Peter Yao

Biography

From a young age, Pete’s perspective on life was shaped by his upbringing in south-east Asia and after finishing a Bachelor of Commerce and Arts specialising in management and international development, Pete officially joined the Thankyou team in 2012.

Thankyou generates and redistributes wealth using a social enterprise model, and practises trust-based philanthropy, funding impactful partners to help build a world where not one person lives in extreme poverty.

Thankyou’s products are stocked by major retailers in Australia, with every product contributing to helping end global poverty. To date, Thankyou has raised over $17 million to impact the lives of people across 22 countries.

As Chief Impact Officer at Thankyou and a Director of the Thankyou Charitable Trust, Pete is primarily responsible for the strategy and subsequently grant-making implementation of this entity. This involves analysing theories, organisations and approaches that are effective in tackling extreme poverty.

Pete works to ensure Thankyou’s funding amplifies impactful change-makers, who are working towards systemic and sustainable outcomes for vulnerable and low-income communities. Thankyou's partners think critically about changing systems, are impact-driven, have a clear and sustainable endgame, powered by teams that are high in character and competence.

Pete is also involved in establishing our Responsible Business Goals and supports our team in minimising the negative impacts of operating a social enterprise model in the fast-moving-consumable-goods industry.