The UniSA Yunus Social Business Centre was established by agreement with Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Muhammad Yunus in 2018. The Centre operates in accordance with the Yunus philosophy, with a focus on social enterprise, zero poverty, zero unemployment and zero carbon emissions.
Our vision for the UniSA-Yunus Centre is to provide students with learning experiences that will contribute to their development as globally aware and responsible citizens, who care for the community and actively contribute to creating a better world.
The UniSA-Yunus Centre provides a unique opportunity for students to learn about social enterprise and how business principles can be applied to support the most marginalised groups move out of poverty. The Centre will link students with opportunities to get involved in community and volunteer work that aligns with their academic studies.
As Australia’s University of Enterprise, UniSA has extensive industry links -- locally, nationally and internationally.
The UniSA-Yunus Centre will promote understanding and co-operation to drive business and social change in such key areas as: education, research and information gathering, renewable energy, conservation of resources and the environment, training young people for social progress, and green technology.
Professor Carol Tilt is a Professor in Financial Accounting at UniSA. She has degrees in Education and Accounting, and her PhD was on environmental policy and reporting by Australian Companies. She is a fellow of CPA Australia, CA and FCMA, and a member of the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand (AFAANZ). She is also on the governing council of the Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research (CSEAR) in Scotland.
Professor Henning Bjornlund is a Research Professor in Water Policy and Management at UniSA. He has been researching water management and policy issues in Australia since 1993, and in Canada since 2005. Since 2013 he has focused on working with small scale irrigators in Sub-Saharan Africa.
David Pearson is the CEO of the Australian Alliance to End Homelessness, where is working to help build a national campaign to support Australian communities to end rough sleeping homelessness. David is currently a Myer Innovation Fellow, Industry Adjunct at the Australian Alliance for Social Enterprise at the University of South Australia, and a senior advisor for the Institute of Global Homelessness (IGH).
David is also director of the Adelaide Fringe Festival, the world’s second largest open access arts festival; a director of Community Bridging Services SA, a leading disability employment services NGO in South Australia; and a director of the Social Impact Investment Network of South Australia (SIINSA).
Previously David Pearson was the Executive Director of the Don Dunstan Foundation, a thought leadership organisation established to inspire action for a fairer world where he led the re-launch of the Thinkers in Residence program with a focus on growing a more purposeful economy. Prior to this, David was the Senior Policy Adviser in a range of fields to a number of South Australian Premiers and Commonwealth Government Ministers. David has a Bachelor of International Studies and a Bachelor of Media, with Honours in Politics and Public Policy from the University of Adelaide.
In 2019 David was recognised as one of the top 40 Under 40 leaders in South Australia.
The co-directors are joined on the UniSA Yunus Centre Board by:
The UniSA-Yunus Centre provides an opportunity to promote understanding and increase connections across a range of UniSA initiatives, including:
You can contact the UniSA Yunus Social Business Centre by using the details below: