Cara Gleeson

Cara has 15 years’ experience leading preventing violence against women, gender equality and women’s rights initiatives in Australia and internationally.

As Director of the Our Watch Institute, she oversees a specialist team that supports and inspires workplaces to end gender-based violence, partnering with organisations to embed evidence‑based cultural and behavioural change.

A creative, pragmatic and optimistic change leader, Cara brings extensive experience across prevention of violence against women, gender equality and women’s rights, including several non‑executive director and advisory roles. She is recognised for her ability to translate evidence into practical, scalable frameworks that strengthen organisational, systems and everyday workplace practice.

In addition to leading the Institute, Cara also serves as Director, Prevention in Action at Our Watch. In this role, she guides national prevention efforts across high‑reach settings including workplaces, universities, TAFE and VET institutions, sport and the media, ensuring these sectors have the tools, capability and confidence to take meaningful action.

Cara’s previous leadership includes senior roles at VicHealth, the Australian Government Office for Women, and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom in Geneva. She has secured significant government and philanthropic investment for pioneering national programs and continues to build cross‑sector momentum for systems‑level change.