Lauren Thomas

Lauren Thomas is a strategic partnerships and program design leader with over 15 years of experience spanning the corporate, government, and not-for-profit sectors in Australia and abroad. She served as Partnership and Project Director at Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, where she led the creation of the Financial Independence Hub in partnership with the Commonwealth Bank — a global-first initiative securing $27 million in funding to support people impacted by financial abuse.

Previously, as Head of Program Design and Advisory Services, Lauren built and led a high-performing team delivering more than 40 major projects for partners including NAB, Transurban, and the Australian Government. Her work is grounded in human-centred design, cross-sector collaboration, and evidence-based innovation.

Earlier in her career, Lauren held consulting and economic advisory roles at Urbis, the University of Technology Sydney, and AllianceBernstein in New York.

Lauren holds a Master of Science in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Finance and Economics from Southern Methodist University. She is deeply committed to advancing financial wellbeing and achieving social impact through innovative partnerships.