Peter Walton

Peter Walton is the CEO of the Greater Melbourne Foundation, a role he has held since April 2024. He is a passionate advocate for the power of local – believing that strong, resilient and inclusive communities are the foundation for social justice, equity and a fairer society. In his career he has been a champion of effective philanthropy, systems change and the innovative partnerships needed to address complex social challenges and create lasting impact for people and places.

Peter brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across the international humanitarian, development and social impact sectors. Prior to joining the Greater Melbourne Foundation, he served as CEO of CARE Australia, one of Australia’s leading global humanitarian organizations. He has held a range of senior executive roles including International Director at Australian Red Cross and CEO of Infoxchange, a social enterprise that uses technology for social justice.

After leading a power-shifting restructure of the Australian Red Cross international operating model, he was invited onto the founding board of the global Pledge for Change 2030 – a movement that seeks to shift more power and decision making to locally-led organizations. Over his career he has worked in numerous countries, including seven years based in Vietnam as Regional Representative for ChildFund, where he was awarded the Vietnam Government’s Medal for Peace and Friendship for his contribution to social development and poverty alleviation. Peter has deep governance experience having served on multiple boards. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Politics and Economics), a Master of Science (Development Economics), an MBA and has also completed the Oxford Strategic Leadership Programme.