Our Management

 "In addition to extensive overseas programs experience, Brian has a long standing relationship with, and understanding of, Indigenous Australia. Brian knew Fred and his relationship with Fred and Gabi and the Hollows family dates back to the late 1970s" - Nigel Milan, Former Foundation Chair.

Brian Doolan commenced as Chief Executive Officer of The Fred Hollows Foundation in early 2005.

With his experience and commitment, Brian hopes to provide the leadership to enable The Foundation to grow and become an even bigger player in health, eye care and blindness prevention.

"This position brings together what I've been working for my whole life. If you cut my working life into two you can see one half has been working with Aboriginal communities in Australia and the other half in international development," says Brian.

Brian is strongly motivated by the values of social and economic justice and has a close ideological and political identification with The Foundation and its work around the world.

International Development

Brian, an Australian national, has extensive overseas programs experience. Based in Thailand for two years, Brian worked as Regional Director (Asia Pacific) of the US based Global Alliance for Workers and Communities - a non profit organisation providing support and development programs for factory workers in China, Vietnam, Thailand, India and Indonesia.

Prior to Thailand, Brian spent 10 years working as Country Director of CARE International in Iraq (1993-95) and Vietnam (1995-98 and 2000-2003).

In Vietnam, Brian guided efforts in more than 80 projects which focused on health and HIV/AIDS prevention, agriculture and natural resource management and emergency responses.

Under his leadership, the first successful work-based initiatives for HIV/AIDS prevention and management were established and now serve as the national model.

Brian also guided the production of a ground breaking 30 part television series carrying  health and HIV prevention messages to an audience of over 10 million people. Under his direction the organisation implemented factory and community based interventions in support of workers, along with large scale rural development projects for isolated and impoverished communities.

In 2004, the President of Vietnam awarded the country's 'Friendship Medal' to Brian for his "significant contribution to the economic and social development of Vietnam." The medal is the highest award that can be presented to foreigners.

From 1998-2000, Brian served as Principal Executive - Human Resources, with CARE Australia and in 2000 as joint acting CEO. In 1999, he worked closely with the Chairman, Hon. Malcolm Fraser and other senior staff, to secure the release of three staff members being held in Yugoslavia.

Brian also travelled to Macedonia and Kosovo to assist in the humanitarian response to the refugee crisis, resulting from conflict in Kosovo.

Prior to this, Brian worked in Australia for five years as adviser to the Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Employment and Training.

Indigenous Australia

Brian has extensive experience in Indigenous affairs, having worked with communities and Aboriginal controlled organisations throughout New South Wales, the Northern Territory and South Australia in the 1970s and 1980s.

During this time he worked closely with the unofficial NSW Aboriginal Land Council, in the lead up to the NSW Land Rights Act.

Brian's initial contact with homeless Aboriginal people in Redfern, in the late 1970s, led to an invitation to work with the Aboriginal community of Wilcannia, in western NSW, to help establish an independent and Aboriginal controlled Medical and Education Centre. It was in Wilcannia that Brian first met Fred Hollows, who was visiting the community.

"I first met Fred at the clinic when he was screening people and at the end of the day I found myself having a yarn with him at the local pub," says Brian.

Brian and Fred met up again on numerous occasions over the years, through mutual friends. Brian remembers getting into some deep conversations with Fred about current affairs issues.

"Fred was a man who commanded attention. He was that type of person." says Brian.

From 1981 to 1984 Brian was Director of Studies at Tranby Aboriginal College in Sydney, where he helped to significantly expand post-school educational opportunities for Indigenous students.

Brian has also worked with Indigenous people in the Alice Springs area and was employed for a period as Senior Project Officer of Anangu Pitjantjatjara, advising the body holding title to Aboriginal lands in the remote north western corner of South Australia.

Brian is a qualified secondary school teacher and holds a Graduate Diploma of Adult Education. He is married and has two children.

> Read 'Blind Faith', an article about Brian Doolan and social responsiblity, featured in Thinking Business Magazine - The SAI Global Magazine.

Betty Hounslow joined The Fred Hollows Foundation in 2003 in the position of General Manager (Operations) and became Deputy Chief Executive in early 2005.

Betty has a long-standing commitment to social and economic justice, having worked for almost 30 years in various community-based advocacy and service delivery organisations.

"It is my strong conviction that non-government organisations are an important vehicle for bringing about positive changes in our society and the world at large," says Betty.

Betty's role at The Foundation sees her involved across all areas of the organisation - from the development of our international and Australian programs, to fundraising and education activities, advocacy initiatives, finance and administration.

"The Foundation's approach is to support and encourage people in developing countries and disadvantaged Australian communities to take control of their own lives and futures. We work with this approach across all areas of the organisation".

Immediately prior to joining The Fred Hollows Foundation, Betty worked as Principal Consultant for RPR Consulting. She was also the Director of the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) for more than seven years.

During her time at RPR Consulting, Betty wrote a submission for the Inquiry into Children in Detention Centres, which was led by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.

Betty also created a program for NSW Housing to increase employment and training opportunities for public housing tenants and wrote a major public policy document, Doing Justice: Acting Together to Make a Difference,  for the National Association of Community Legal Centres.

From 1994 to 2001, Betty was Director of the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS).

In 1993, she served as a Human Rights Officer for the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia and from 1988 to 1992 was Principal Project and Policy Officer for the Public Interest and Advocacy Centre in Sydney.

In 2003, Betty was awarded the Justice Medal by the Law & Justice Foundation of NSW for  her long term commitment to improving access to justice for socially and economically disadvantaged people and communities.

The award honored her years of service with ACOSS and in particular her success in lobbying for changes to legislation regarding gay and lesbian immigration.

Betty has also undertaken various volunteer roles, including participation on the Management Committee of Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation, the Advisory Board of the Centre for Australian Community Organisations and Management and she was also the Convenor of the Community Alert Against Racism and Violence.

Betty is also on the Executive Committee of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and the Board of the Law & Justice Foundation of NSW.