Travels From Queensland
Juliette Wright
Alleviating poverty as the founder of GIVIT
With her inspiring and contagious ‘can do’ attitude, Juliette Wright has been tackling poverty in Australia as a leading social justice campaigner. She founded the online platform GIVIT in 2009, and has been changing the way Australians help their most vulnerable people.
As the CEO of GIVIT, Juliette leads the online portal to ensure quality goods are delivered to where they are needed most. She has inspired an online network of givers with her vision, hard work and determination, resulting in over 1.5 million items being donated to directly assist Australians in need. She is a firm believer in community support and connecting Australians with those in their local community in need of help.
GIVIT played a crucial role in delivering essential goods during the 2011 floods in Queensland and was adopted as the state government’s official website for matching donations. With 1.8 million hits and 33,500 goods matched over three weeks, GIVIT would later expand into a national dedicated GIVIT Disaster Recovery and Emergency Service, working in partnership with state governments in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, ACT and WA.
Their service was also pivotal during the Bundaberg floods, Cyclone Ita, Tropical Cyclone Marcia, Ravenshoe Café Explosion, Dreamworld tragedy, Queensland Fires and Australian Bush fires. They have raised over $10 million to support Australian communities devastated by disaster.
In recognition of her service to the community, Juliette has been awarded the 2015 Australia’s Local Hero by the National Australia Day Council, National Resilient Australia Award by Australia’s Attorney-General, The Australian National Innovation Challenge Award, Ernst & Young Queensland Entrepreneur of the Year, Moreton Bay Citizen of the Year 2016 and inducted into the Australian Businesswomen's Network Hall of Fame.
Juliette is an engaging speaker that is able to highlight the importance of merging personal values and professional values to benefit society at all levels, including the individual, the company and the consumer.