November 2024 sees Jigsaw say goodbye to co-founder, Paul Brown. Paul is stepping down as CEO after 12 years of continuous service to our organisation and community.

Paul founded Jigsaw back in 2014 with Laura and Jordan O’Reilly, and has led it since its inception. Under his leadership, Jigsaw has grown from one customer and two employees with disability to a national business which has supported over 1500 people to prepare for employment.

Paul says, “I am proud of the impact we have achieved together, especially Jigsaw’s expansion to five hubs across Australia. Earlier in 2024, we reached the incredible milestone of more than $10m in award wages and super paid to people with disability.

“Whilst I am sad to move on, I’ll be staying connected as a member of both Fighting Chance and Jigsaw’s Board of Directors, and am looking forward to exploring an exciting new role in philanthropy.”

Laura O’Reilly, co-Founder and Director of Jigsaw and Fighting Chance (Jigsaw’s parent not-for-profit) reflects on her time working with Paul.

“Paul has had an enormous 12 years with Fighting Chance: firstly founding, establishing, leading and growing Jigsaw, and then broadening to lead the whole organisation. He has done an outstanding job and I’ve loved every moment of working side by side with him.”

With Paul’s departure, we welcome Valerie Richards as the new General Manager of Jigsaw, and Nina Murphy as the new Fighting Chance Group CEO.

Val has been with the Fighting Chance Group for eighteen months as Jigsaw’s People and Culture Business Partner. She has over 15 years experience in the not-for-profit space bringing extensive business management, organisational leadership and operations experience. This includes launching and leading social enterprises. Val has worked with communities across her career that have been marginalised and excluded from society and brings this passion and advocacy for social justice into her new role.

Nina has been with Fighting Chance since 2015 in a variety of roles, most recently as a General Manager. She has a 17 year career in the Australian not-for-profit sector spanning business development, operational, strategic and executive positions; and will be leading the Group with her lived experience in mind.

Nina was diagnosed with a neurological disorder (Myalgic encephalomyelitis) as an adult, and also has lived experience of mental illness. “I have a genuine understanding of some of the experiences of our community. This, along with a passion for social justice, and a deep respect for the founding family and our values, is what will be motivating me as CEO”.

Laura O’Reilly says “Nina understands where we’ve come from, and where we are going, and along with the Board, I have the utmost confidence that the Fighting Chance community is in good hands as the NDIS and our organisation continues to grow and change”.

About Jigsaw

Jigsaw is a social enterprise that provides an innovative pathway to mainstream employment for people with disability. By embedding a comprehensive skill-based training program within our commercial document and data management business, Jigsaw enables people with disability to achieve their employment goals at their own pace. Jigsaw’s holistic approach starts from the very basics of core work skills and supports trainees all the way through to transition to open employment with ongoing support and coaching once they have transitioned. Jigsaw is located in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Canberra.