Kirsten Sayers is a chief executive and director at community, national and international levels. She has held a number of Board roles throughout her career, currently being part of the United Nations advisory board for civil-military humanitarian coordination standards. As CEO of RedR Australia (2013-2023), President of RedR USA, and CEO lead for the RedR International Federation she mentored her international peers and led cohesion and governance across the federation. Former international lawyer and trade and investment diplomat, Kirsten has held senior diplomatic appointments in Paris, Bangkok, Taipei, Singapore and ASEAN. She is specialised in Indonesian, Islamic, and Chinese law, and speaks Mandarin, French, Swedish, Norwegian and Vietnamese to various degrees.  

Michael McGirr is our Mission Director. He is a writer, reviewer and educator who has published books on philosophy, literature, spirituality and ethics, as well as hundreds of articles, essays and stories, in publications including The New York Times and The Tablet. He has reviewed many books for publications such as The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times, and he was previously the fiction editor of Meanjin and publisher at Eureka Street.  

Prior to joining Caritas Australia, Michael was a teacher and most recently worked as Dean of Faith at St Kevin's College in Melbourne. He also worked on faith formation with the boards and staff of schools and other organisations. Through all his work, he is motivated to connect faith, culture and community, and to champion an expression of a faith that encourages justice.

Dan was appointed as Programs Director in October 2021. He leads our Programs team to implement our development programs and humanitarian responses overseas, and develops and executes strategy for our Australia and country offices. Dan spent his early career working in sustainable agriculture and brings his technical experience to his work in international development and humanitarian aid.

He was previously the Director of Programs at Transform Aid International (TAI) (known in Australia as Baptist World Aid Australia) where he successfully implemented the TAI International Programs Strategy and led their Programs team, helping them navigate the global COVID response. Dan has a Graduate Certificate in Humanitarian Leadership and a Master of International Community Development from Deakin University, as well as Bachelor of Agriculture Science and Master of Environmental Management from the University of Queensland. Dan is passionate about social justice and developing impactful partnerships. He volunteers as a lifesaver in his free time.

Nicole has been with working with Caritas Australia for five years across its marketing, brand, fundraising and communication functions. Caritas Australia has seen significant gains across media reach, digital engagement and fundraising, with a streamlined brand approach and extended digital offering that has contributed to increased fundraising. She was appointed Advancement Director in 2025. Nicole has also served as Co-Chair of Caritas Internationalis’ Communications Committee since 2021. 
 
Prior to joining Caritas Australia, Nicole worked in marketing and communications in the corporate sector and government agencies. Prior to this she founded and managed an award winning Digital + Communications agency for 15 years. In all her work, Nicole is passionate about aligning values, mission and impactful story-telling with fundraising and marketing strategy.

Marina has dedicated 15 years to advancing HR excellence across the humanitarian and development & aid sectors. Before joining Caritas Australia, Marina served as Regional Human Resources Manager for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in MENA, where she lead teams in complex emergencies environments, fostered government partnerships, and implemented successful localization strategies. Her experience spans both MENA and Asia-Pacific regions, combining compassionate leadership with operational objectives in fragile contexts.

Marina’s technical expertise includes strategic workforce planning, PSEA policy development, and culturally-adapted DEI initiatives. Beyond these capabilities, Marina displays and empathetic approach and ability to balance organizational requirements with staff wellbeing. Her deep passion for the sector stems from witnessing firsthand how effective people management directly translates to life-changing impact for vulnerable communities worldwide.

Fluent in French, Arabic, English, and Spanish, she draws inspiration from cultural immersion experiences that continually enrich her global perspective.