At the Collective Empowerment Foundation (CEF), our mission is ambitious: to bring essential infrastructure, opportunity, and visibility to some of the most remote and historically underserved communities on Earth. Achieving this requires more than passion—it demands a lean, accountable organisational model that balances governance, agility, and cultural integrity.
As a registered Australian charity, we are committed to maintaining high standards of transparency. The structure outlined below reflects our current operational framework, which is adaptable by design—evolving as we scale to meet the growing needs of communities across Papua New Guinea and beyond.
Board of Directors: Strategic Oversight and Accountability
At the top of CEF’s governance model sits the Board of Directors, our highest decision-making body. The Board plays a critical role in:
- Providing strategic direction and long-term vision
- Ensuring financial accountability, including review of all large transactions
- Upholding compliance with Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) requirements
- Advising on risk, governance, and ethical conduct
Rather than fixed meeting cycles, the Board convenes on an as-needed basis to respond to key developments, oversee major decisions, and review strategic progress. Its role is designed to be both responsive and rigorous—balancing fiduciary oversight with the flexibility required to support work in rapidly changing field environments.
Executive Leadership: External Vision and Internal Execution
Beneath the Board, day-to-day leadership is driven by two central roles:
- Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Focuses on external partnerships, high-level strategy, and thought leadership. The CEO plays a key role in fundraising, government engagement, and shaping CEF’s global visibility.
- Chief Operating Officer (COO) – Oversees internal operations and project delivery, ensuring smooth coordination across all departments. The COO supervises all functional leads and ensures alignment between planning and execution.
Together, the CEO and COO ensure that CEF operates with clarity, purpose, and integrity—translating board-level strategy into meaningful, on-the-ground results.
Functional Leads: CMO, CDO, CTO
CEF’s operational model includes three department heads, each responsible for a core pillar of the organisation:
- Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) – Manages branding, media relations, digital communications, donor engagement, and public education campaigns.
- Chief Development Officer (CDO) – Leads the design and rollout of CEF’s programs, including field assessments, initiative planning, and impact evaluation.
- Chief Technology Officer (CTO) – Oversees technical deployments, including solar infrastructure, internet connectivity (Starlink), and digital systems supporting project delivery.
Each of these leaders reports directly to the COO, who ensures that all departments work cohesively while upholding CEF’s core values of transparency, cultural sensitivity, and sustainability.
Team Leaders: Initiative-Level Management
Beneath the functional leads sit project-specific Team Leaders, each responsible for managing one of CEF’s core initiatives. Examples include:
- Birthing Initiative Team Leader – Manages maternal health programming in Kiunga and Western Province.
- Hupen Initiative Team Leader – Oversees infrastructure delivery and sustainability planning for Hupen village.
- Bougainville Initiative Leader – Coordinates CEF’s policy research, fieldwork, and stakeholder engagement across Bougainville.
Team Leaders supervise all volunteer activity related to their respective initiatives and act as the primary liaison between CEF’s strategic team and local implementation partners.
Depending on the initiative’s nature, Team Leaders may report through the CMO (communications-focused), CDO (field-focused), or CTO (infrastructure-focused), with final oversight provided by the COO.
Volunteers: Our Backbone on the Ground and Behind the Scenes
CEF’s impact is made possible by a dedicated and growing volunteer base, divided into two streams:
1. Field Volunteers
- Support direct project delivery in remote regions
- Facilitate community consultations and logistics
- Work closely with Team Leaders to implement initiatives
- Often serve as the first point of contact with village stakeholders
2. Operations Volunteers
- Support core administrative, research, and event coordination tasks
- Assist with communications, donor management, grant applications, and reporting
- Provide the essential behind-the-scenes support that keeps CEF running smoothly
All volunteers are supported by their relevant Team Leader and integrated into the department that best fits their skills and interests.
Designed to Evolve, Built to Empower
The structure outlined above is not static—it’s designed to grow as we scale. CEF’s operational model reflects our deep commitment to:
- Accountability – With clear lines of reporting and financial control
- Adaptability – Enabling us to respond to the changing needs of our partner communities
- Localisation – Empowering leaders and volunteers embedded in the regions we serve
- Transparency – Ensuring that all stakeholders, from donors to village elders, can clearly understand how CEF works
We believe that good governance is not about hierarchy—it’s about clarity, trust, and inclusion. Our structure ensures that everyone involved in CEF, from the Boardroom to the most remote field site, shares a common goal: empowering communities through ethical, infrastructure-led development.
📍To learn more about CEF’s governance model or speak with our operations team, please contact:
📧 contact@collectiveempowermentfoundation.org
