CEI is delighted to announce the appointment of Rachel Quigley as CEI’s new Chief Operating Officer. Rachel will be based in our Melbourne office, working globally across CEI’s operations.
Rachel is an experienced executive with a background in law, strategy, innovation and operational leadership, and a career spanning philanthropy, climate, government, media and professional services. She specialises in building the systems, structures and cultures that help organisations run and scale thoughtfully and sustainably.
Rachel’s career has focused on translating strategy into operational reality – particularly in mission-driven organisations navigating growth or change. At the Susan McKinnon Foundation, she led a AU$4M innovation portfolio focused on democratic engagement and systems reform. Embedded in an executive capacity within a climate consultancy, she led an end-to-end organisational transformation, aligning operations, governance, and commercial strategy to support scale.
Earlier leadership roles include driving market expansion and governance transformation for a UK media group in emerging markets, strengthening operational and financial performance for a European tourism business, and leading performance and cultural change initiatives across the legal and hospitality sectors.
Rachel most recently completed studies in Digital Transformation at Cambridge Judge Business School and holds Law and Commerce (Hons) degrees from the University of Melbourne, alongside earlier training in digital leadership through Google’s Squared program. She also serves as a Non-Executive Director of the Youth Impact Foundation, which brings together youth charities to deliver practical, evidence-based programs that strengthen mental health, leadership and wellbeing for young people.
Rachel has lived and worked across the UK, Europe, the US, Asia and South America, and is now based in Melbourne, where she brings energy and optimism to her work – along with a love of good food, better wine, and animated conversation. A former chef trained in Paris, she now channels that discipline into fitness racing (to mixed effect), tennis, and long hikes. She shares life with a bulldog who prioritises snacks, naps, and offering loud opinions during Teams calls.