Social change

What we do

Fuelling organisations in the business of creating positive social change

We work with organisations dedicated to supporting and uplifting the most vulnerable people in our community and we are proud of the extra impact we have assisted our clients in achieving.

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Case studies

Some of the ways we have supported social change

Helping a national leader in prevention scale its impact

Since 2019, Right Lane Consulting has partnered with Our Watch to support its mission of preventing violence against women and children.

Through strategic planning, leadership development, operational improvements, and financial modelling, Right Lane has helped Our Watch align its goals, enhance efficiency, and secure sustainable funding. The collaboration also produced an evidence and impact strategy, enabling Our Watch to better demonstrate its outcomes and social impact.

This enduring partnership has strengthened the organisation’s capacity to drive meaningful, long-term change.

Reimagining legacy to continue a path of purpose and impact

Right Lane Consulting supported the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre through strategic workshops, stakeholder consultations, and values development.

These efforts refreshed QVWC’s five-year strategy, aligned its mission with Victoria’s gender equality agenda, and strengthened community engagement. Right Lane’s guidance improved operational resilience by addressing financial risks and revitalised the Centre’s values around inclusivity and equity.

The collaboration has positioned QVWC to better serve women and gender diverse people while enhancing its public profile and long-term sustainability.

Empowering justice: a strategic partnership with LACW

The Law and Advocacy Centre for Women (LACW) is a not-for-profit legal service supporting women, trans, and non-binary individuals in the justice system. Right Lane Consulting has partnered with LACW since 2018, providing pro bono strategic guidance to support its growth and impact. Through collaborative planning and expert facilitation, Right Lane Consulting has helped LACW refine its vision, expand services, and strengthen its organisational capacity, ensuring it continues to deliver vital, gender-specific legal support to vulnerable communities.

Testimonials

What our clients say

Thanks so much for all your work in preparing for and delivering today’s session. We nailed the key issues that were causing friction and everyone is now aligned – which is a huge relief. I’m not sure we would have got there without you. So thanks again. Amazing job!

Chair

UNGNCA

Thank you all so much for last Friday. The preparation was profound and supported a really smooth, sometimes challenging, but ultimately extremely satisfying day when everything we hoped to get accomplished, was. Everyone loved it, Zoe, and were so impressed with how you brought it all together at the end. I don’t know how you do such synthesis on the go, including all the collating at the same time. We are eternally grateful for the ongoing support of Right Lane, a true and enduring partnership. I think we have got to a critical point in our work, using the deep listening and data analytics to come to the point of identifying the critical underlying driver of systemic intergenerational disadvantage. I feel empowered by the work, a bit scared too as to how we get the message out. But, it has to be said!

Executive Officer

Mornington Peninsula Foundation

I wanted to say a heart-felt thank you for yesterday, and all of the work you did in the lead up, including over the weekend. Chiara was an excellent MC/facilitator, Sacha managed the online chat so well, and everything ran like clockwork. Nothing was too much trouble, and I really appreciated you checking in throughout the day to see if we were happy – it personally gave me great comfort. I have only heard positive feedback all round, including this from Cathy (who was in the videos, and is one of our longest standing team members): It was such a professional and polished day. We’ve never had anything like it before – what an achievement! Well bloody done! Indeed, well done to you all, and thanks again for a highly successful, memorable day!

CEO

National not for profit

We have been exceptionally impressed with the support and expertise provided by RLC. Right from the beginning when I spoke to Stella, who really captured our brief so well from our initial conversation which was a lot of me rambling that was somehow pulled into a cohesive document. The level of organisation and planning prior to sessions, as well as your skilled facilitation and knowledge of the legal sector, has meant the sessions have been incredibly productive. Thank you also Chiara for your support in the background. The follow up post sessions with the notes has also been of such a high standard. I’m so pleased that we have ended up somewhere we couldn’t have envisaged at the beginning of the process as it means we weren’t anchored and have really been guided by the process. Thank you!

CEO

Arc Justice

Right Lane held us together whilst we explored our particular ideas around our model in quite a large diverse group. The Right Lane team were able to provide the right care, guidance, structure and process that enabled us to reach our midway point in our foundation phase, applying our model alongside Aboriginal enterprises. The impact the work Right Lane has had on Worthwhile Ventures is best described as reconciliation in action. Without their work and support we would not have seen the diversity of Worthwhile Venture’s business community come together and successfully collaborate and share ideas. So, the long-term impact really is about the model that Worthwhile Ventures has been able to bring to the market. It is quite unique as a not for profit venture capitalist model for Aboriginal people and the Aboriginal community. We are really appreciative of Right Lane’s support and commitment along the way.

Director

Worthwhile Ventures

Our experts

Our people supporting social change

Meet our team

Chiara Lawry

Chief Executive Officer

Chiara is the Chief Executive Officer at Right Lane Consulting. Chiara has deep experience in the public and social sectors where she has worked extensively as a strategy consultant and policy adviser. Beyond the public sector, Chiara also has consulting experience across a broad range of industries including financial services, industrial goods and the retail industry. She has experience in strategy, digital transformation and business development and is passionate about supporting her clients to solve their toughest problems.

