Sarah is Head of Program Quality and Gender at DT Global, leading efforts to strengthen program effectiveness and advance gender equality and inclusion. She also serves as a Non-Executive Director for UN Women Australia.
She has over 20 years’ experience in international development, with a focus on women’s economic empowerment and Pacific regional programs. Prior to joining DT Global, she was the Economic Empowerment of Women Specialist for the Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative.
Sarah has held senior roles including Deputy Country Representative for UN Women in Fiji, Pacific Regional Programs Director with CARE International, and Deputy Team Leader of the Pacific Women Support Unit.
She began her career with the Australian Government (AusAID/DFAT), including a posting to Solomon Islands supporting the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
I probably shouldn’t admit this but one of the best pieces of advice I have been given was from an academic I worked with at a university who told me that it was always ‘better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission’. Having worked in several large bureaucracies, I have applied this advice many times to good effect.
What’s your favorite place of all the places you’ve travelled?
It’s hard to pick a favourite but one of the best travel experiences I’ve had was swimming with humpback whales in Tonga. We were fortunate to swim with a mother and her calf. The calf was so curious and playful, just like a puppy only much, much bigger!
