Our Team

Clayton Noble commenced as CEO of United Way Australia in early 2017. After a successful start to his career as an Air Force Officer, Clayton held executives roles with companies including Fuji Xerox, Dell & Coles Myers, leading diverse teams across Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Clayton adopts a values-driven leadership approach with a deep sense of purpose and demonstrated commitment to life-affirming values. He is also a strong advocate for business leaders adopting a ‘profit for purpose’ mindset through effective business/community engagement. Clayton takes a collaborative approach to his work as a social change agent, and takes a particular interest in child & youth success and ethical supply chains.

Clayton has an undergraduate degree in business and master degree in science. He lives in Sydney, married with four adult children, and is a keen ocean swimmer & kayaker.

Shelly has built strong technical accounting, financial reporting and process improvement experience over her 15 years in industry and consulting roles. She has worked with a variety of organisations, from start-ups to large ASX listed companies, and acquired many insights on best practice and how to implement it. As a member of the United Way Australia team, Shelly uses her background and skills to make a real difference by driving financial strategy, day-to-day operations and implementing the strategic vision.

As a mother to two children under 5, Shelly understands well how the experiences and education a young child receives can set them up for a successful future. Shelly is passionate about helping children to get their best start in life.

Shelly has a Bachelor or Business from UTS, is a Chartered Accountant and member of the Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand.

Rubie joined the Hive as Director in 2020 and provides strategy and direction to all of The Hive’s work in Mt Druitt. Rubie has experience in Collective Impact work, and has held various leadership roles. Rubie works alongside The Hive’s key partners to build relationships, advocate for system-level change and identify new opportunities to respond to community aspirations and priorities.

Rubie has great love for Mt Druitt, she completed her high schooling locally in Bidwill and continued to work in Bidwill, and in the Western Sydney area for many years. Rubie has two large German Shepherds and also has her own podcast.

Fiona joined United Way in 2023 bringing over 20 years of experience in strategic and operational management within the not-for-profit health sector. Fiona is passionate about driving innovative solutions and adopting best practice approaches to achieve positive outcomes for communities and stakeholders. Fiona’s role focusses on stakeholder engagement and leading UWA’s growing READ, LEARN and SUCCEED initiatives nationally. She has a Bachelor of Applied Science and a Master of Business Law.

Cheryl joined United Way in 2024, bringing over 20 years of management experience across corporate, SME, and micro business sectors, particularly in Financial Services and IT solutions. She oversees operational functions such as IT, procurement, risk, governance, compliance, CRM and donor management, HR, major events, and projects. Cheryl is dedicated to supporting the United Way team in achieving their goals. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management, further enhancing her leadership capabilities.

Julie Johnson is a dedicated philanthropy leader committed to driving impactful giving. As Head of Major Gifts, she partners with generous donors to create lasting change in communities through strategic philanthropy. With extensive experience in major gifts fundraising, Julie specialises in donor engagement and stewardship, ensuring every contribution makes a meaningful impact. Passionate about United Way’s mission, she connects philanthropists with opportunities to drive real social change.

Claire Galea is the Head of Research at United Way Australia with over 30 years of experience as a statistician. She is passionate about using data to tell compelling stories, aiming to highlight and drive positive change for children worldwide. Claire’s expertise and dedication make her a key figure in leveraging data for impactful narratives.

Grace brings to UWA a wealth of experience and a proven track record in project management in creative industries, strategic marketing in the NFP sector and building successful business partnerships across a diverse range of roles.

At UWA Grace is responsible for driving revenue growth through partnerships and events, overseeing strategic marketing efforts and nurturing and strengthening our corporate partnerships for shared value.

Working in a collaborative environment, in a hands on role where she can make an impact is what drives Grace. As a mum of two young boys she is passionate about nurturing and supporting children to thrive and reach their full potential.

Steve joined The HIVE in 2024 as the Community Development Lead, following seven years of leading a partner organisation’s place-based initiative in Mount Druitt. He brings extensive experience in community development, team leadership, and social justice initiatives. Steve is passionate about community-led advocacy and works with teams to cultivate conditions that actualise capabilities and foster belonging — standing in solidarity with communities as the true catalysts for change.

Leo brings to United Way several decades of corporate business experience as a mentor and coach to business leaders across a wide mix of market segments in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. During the past decade Leo has been the director of a sales enablement consultancy and in more recent times transitioned to the not for profit sector.
His knowledge and expertise continue to enhance United Way Australia’s partnership development and stakeholder engagement capability.

Heading up the program management of the Imagination Library in Australia is an incredible opportunity to see the positive impact on the lives of thousands of children who are given access to a world class literacy development program.

Leo has five grandchildren and enjoys being a part of their developmental journey.