Experience

Her recent experience has included:

Working alongside the CEO and executive team of a fast-growing technology company to reset their vision and define their core values.
Working for the executive team of a government social services agency to redesign their operating model to increase program integration and improve client outcomes.
Supporting the CEO and executive team of a national advocacy organisation to scale their influence in response to increased government funding.
Designing and leading a co-design process to bring together government community leaders and end users to design a new initiative to support economic development in regional Victoria.
Leading the customer journey mapping for a financial services client.

Chiara has a deep passion for social impact and has worked with a number of local and international NFP organisations. She was a founding volunteer and board member at the Oaktree Foundation and has worked with indigenous organisations in the Cape York Peninsula and the Tiwi Islands. She previously served as a board member and deputy chair of Environmental Justice Australia and joined the Merri Health board in 2023.

Prior to joining Right Lane Consulting, Chiara worked at the Boston Consulting Group where she was a core member of the public sector practice. Chiara was a policy adviser at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in Canberra where she worked under the Rudd and Gillard Governments on health reform and international policy.

Qualifications

Chiara has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the Australian National University and a Masters of Public Administration from Columbia University.

Publications

Listen to Chiara Lawry on the Future Women Leadership series talk about how to create (or change) your team’s strategy.

Gemma Pinnell

Principal

Gemma is a principal at Right Lane Consulting. She has worked in senior positions in superannuation and the labour movement for over two decades. Her areas of expertise are Affordable Housing and Superannuation. Gemma has delivered projects across strategy, policy and program evaluation, new service design and implementation, data and analytics, and transformation. She is focused on partnering with clients to tackle challenging problems and deliver solutions that can be executed to achieve impact.

Experience

Her recent experience has included:

Working alongside an executive director of Australia’s biggest public transport project – to bring their team together, to connect, and align on the key priorities for the team for the next 12-18 months. This included agreeing measures of success and ways of working to deliver their program of work effectively.
Working with the CEO and board of a community affordable housing organisation in Sydney’s west to agree their overall strategic direction and aspiration and consider key strategic questions to set them up for future success and to assess their investment pipeline and growth strategy.
Working with the head of External Affairs of a peak body in the energy industry, Gemma worked collaboratively with the team to develop a set of ‘mega themes’ to better define their work priorities and align their work to the broader organisational goals.

Prior to joining Right Lane Consulting, Gemma was director of Strategic Engagement at Industry Super Australia where she was responsible for strengthening relationships between ISA and key stakeholders. Gemma has built her successful career as a skilled leader bringing complex stakeholders together, solving complex problems and leading and driving outcomes.

Gemma was also previously a trustee director of
AustralianSuper, a director of Industry Fund Services and a member of the senior team at the ACTU. She worked in senior roles in the trade union movement for twenty years, including leading organisational reviews for the ACTU. She is a skilled facilitator and enjoys working with boards and teams across a variety of sectors, with her passion being in housing, gender and sustainability.

Qualifications

Gemma is a director of the progressive think tank Per Capita and holds a Master’s degree in Communication from RMIT, an Honours degree in Women’s Studies and Politics from Monash University and is a graduate of the AICD Company Directors course.

Publications

Right Lane Consulting. (2024, May). Housing Matters: Unlocking the supply of social and affordable housing at scale

Matthew Foskey

Engagement Manager

Matthew Foskey has expertise in strategy and policy, working at Right Lane Consulting and across multiple portfolios in the Victorian Public Service, including public sector reform, emergency management and health.

His recent experience has included:

Developing a 4-year strategic plan for an emergency management agency, engaging with key stakeholders to align on the best approach for success in a resource-constrained environment.
Facilitating a board strategy offsite for a leading peak body, supporting participants to make key strategic decisions in a rapidly changing environment.
Leading the implementation of a new strategy for a large community housing provider, organising sessions with the CEO and executive team to prioritise initiatives and ensure consistent implementation.
Conducing an operating model review for a national not-for-profit enterprise, resulting in a more suitable leadership structure, clarified organisational capabilities, and alignment with savings targets. The project incorporated a ‘lived experience’ perspective to promote buy-in for changes.
Reviewing and advising on roles and responsibilities for senior executives in a public sector organisation, identifying strengths, areas for improvement, and developing recommendations to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
Facilitating focus groups to inform a review of an organisation’s operating model, ways of working, and culture, leading to valuable insights and clear next steps for improvement.
Evaluating youth engagement programs aimed at reducing incarceration rates for a large not-for-profit employment provider across multiple states, completing performance evaluations with recommendations and tools to sustainably enhance the organisation’s impact.

Matthew is a qualified Australian Lawyer and commenced his career at a large professional services firm delivering tax and employment law advisory services to both ASX-listed companies, private companies and not-for-profits.

Qualifications

Matthew has a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts degree from Monash University and a Master of Public Policy and Management at the University of Melbourne, which included a first-class honours thesis.

Ready to see how we can help you create even more impact?

We work alongside clients who do great work within the sectors they operate, and we are excited to be involved in creating outcomes that truly make a difference.

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