Lawyer
Therese Markou
Expertise.
Therese brings rare, first-hand insight into the charitable and not-for-profit sector with over two decades of experience that she has gained as a two-time chief executive, senior governance adviser and board director.
Her leadership of Animal Welfare League NSW and the NSW SES Volunteers Association saw her steer complex restructures, turn around financial performance, and embed robust governance and risk frameworks. Drawing on this front-line experience, she now advises nor-for-profit leaders on regulatory compliance, board effectiveness, strategic direction, and workforce issues, translating real-world operational understanding into pragmatic legal solutions.
Therese’s consulting portfolio spans governance diagnostics, fraud prevention, workplace investigations and high-stakes change programs across health, disability, education, animal welfare, and emergency services organisations. Having navigated everything from serious workplace health and safety closures to challenges in reporting to the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission, she is able to offer clients an empathetic, solution-focused approach grounded in lived sector knowledge.
Today, as a lawyer with NFP Lawyers, Therese combines her executive background with strong commercial acumen to deliver clear, purpose-driven advice that protects mission, reputation and people. Clients value her ability to ‘speak their language’, build trust quickly and provide practical pathways through the sector’s unique regulatory landscape.
Qualifications
- Master of Business Administation (MBA)
- Diploma in Law, Legal Profession Admission Board (LPAB)
- Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, College of Law
- Admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW
Memberships
- Member, Law Society of NSW
Industry Expertise
- Completed the Company Directors Course, and the Governance Foundations for NFP Directors Course of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
- Senior executive leadership experience managing complex multi-site NFP operations with 75+ employees across veterinary hospitals, animal shelters, volunteer networks, and large-scale fundraising programs.
- Corporate governance specialisation including chairing boards during serious governance crises, resolving workplace bullying matters in executive teams, and managing CEO terminations and recruitment processes.
- Strategic planning and organisational restructuring expertise, having transformed struggling NFPs through operational restructures, financial turnarounds, and culture change initiatives.
- ACNC compliance and charity law expertise gained through resolving reporting issues, managing fraud investigations and ensuring regulatory compliance across multiple charity structures
- Workplace investigations and employment law experience including representing clients in Fair Work Commission conciliation, managing disciplinary processes, and negotiating settlement deeds.
- Risk management and crisis leadership having managed serious workplace health and safety incidents leading to site closures, mass redundancies, and regulatory interventions while protecting board and organisational interests.
- Policy development and regulatory engagement through roles creating standard operating procedures, updating constitutions, and providing submissions on government reviews for emergency services and charity regulation.
- Financial management and revenue generation achievements including increasing organisational revenue by 21% within nine months and securing major gifts exceeding $97,000 for capital projects.
- Change management expertise transitioning volunteer-run organisations to professional staffing models, implementing governance structures at local levels, and managing complex organisational transformations.
- Author and thought leader in the NFP sector through publication of "Mission Accomplished" handbook for CEO's and NFP leaders, and contributing to policy discussions on charity governance and volunteer management frameworks.
Results
“We engaged NFP Lawyers at the beginning of our journey some 4 years ago, to help us bring to life our passion of wanting to help farmers experiencing drought and other natural disasters. Joanne and her team have enabled us to navigate the NFP requirements but their understanding of our charity, has made it possible for Drought Angels to accept any challenge head on with confidence.”
Jenny Gailey | Director, Drought Angels Ltd