tahua (Tamaki Makarau/Auckland), White Box Enterprises (Brisbane) and many more. 

May is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the UNSW and a Fellow of the Centre for Policy Development. She holds a BA (Hons – Politics and International Relations) and LLB from UNSW and an LLM (Legal Theory) from NYU. 

May lives in Whakatū (Nelson), Aotearoa (New Zealand) with her partner, two sons and dog.


Jo Taylor - Founder, Australia

Jo has 25+ years of leading for-purpose organisations. Over her career, she has raised over $100m leading for-purpose organisations and has distributed more than $400m globally through philanthropic organisations. Jo is the inaugural CEO of the Siddle Family Foundation, a non-executive director of Philanthropy Australia, the inaugural Executive Chair of the Pay What it Takes initiative, a Leap Ambassador, and an advisor to numerous philanthropic organisations. 

This experience has given Jo a deep understanding of the challenges of building resilient organisations focusing on impact and a burning passion for leaders to do their best work and look after themselves. Jo has designed and led reflective leadership retreats and action learning programs for social change leaders, LGBTQI leaders, young leaders, social entrepreneurs, women, culturally and linguistically diverse leaders, directors and philanthropic leaders nationally and internationally.

Jo holds a LLB from Leicester University and a global MBA from Sydney University. Jo has studied adaptive leadership at Harvard (US), international public policy at Lee Kuan Yew School of public policy (Singapore), AI and technology (USYD) and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

Jo moves between Sydney and Bellingen, and lives on Gumbaynggirr land, with her partner and two sons.


Charlotte Siddle - Co-Founder and Advisor

Charlotte has spent the last 10 years working with families and individuals to support the growth and development of philanthropy in Australia. From 2015 - 2021 she worked at the Paul Ramsay Foundation where she held multiple roles focused on communities and place-based initiatives, and building the capability of the philanthropic sector. More recently she has transitioned to supporting the development of her own family office, where she is the CEO of the Siddle Family Office and Executive Director of the Siddle Family Foundation.

Whether it is personally or professionally, Charlotte is passionate about making a meaningful and lasting impact on the communities in which she works. Outside of her formal roles she works with for-purpose organisations and purpose-driven individuals to support the growth and development of the sector and with organisations that support young people with wealth to align their investment and philanthropic activity with their values.

Charlotte lives on Gadigal land in Sydney, Australia.

Jessica Desmond - Advisor

Jess has over 15 years experience in communications, campaigns and strategy across the public and private sector. Most recently she was a Senior Campaigner for Greenpeace Aotearoa where she led a Greenpeace International innovation lab exploring how to shift mindsets to value nature. She previously led campaigns
on oceans protections, plastics, fisheries and deep sea mining.

Prior to that, Jess worked in communications at The B Team in New York City, supporting advocacy across climate change, governance and transparency and human rights by a global collective of business and civic leaders. Jess is currently undertaking advanced study in Psychology at the University of Auckland, specialised in application to social and political issues.

Jess lives in Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland), Aotearoa New Zealand.

Anandini Mayuran - Advisor

Anandini has over 15 years experience in public policy, strategy design and delivery, community engagement, knowledge translation and learning frameworks across philanthropy, research and policy portfolios. She led the policy team at the British Academy in the UK and was Head of Capability at the Paul Ramsay Foundation, helping to build the capability of the for purpose and philanthropic sectors.

Anandini is highly experienced in communications and advocacy. She values collaboration, coalition building, and ensuring policy and practice is informed by lived experience. Anandini also provides facilitation, coaching and mentoring.

She has supported strategy and organisational development processes, developed theories of change, stakeholder engagement strategies and learning systems. Anandini is currently working with foundations and research organisations to support change management and strategy development.

Anandini lives on Cammeraygal land in Sydney, Australia, with her family.

Courtney Collins - Advisor

Courtney Collins is an author, screenwriter and producer. She has been practicing Action Learning for almost twenty years, applying it in learning environments for social entrepreneurs and creative writers.

Courtney holds a Master of Creative Writing and is completing a PhD titled 'Working Against Whiteness in Creative Literary Production’. Her first novel, The Burial, (Allen & Unwin 2012) was published in ten countries and shortlisted for numerous prizes, including the Nita B Kibble Literary Award, NSW Premier's Literary Award for New Writing and the Stella Prize. The Burial is currently being adapted as a feature film. Her second novel, BIRD, will be published by Hachette in August 2024.

Courtney lived in the remote Northern Territory for eight years where she started Ngukurr Story Projects with local Indigenous artists and storytellers, before relocating to Gumbaynggirr Country on the Mid North Coast. She presents and co-produces @areyoustillworkingpodcast and is passionate about storytelling as a driver of social change.

Tyla Wehipeihana - Virtual Executive Assistant

Born in Kemureti, Cambridge (NZ), and with whakapapa to Ōtaki, Tauranga Moana, and Te Tai Tokerau in Aotearoa, New Zealand, Tyla brings her expertise in Virtual Executive Assistant Support to Prism Co, from Kairākau Awhi.

Tyla has a strong background in administrative services, supply chain management, and people leadership, with a deep commitment to supporting whānau, hapū, and communities. As Lead Virtual Assistant at Kairākau Awhi, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, along with a dedicated team of Kaiāwhina Mariko (VAs) to support Prism Co every step of the way.

With experience in supply chain management and FMCG, Tyla has developed a unique ability to thrive in fast-paced environments, all while maintaining a strong focus on the people and values that drive Kairākau Awhi’s kaupapa.

Tyla is currently focusing on her role as Pou Tangata at Kairākau Awhi Ltd, where she is enhancing the experience and culture of the organisation to prioritise its most important asset—its people. While continuing to provide executive assistant support as Kaiarataki, Tyla is also known for her dedication to living her Moemoeā (dreams) and supporting clients and kaimahi with care and commitment.

Tyla is based between the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Boonwurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation in Melbourne, Australia, and Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), New Zealand.

We work collaboratively and draw on the experience of relevant advisors for specific projects.

We are grateful for recent collaborations with:

We work across both Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

While these countries have vastly different histories, they both feature the violent colonisation of the Indigenous Peoples, the effects of which remain present in systems and institutions, and are lived by people every day.

In Aotearoa, we want to acknowledge Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of the country and the enduring, unperishable tino rangatiratanga of mana whenua and their right to mana motuhake. We support constitutional reform leading to co-governance, land back and pathways to reconciliation through justice. We give form to these commitments through a range of active efforts in both our working and personal lives. 

In Australia, we acknowledge the traditional owners of land and waters of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and that sovereignty was never ceded. We pay our respects to Elders past and present. We believe in the self determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and that community control, leadership and return of Country is essential for justice and self determined futures. We are privileged to learn from and with Elders on the lands we work on. 

We acknowledge we are on a continued journey to decolonise systems, our work and ourselves. We are committed to our ongoing learning and unlearning, and to consistently reflecting on whether or not our efforts and contributions enable or undermine self determination, Indigenous control and justice. Though imperfect, we remain persistent. We welcome your feedback.