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.