Sue Birch is an experienced advancement services professional, having worked in this field for almost 15 years as both a practitioner and a consultant. As a practitioner, she worked with leading Australian universities, including Monash University, The University of Sydney, RMIT University, and The University of Queensland, from 2008 to 2018. Sue now has her consultancy practice, specialising in advancement services and fundraising operations, working with universities, schools, medical research institutes, and other not-profit organisations to help them achieve their ambitions for philanthropy.

Sue holds a Graduate Certificate in business (philanthropy and nonprofit studies) from Queensland University of Technology and a master's degree in technology (information technology) from RMIT University. She is based in Brisbane, Australia.

John Bird has been with the alumni relations and development team for almost four years and has helped develop a data-informed culture within the department, supported by his team of prospect research and advancement services staff and by the implementation of new systems and modelling techniques. 

Prior to moving to Auckland, Bird spent almost 20 years working as a supplier of fundraising CRM databases to the non-profit sector in the United Kingdom. Starting as a database developer and moving through project management roles, his final job was managing director of Blackbaud Europe and everydayhero.

Bird’s experience gives him an appreciation of what technology can and – importantly – can’t do, alongside what fundraisers and alumni relations staff really need from that technology.

Anneke Burlinson’s career as an Advancement professional began a decade ago when she was tasked with establishing the Prospect Development team at the University of Western Australia. She and her team were part of what was the largest capital campaign for Western Australia. In mid-2017, she moved to Murdoch University to help build its Advancement Operations unit, in the areas of Information Management, System Development and Support, Prospect Development and Gifts Stewardship.

Anneke brings her experience and expertise from her earlier roles and studies at Ludwig Maximilian University, University of Indonesia and California State University, Chico.

She currently serves on the Editorial Board for the CASE Support of Education Survey, Australia and New Zealand and the Murdoch University’s CRM Steering Committee, and recently co-initiated the Lean In Circle at Murdoch University.

As Director, Alumni and Operations at Swinburne University of Technology, Louise is responsible for strategic leadership across alumni engagement and communications, database management and University events.  With extensive experience in the higher education sector in Australasia, including lecturing, Louise is passionate about people and their potential - individually and collectively - to deliver positive impact. Prior to joining Swinburne, Louise was Deputy Director, Alumni Relations and Development at the University of Auckland during its successful campaign For All Our Futures, establishing an alumni engagement target alongside the Campaign’s philanthropic goal. Louise has also led alumni engagement teams at Monash and RMIT universities, developing alumni programmes and building supporter communities.