Karen Mahlab

Karen Mahlab AM is an Australian businesswoman and philanthropist. Mahlab has been a passionate believer in the power of community and connection to support human thriving and drive change. She has been a "field builder", supporting emergent eco-systems in the social economy and in Media. She has done this by creating building the channels of connection between communities, not-for-profit organisations, social enterprises, volunteers, philanthropy and business. Her interests in recent years have broadened to include broader societal and planetary issues.

Over three decades Mahlab has been a Publisher, Media owner, business proprietor, social entrepreneur and board member, sitting on a wide variety of commercial and not for profit boards. She founded one of Australia's first and best known digital social enterprises: Pro Bono Australia - which from 2000 - 2023 was Australia's preeminent media organisation for civil society organisations.

Mahlab also co-founded The Public Interest Journalism Initiative, Paradigm Shift Media, Macro Melbourne and a number of other social enterprise and philanthropic startups.

In 2015 she was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia received for services to the Not for Profit Sector and Innovation in Philanthropy. She was named in 2012 as one of Australias top 100 Women of influence.

She has a deep interest in psycho-therapeutic processes and has studied them over many years. She incorporates the insights arising from them into her work.

Co-Founder *PS Media Ambassador Better Futures Australia 2020 Charities Crisis Cabinet (Community Council for Australia) Founder and CEO Pro Bono Australia Board Member, Australian Art Orchestra Founding Board Member, The Public Interest Journalism Initiative (PIJI) CEO Mahlab Group Board member Reichstein Foundation Board member Australia Communities Foundation Board member Ten20 Foundation Board member StandUp Other advisory councils and committees In 2016 she was the Victorian finalist in the Telstra Business Women's Awards in the category of social purpose businesses.

In 2015 Mahlab was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her significant contribution to the not-for-profit sector and philanthropic initiatives. In 2017 she was appointed Chair of the Advisory Committee of Swinburne University of Technology’s Social Innovation Research Institute.