The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) today announced that it will strengthen its focus and commitment to public education reform in Australia.

Current CEO, Adam Smith, will be appointed into a new role to lead FYA’s Education Foundation Division and build on the significant work that he, FYA and the Education Foundation Division have already achieved in influencing and supporting public school education reform to achieve a more equitable and relevant school education for all young Australians.

FYA is now seeking a new CEO to lead the organisation into the next phase of our strategic development. Adam will transition into his new role once the new CEO has commenced. This move creates an exciting opportunity for the new CEO to continue to build FYA as Australia's premier youth-focused organisation.

Mark Paton, Chairman of FYA, said,

"Over the last couple of years we have made great progress in creating real impact in the education segment of our work, and the opportunity to further develop this strength is compelling. At the same time, we have had to restrict many other activities to ensure we are sustainable over the longer term. As we emerge from this period, the timing is opportune for us to lift our focus on those broader areas of need in the youth sector where FYA has an outstanding track record of high impact.

The Board and Management are excited about the prospects for FYA and we look forward to working with a new leader to frame and implement this strategy, and focus on creating new opportunities for young Australians to achieve their full potential".

Appointed CEO in May 2008, following an alliance between FYA and Education Foundation, Adam has successfully led FYA through a challenging period. This has included integrating the two organisations, navigating the impact of the global financial crisis, building the support base for youth-led organisations, and launching a number of new programs including Young Social Pioneers and Schools First, the latter in partnership with NAB and the Australian Council for Educational Research.

Mark Paton said,

“Adam has built an exceptionally talented and committed Management team. We thank him for his energy and commitment, and are excited about the opportunity to strengthen our contribution to education reform in the Education Foundation.

"Adam is recognised nationally as a respected advocate in the youth and education sectors and, in his new role, will focus on the reform of public education across Australia.”

FYA has a rich history of empowering young people to be successful learners and creative, active and valued citizens. We create relevant, engaging and empowering opportunities for young people to take a lead role in governance, decision making and community participation more broadly.

Over the past decade, FYA has built strong grant-making, Indigenous, capacity building and scholarship programs to achieve these objectives and to position FYA as the leading youth organisation in Australia.

Enquiries regarding the CEO role should be directed to Fiona McGauchie at Egon Zehnder Melbourne.

For more information about FYA go to: www.fya.org.au.