Chris Mathieson
(She / Her)
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Chris is a highly respected transformational leader with a longstanding professional focus on family violence prevention and response and extensive experience across the public and community sectors, driving gender equality, social change and systemic reform.
Prior to joining Safe and Equal as Interim CEO in December 2025, Chris was Managing Director of mindingmindsets, a consultancy specialising in strategic change and growth for purpose-driven organisations. Immediately before this, she served as CEO of FVREE, a leading Victorian family violence organisation, providing sector leadership across prevention, early intervention, response and recovery for victim survivors.
Previously, Chris was CEO of Expression Australia, where she advanced inclusive practice and social change for deaf and hard of hearing communities, with a strong focus on intersectional equity for women, people with disability, CALD and LGBTIQA+ communities.
Chris brings significant senior public sector leadership experience, including as Director of Victoria’s Office for Disability and Director of the Office for Women’s Policy, where she helped embed gender equality and women’s economic participation into government policy and reform agendas. She also led the establishment of the Office of the Disability Services Commissioner.
She holds qualifications in Habilitation Studies and is a Harvard Club of Victoria Scholar, having completed the Strategic Perspectives in Not-for-Profit Management program at Harvard Business School. Chris has held numerous board and advisory roles, including Chair of National Disability Services (Victoria), Director of the NDS National Board, Director of Safe and Equal, and Deputy Chair of the Human Rights Arts & Film Festival. She is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.