CEO MONTHLY / FEMALE CEO OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2025 12 Inclusee is a non-profit established as a way to address the growing issue of social isolation amongst Australia’s older generation. Joining as CEO in 2019, Rachael Cook ensured that Inclusee performed exceptionally and received commendation in its last audit, fulfilled all funding agreements for the first time in its 50-year history, For a number of generations, the online world is something that today comes naturally to them. They traverse it with relative ease, using it for everything from speaking to friends to engaging with media, and this technology has become part of their daily lives. Many older people are not so lucky, and though some have children and grandchildren to help guide them through this digital landscape and show them how to use their devices, there are still a huge amount of social isolation. Inclusee is seeking to mitigate this across Australia, and CEO Rachael Cook was on hand to tell us how. and maintained 98% staff engagement across its 100% remote workforce. This barely scratches the surface of the remarkable work this CEO has done since joining the fold six years ago, with her efforts concerning the Virtual Community Centre (VCC) being especially noteworthy. Recognising that traditional community programmes usually exclude those who are housebound or disconnected from the digital world, the VCC stands as a 100% virtual, co-designed community that meaningfully connects seniors, carers, and volunteers across Australia, through programmes built around inclusivity and empowerment. Using the VCC, Inclusee offers more than 200 online activities for its members each month, with these ranging from morning meditation through to book clubs, art therapy, singing groups, writing meets, and more. The purpose of every session delivered is the same: to ensure every participant finds a place to belong, learn, and contribute, all whilst building their confidence using technology. This results is a model that is safe, scalable, and responsive, with farreaching implications for independence and longevity of life for members. “Our core mission is to create a world where every older person feels connected, valued and empowered, regardless of geography, ability, cultural background or socioeconomic status.” Whilst Inclusee may have existed long before Rachael came aboard, the synergy that exists between this CEO and her organisation has caused both of them to develop massively. This comes from the experiences Rachael has had over a diverse and dynamic career in this space, which has played out against a backdrop of wider societal change concerning women in leadership roles. The result has been a general redefining of what effective leadership looks like, and Rachael prides herself on always remaining in tune with these developments. Rachael’s approach continues to be shaped by this, as she explained: “Leading organisational change programmes and building high-performance cultures in both for-purpose and commercial environments have both given me the skills to drive innovation and deliver measurable impact at Inclusee.” She continued: “With over two decades in executive and operational leadership across health, aged care, banking, and franchise sectors, my previous experiences have also been instrumental in shaping my approach as CEO at Inclusee.” The direct outcomes this pioneering spirit translate to for Inclusee are clear to see, including last year, when the organisation achieved the milestone of 100,000 connection hours, paving the way for the next big milestone of 1,000,000 connection hours. Driving this goal is the expanding influence of the organisation, which is today connecting more people than ever across Australia. It is achieving this though initiatives such as ‘Say G’Day Day’, a national awareness day encouraging social connection to be prioritised as part of good health. As Rachael told us, this is part of something much bigger: “I am truly dedicated to creating a cultural shift in our society, inspiring Australians to see social connection as a vital health requirement.” Inclusee is mirroring this through its plans for 2026 and beyond, a snapshot of which includes launching a dedicated app for the VCC, raising awareness of the above-mentioned Say G’Day Day (held on annually on 21st November), and ramping up collaborations with likeminded organisations to bolster the huge impact its work has. With Rachael Cook leveraging the power of connection to improve social health for thousands of Australians from across the country, it is our pleasure to recognise the efforts of both her and Inclusee more broadly with this award. For more on the exceptional work this CEO and her team are doing in driving social connection, follow the link listed below. Contact: Rachael Cook Company: Inclusee Web Address: https://inclusee. org.au/ Social & Digital Inclusion CEO of the Year (Australia) 2025: Rachael Cook
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