Sarah Foxe

In flood-prone Nepal, I saw a community raise riverbanks with local labor and government backing, stopping annual floods for good. Elsewhere, I saw empty latrines built without water access, creating programs that solved the wrong problem. These early experiences across Asia and the Pacific taught me a simple truth: policy must reach the ground, and solutions must be built with communities, not delivered to them. Bridging the divide between policy intent and ground-level execution saves both dollars and lives.

For over 20 years, I have led complex disaster management programs and strategic reform across government, the social sector, and corporate partnerships. A pivotal turning point was operating in the State Emergency Operations Centre during the catastrophic 2022 Northern Rivers floods. Experiencing that crisis firsthand exposed a critical vulnerability. As disasters escalate, leaders must pivot from the decisive command-and-control of emergency response to the complex, adaptive environment of long-term recovery. When coordination lags, decisions stall, teams burn out, and communities wait.

That challenge is why I founded Foxe Advisory. I work alongside executive leaders before crisis hits to establish clear decision-making rules under pressure, align competing agencies, and design programs that hold.

With climate-driven disasters increasing in scale, Australia needs recovery leaders who can navigate complexity while keeping community voices at the centre. My Churchill Fellowship examines international models that successfully bridge emergency response and recovery. By engaging global experts, emergency agencies, and recovery practitioners, I will bring home practical insights and frameworks to inform policy settings, strengthen governance, and support adaptive leadership across Australia.

My vision is a future-ready disaster sector. It is one led by adaptive leaders equipped to listen deeply, navigate complexity, and deliver coherent, trusted recovery when communities need it most.