Around the world, our network of dedicated staff and local partners make our work happen.
In Australia, that includes our Board, Chief Executive and Senior Management Team.
Together, every decision they make ensures our work is efficient, effective and sustainable, and takes us closer to our goal: making clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene a normal part of everyday life for everyone, everywhere.
Making change happen on a global scale
WaterAid Australia is part of a global federation, alongside six other members: America, Canada, India, Japan, the UK and Sweden. Together we work with partners around the world to unlock people’s potential with clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.

Meet our Chair
Karlene Maywald - Managing Director of Maywald Consultants Pty Ltd, Chair of WaterAid Australia
Karlene Maywald is Managing Director of Maywald Consultants Pty Ltd, providing specialist advice to the private and public sectors. Karlene's time as a Cabinet Minister with the SA Government has given her extensive experience in high-level strategic planning, oversight of major infrastructure planning and delivery, reform of governance and organisational structures, budget oversight, change management, problem-solving across a broad range of high-risk sectors and driving the delivery of major policy reforms. She has an intuitive ability to analyse and identify key information to support decision making and a very good understanding of the importance of good governance. She uses her inquiring mind to seek innovative solutions to overcome obstacles and generate improvements to service delivery.
Meet our Chief Executive
Rosie Wheen – Chief Executive, WaterAid Australia
Rosie is a passionate advocate for human rights, gender equality and universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene. She has two decades of international development experience, having lived and worked in Indonesia for six years before joining WaterAid Australia at its inception in 2004. She was Director of International Programs prior to becoming Chief Executive in 2016. Rosie’s leadership manifesto focuses on being an authentic, servant leader who always pushes herself beyond her comfort zone; this is where Rosie believes she learns most and performs at her best.
Rosie serves on the Board of the THREE Foundation, ACFID and is a Founder and Committee Member of Not in My Workplace, a group of executive leaders working to address workplace harassment and abuse across all industries in Victoria. Rosie has recently discovered obstacle racing and electric bikes, which keep her sane and healthy. She is a shamelessly proud mother of two boys.
Meet our Board members
What makes our Board of Directors so special? They give up their time and energy for free, to help us make a bigger impact and change millions more lives.