Social Ventures Australia undergoes brand refresh and kicks off CEO hunt
Not-for-profit sector impact consultancy Social Ventures Australia (SVA) has undergone a brand refresh after more than two decades in business, and is now on the hunt for a new chief executive.
After the past six years in the top role and altogether close to a decade and a half at SVA, current CEO and former Bain & Company consultant Suzie Riddell will depart later this year. The search for her replacement is currently underway.
The announcement follows SVA’s recent refresh of its visual identity, developed with the support of branding design agency Principals and covering the firm’s logo, website and tone-of-voice to better reflect its position in the market.
Established in 2002, SVA focuses on supporting non-profit organisations working to eliminate social disadvantage and deliver better outcomes in areas such as early childhood development, education, employment, health & disability, housing, justice, and First Nations reconciliation through advisory and systems design, innovation, impact investing, and policy & advocacy work.
However, the firm says its branding required a face-lift to better reflect the energy and impact of the organisation it has now become following a two-decade journey, and Principals – fresh from an award-winning rebranding assignment for Pitcher Partners – was called into assist. The aim was to capture SVA’s core focus and mission statement; ‘Leading the charge against too hard’.
The end result, informed by research with clients and stakeholders, was a move towards a fresh blue and white palette with ‘connected’ lettering, along with an added ‘innovators for good’ tagline, which in the words of Principals strategy director Moensie Rossier adds warmth and compassion through its brighter and more distinctive design, showing that SVA is a trusted partner.
“By working together with a wide range of partners, we can help solve some of the most challenging social issues,” Riddell stated. “We wanted to articulate this process and have the brand better reflect these skills and achievements. The evolution of the brand embodies the essence of who we are today and positions us to support our mission as we continue to evolve.”
Suzie Riddell
Yet, the social impact consultancy’s future evolution will be guided without Riddell at the helm, as she transitions out of the CEO role toward the end of the year after first joining the firm as a senior consultant from Bain & Company back in 2011. Prior to being appointed CEO in late 2018, she also served as chief strategy officer and executive director of strategy & projects and of education.
Speaking on her departure, SVA chair Rob Koczkar, the managing director of Adamantem Capital who also started out at Bain, said; “Thanks to Suzie’s vision and leadership, and focus on harnessing the power of innovation, SVA is a vital contributor to social impact in Australia today. We are grateful for the dedication she has shown and the position of strength she leaves us in.”
Riddell and Koczkar aren’t SVA’s only connections to Bain, with Sydney-based veteran advisory partner Chris Harrop also serving as a board-mate, in addition to his director duties at Tennis Australia. Meanwhile, executive search and training consultancy People for Purpose has been engaged by SVA to find Riddell’s replacement, along with a new lead director out of Darwin.
