About Karen Mahlab AM
Over three decades she has been a Publisher, Media owner, business proprietor, social entrepreneur and board member, concurrently sitting on a wide variety of commercial and not for profit boards.
In 2000 She founded one of Australia's first and best known digital social enterprises: Pro Bono Australia which serviced 2 million Australians annually before changing business models in 2023.
Her publishing company, Pro Bono Australia, inspired and informed two decades of people working in or wanting to work “for the common good”. She built a platform that represented the hitherto fractured Social Economy bringing social enterprise, philanthropy, volunteering, impact investing, corporate social responsibility and not for profits together.
Understanding how to achieve in business through running the Mahlab Group (which had quintupled in size and achieved profitability under her ownership), Karen decided early on that profit maximisation was not her major motivation nor was it a goal she wanted to pursue long term. Rather, after reading luminaries such as The body shop founder Anita Roddick she wanted to have an Impact and saw achieving that through using the then new powers of the Internet and the promises of the digital age. At that point Pro Bono Australia was born. Pro Bono Australia was never just a media company—it was a movement builder, a connector, and a quiet force for sector change. It championed transparency, collaboration, and courage in pursuit of a stronger, more equitable Australia.
Karen ran both organisations concurrently and symbiotically until 2012.
Karen has also co-founded The Public Interest Journalism Initiative (PIJI 2017-2021), PS Media (a local Media startup 2019-present )and a number of other social enterprise and philanthropic startups.
Through Pro Bono Australia and her other involvements she launched a range of standalone initiatives such as the Impact 25 Awards, Civil Voices, MacroMelbourne, Mentor the Treasurer, VolunteerMatch all of which were efforts to strengthen civil society and give voice to emergent movements and people.
PODCASTS INTERVIEWS
Current roles:
Co-Founder *PS Media
Founder and CEO Pro Bono Australia
Member Mannifera
Karen was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2015 Awarded Member of the Order of Australia (AM) Queens Birthday 2015 for contribution to the Australian Not for Profit sector and Innovation in Philanthropy.
Australia's top 100 Women of influence 2012
Telstra Business Womens Award finalist 2016, 1997
Former roles:
Chair/Board Member, Australian Art Orchestra
Chair The Sir Zelman Cowen Centre (SZCC) at Victoria University
Founding Board Member, The Public Interest Journalism Initiative (PIJI)
CEO Mahlab Group
Board member Reichstein Foundation
Board member Australia Communities Foundation
Board member Ten20 Foundation
Board member StandUp
Charities Crisis Cabinet (COVID) Charities Crisis Cabinet - Member
2020 - Present
See: https://www.communitycouncil.com.au/content/charities-crisis-cabinet
The Charities Crisis Cabinet met for the first time on Tuesday, 31 March 2020. The Cabinet is co-Chaired by Rev Tim Costello AO and Susan Pascoe AM and draws on the leadership and experience of leaders from across the breadth of the 57,000 strong charities sector. It will seek to enable charities to support their communities through the Covid-19 pandemic, especially those most vulnerable to increased harm, and ensure as many charities as possible can effectively contribute to building flourishing communities after the crisis. The Charities Crisis Cabinet draws on the experience, knowledge and networks of leaders from across the diversity of the charities sector to highlight issues and consider responses.
The Community Council for Australia provides secretariat support for the Charities crisis cabinet
Other advisory councils and committees.
A Legacy of Leadership and Collective Effort
From pioneering Australia’s first charity directory to becoming a digital powerhouse for the social sector, Karen Mahlab AM’s vision, leadership and investment made all this possible. Her belief in the power of informed, connected communities created a platform that endured for over two decades and supported a sector that, in turn, supports millions
Awards & Recognitions
Member of the Order of Australia 2015
Telstra Business Womens Award finalist 2016, 1997
Top 100 Women of Influence 2012
Member - International Women's Forum
Member Philanthropy Australia
Member - Impact Club