Matt is a pioneering social entrepreneur with an unwavering dedication to rejuvenating rural Australia and empowering its young people. As the co-founder and CEO of the Australian Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship (ACRE), Matt has been at the forefront of driving transformative change in rural communities, fostering social entrepreneurship and community-led rejuvenation.
At just 25, Matt founded the Typo Station Youth Project, his first social enterprise, providing life-changing wilderness experiences and self-employment skills for at-risk youth. In 1996, Matt’s work was recognised with the Young Australian of the Year Award and in 2013, a prestigious Churchill Fellowship to study youth entrepreneurship and rural rejuvenation globally.
From leading the $2.7M community buy-back of the historic Old Beechworth Gaol to hosting the first Social Enterprise World Forum - Rural Gathering in the southern hemisphere, Matt has consistently championed the power of social enterprise to inspire a generational shift in social innovation and action. His visionary work continues to shape thriving rural futures.