Claire Hanratty

Leading teams to provide advisory support to boards and executives of impact-driven organisations.

Sample project types and clients include:

• Governance Reviews & Board Advisory, including RACQ Foundation, Camerata, and AsiaPacific Internet Development Trust.
• Strategy Development, incl. Helen McPherson Smith Trust, Menzies Foundation, International River Foundation, Dementia Australia, Community Leadership Victoria, University of Melbourne (Faculty of Science research strategy; advancement strategy for Medical, Dental, and Health Sciences).
• Development and implementation of Theory of Change and Impact Frameworks, e.g., OrangeSky, Family of Veterans Guild, Centre for Social Impact, Social Traders, Indigenous Business Australia, Outward Bound Australia, Family Life.
• Philanthropy Strategy, incl. National Centre for Risk and Resilience, Nature Freedom, University of Melbourne Faculty of Science, Catalpa, Australian Cardiovascular Alliance.
• Review of options for charities, such as closing down, restructuring, and merging, etc.
• Led Endowments for Impact – A program for trusts and foundations to transition investments toward ESG and impact alignment.

• Company Overview: The Leapfrog businesses (charity, Pure Leapfrog, and impact investor, Leapfrog Finance) provided underserved communities with support and finance to create an equitable and socially sustainable climate transition in the UK, ensuring the disadvantaged did not miss out on the benefits of carbon reductions.
• Delivered over £50 million of bridge finance to enable locally owned renewables, with an associated £15 million of social impact funds dedicated to improving outcomes for disadvantaged communities.
• Ten-fold increase in grant-making by the BA Carbon Fund (administered by Leapfrog) to communities in the UK and Africa.
• Supported local community organizations to build capacity and succession pathways, alongside new business models (including impact, finance, governance, and service delivery).
• Led the commercial aspects (business structure, model, financial case, and impact methodology) of a £5m and 10-partner project to establish a toolkit for rural 5G connectivity.
• Co-funded the UK’s largest post-subsidy solar and battery sites for Warrington Borough Council, and guided the establishment of a local community trust.
• Established a more inclusive and cohesive team environment for remote staff, which enabled success through COVID.

• Led development of SSEE’s summer school and executive education program across sustainable finance, water and renewable energy. Part-time (while studying)

Selected by the Foundation’s Board during a time of significant national and international focus on the Reef’s future, I was charged with taking the Foundation to a new level of revenue and engagement.

• Grew revenue and donations from a range of sources more than 2.5 times to $9 million per annum.
• Actively developed government relationships, resulting in ministerial attendance at events, significant new funding ($10 million federal and $2 million state), and greater levels of engagement.
• Drove the recruitment of Australia’s leading CEOs and chairs to the Foundation’s Chairman’s Panel, so that participation doubled to 50 members.
• Led the development of the largest private sector donation ever made to reef research ($8 million).
• Convened the Foundation’s Research Portfolio Committee and Scientific Advisory Committee

Employed to improve operational effectiveness, I soon took over all day-to-day aspects of the business from company secretarial to finance, including supporting the Chief Scientist to drive the research program

• Led the development of a research portfolio for reef resilience to climate change, involving 70 businesses, scientists, government officials, and reef management experts.
• Developed the project concept for eReefs – a $25 million world-first reef modeling and visualization project – and guided the establishment of a joint venture between government, private investors, and partners to enable delivery.

• Facilitated the design and development of the strategy and organisational structure for the new Innovation Group.
• Coordinated and integrated merger benefit opportunities identified by technical assessment teams into a cohesive whole.

• Led the newly established Shared Services business improvement group, integrating new services/functions.