Rick Newnham

Serving as founding CEO for three years Rick has guided Left Right Think-Tank through expansion into 5 Australian cities, building a team of more than 70 young Australians engaging their peers in public policy. As CEO Rick instigated the establishment of the Australian Youth Led Convention, the preeminent convention for leaders of Australian youth-led organisations, which is a partnership project between the Left Right Think-Tank and the Australian Government.

Rick is the Chair of the Board of Directors for Youth Tree which exists to permanently embed ‘doing good’ into youth culture. In 2010 Rick was a Steering Committee Member for the Australian Youth Forum and is a current Board Member of the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition. Throughout 2007–2008 Rick was Australia’s most senior Defence Force Cadet while he served as the National Cadet Under Officer of the Australian Army Cadets based in Canberra, representing the 16,500 Army Cadets nationwide.

Rick is a graduate of the University of Western Australia where he studied strategic management and corporate finance. Having previously worked as a management consultant for KPMG Rick has experience in both government and commercial projects. Rick’s previous project partners through the Left Right Think-Tank and KPMG involve ABC, Chevron, Shell Australia, the US Consulate and the WA Department of Treasury and Finance.

In 2011 Rick was announced by the Australia Day Council as a WA finalist for Young Australian of the Year and is listed as one of Triple J’s ’25 Under 25 + Smashin’ It’. Rick regularly commentates on current affairs as a frequent guest on Triple J’s Hack.

Sources:
1. http://www.leftright.org.au/2009/rick-newnham/
2. http://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/?m=richard-newnham-2011