Jan Owen AM

Board Director

(she/her)

Australia

Jan is a highly regarded social entrepreneur, innovator, strategist, commentator and author who has spent the past 25 years growing the youth, social enterprise and innovation sectors.

In 2012 she was named Australia’s inaugural Australian Financial Review and Westpac Woman of Influence. Jan has been awarded honorary degrees (honoris causa) from the University of Sydney (DLitt) and Murdoch University, Western Australia (DUniv); and was awarded membership to the Order of Australia in 2000. She is the author of Every Childhood Lasts a Lifetime (1996) and The Future Chasers (2014).

Jan was previously CEO of the Foundation for Young Australians and Executive Director of Social Ventures Australia; and Founder and CEO of the CREATE Foundation. In 2020, Jan became Co-Chair of Learning Creates Australia, an independent not-profit committed to dismantling barriers, advancing innovation, and fostering learning environments that equip every student – regardless of their starting point – with the skills and pathways they need to thrive.