Peter Walton
CEO at Greater Melbourne Foundation

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 Foundation, he served as CEO of CARE Australia, one of Australia’s leading gender focused global humanitarian organisations. He has held a range of senior executive roles including International Director at Australian Red Cross. He is a Board Director of Community Foundations Australia and the Global Fund for Community Foundations.

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 organisations. Over his career he has worked in numerous countries, including seven years based in Vietnam where he was awarded the Vietnam Government’s Medal for Peace and Friendship for his contribution to social development and poverty alleviation. He holds a BA (Politics and Economics), an MSc (Development Economics), an MBA and has completed the Oxford Strategic Leadership Programme.