Daniel Wordsworth

Daniel Wordsworth's Biography

Daniel Wordsworth, Chief Executive Officer, World Vision Australia

In January 2021, Tamworth-born Daniel Wordsworth took on the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Australia’s largest international Non-Government Organisation (NGO), World Vision Australia, after 25 years working in the world’s conflict hotspots.

Prior to joining World Vision Australia Daniel spent 12 years as the CEO of US-based Alight (formerly known as the American Refugee Committee), providing health care, clean water, shelter, protection and economic opportunity to more than 2.5 million people in 15 countries each year.

Before this, Daniel spent 12 years with the Christian Children's Fund (CCF). During his tenure with CCF, Daniel built the foundation of CCF's emergency response programs in East Timor, Sierra Leone, India, Afghanistan and Northern Uganda.

Daniel has lived in, and worked with, the urban poor in Australia, Hong Kong, China, India, Vietnam, and Thailand and has written numerous publications on children and poverty. He started his career in the Royal Australian Navy.

When announced as CEO of World Vision Australia in December 2020, Daniel said he felt “compelled and called” to work with World Vision, an organisation dedicated to helping the world’s poorest children and which, since its inception, has reached more than 200 million children worldwide. He said he was also greatly inspired by the strength of the organisation’s faith-based mission.

“We can look in the news and see what is supposedly wrong in the world, but after having worked in what some people would call the worst places in the world, I can tell you there are many more good people in those places than bad.

“Each time something happens in those places, there are hundreds of people rushing to actually help and get people back on their feet, so the World Vision story is actually one of an amazing world, of a beautiful world and a world full of people doing good things. Our job is to connect Aussies to that spirit.”

Speaking Topics Include

Tackling humanities hardest challenges - Daniel Wordsworth CEO of World Vision examines how organization’s engage in their life transforming mission, tackling humanities hardest challenges, transforming communities, using a voice of justice to support communities where human rights are threatened, supporting devastated areas where natural disasters crippled communities. Daniel who has been in the ground in War-torn Ukraine twice, will also explore the escalating conflict in that country. A conflict that has displaced millions of people including more then 5 million refugees who fled to their neighbouring countries in a crisis that continues to intensify with casualties and displacement growing. The overwhelming majority of refugees and displaced individuals are children and women.