FOUNDER STORY
JULIA KEADY: FOUNDER, FACILITATOR, MC, MUM, WRITER, SPEAKER
The founder and 'Chief Cheerleader' of The Xfactor Collective is Julia Keady.
Julia has enjoyed being part of important movements in the Australian charity, philanthropy and social enterprise sectors over the last 15 years, and is a staunch advocate for changemaker wellbeing and addressing the structural and systemic causes of changemaker burnout.
Julia is also involved with and passionate about women's leadership, small business, the role of social entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, rural and regional communities, social enterprise and B Corp movements.
She has worked across hundreds of social change projects with various hats on. Julia was the inaugural CEO of Australian Women Donors Network (now Australians Investing in Women), ran a social impact consultancy, has a Masters in Social Impact from CSI Swinburne, is currently Co-Chair of Australian Centre for Rural Entreprenuership (ACRE), mentor with the Women's Business School, and part of steering group for Reimagining Grantmaking in Australia.
She brings more than 25 years’ experience across strategy, marketing, philanthropy, fundraising, business development and project management – on Australian and international projects – to her toolkit. Julia started her career 28 years ago as a journalist, spent 12 years in media and marketing agencies, and was one of the youngest magazine editors in Australia. It was no surprise to her that her intrigue with the human race (and daughter of social justice warriors) brought her into the world of philanthropy and social change.
This turning point came during a two-year career sabbatical working on super-yachts in Alaska, the Caribbean and Mediterranean. (Ask her about 4 weeks with Harvey Weinstein!) There she witnessed the obscene levels of wealth in the world, and became inspired by those who were quietly using it for social good. There she also became connected with the then-blossoming American venture philanthropy and micro finance movements, and the rest is history.
Julia is a skilled writer, speaker, conference MC and workshop facilitator.
When she is not helping others achieve their social mission, she shares her life with her partner and son in Northern Rivers NSW.
Julia is available for guest speaking, media interviews, conference MC, conference presenter, guest blogger, grants panel, industry judge, workshop facilitation. For more information, lodge your enquiry here
We held a public conversation on World AIDS Day to discuss our internationally published book. Julia Keady hosted this conversation for us and she proved to be quite the most wonderful host. She engaged our audience in the most natural, charming and stimulating way. She is at ease in front of a large audience and able to think on her feet, adapting her style to suit the mood of the audience. She set the tone for the night – compassionate, inspirational, warm and genuine. I see a great future for Julia in this kind of role.
I had the great pleasure of meeting Julia Keady when she arranged my visit to Australia. Her standards are high and she never missed a trick. She is bright, funny and kind. She handled a range of personalities during the time I was there, which I could see were less than easy, and yet she never got flustered with anyone. I can recommend her without reservation.
This next gen leader is a WOW. Run, do not walk to leverage this outstanding leader’s impact and have your inspiration regenerated. Women are the strategy and this one has the capacity to move hearts and mountains.
Julia spoke at an event we hosted to celebrate Women Changemakers as part of International Women's Day. Julia artfully combined that heart and the head, by sharing hard-hitting data about issues surrounding women with anecdotes and stories about women changemakers. As a passionate CEO, Julia beautifully brought together the themes of the event, closing it with the audience leaving inspired.
I was pleased to read of your achievements and the work you have been doing to assist women and girls and Australia and globally. Please pass my warm wishes and thanks to Julia Keady, your outgoing Chief Executive Officer.
Julia was a speaker at our 2017 Big 4 conference. Being a speaker in the last slot of the day is never an easy task but from the feedback we received, Julia was a standout performer with a 95% Excellent rating from those attending her session. She presented her case study with humour and warmth whilst still communicating the data effectively which was reflected in comments such as: “Julia was the icing on the cake, especially in the last session”; “…..great to see new data in use but also really funny” and “Last speaker (Julia) was incredible!” Needless to say, we have already booked Julia for another conference this year!
Julia Keady of The Xfactor Collective, offered a dynamic, rich, and informative presentation as part of the 2019 FIA Conference Masterclass, Becoming a more innovative non-profit in six hours. As part of a panel of three innovative sector leaders, Julia was key to coordinating the masterclass and she offered content on how innovation is a way of life and part of the culture of some Australian non-profit organisations and it is certainly part of the genetics of organisations these presenters have touched. FIA is grateful to Julia for leading this six-hour masterclass and for enriching the professional development of the masterclass attendees.
Julia was the MC for the first local Geelong and Surf Coast B Corp Event. This was my first meeting with Julia and what a pleasure it was. Julia made the whole process so easy with her diligence and professionalism. Julia captivated the room of over 90 people on the night. I have had numerous feedback from attendees of how much they enjoyed the night and so much knowledge. Highly recommend Julia for your event.
