Emily Milton Smith
State Commissioner
Emily is State Commissioner of Girl Guides NSW, ACT & NT and previously Chair of the Board. A lifelong Girl Guide, Emily has held numerous leadership and management positions at national, state, region and local levels, and brings a depth of international experience, including representing Girl Guides Australia at previous World and Asia Pacific Regional Conferences and events.
With strong governance-level and executive experience across several for-purpose entities in local and global contexts, Emily has chaired and been a member of several boards and committees with a focus on gender, youth engagement and education.
Currently, Emily serves on the International Council of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, as a global adviser at The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, and as an active Member of UN Women Australia’s Sydney Chapter with its fundraising focus for projects in the Asia-Pacific. She also serves as a Branch Councillor for Scouts NSW.
Emily has recently served on the Executive Committee of the National Council of Women NSW and on the Global Youth Board of Unilever’s Dove’s Self Esteem Project reaching 25+ million people.
A Women Deliver Young Leader Alum, Emily has represented Australia on countless occasions including at the United Nations ECOSOC Youth Forum, the Youth Takeover General Assembly, and APEC. She has led international youth delegations to high level events, including the Commission on the Status of Women in New York and the Conference of Parties.
She holds a Master of Public Policy and other qualifications and certifications in leadership, change, partnerships, and governance, and has completed the AICD Company Directors Course. Her areas of expertise span digital policy, data governance and internet systems, international development, regulation, social services, and rights. Her experience includes a residency at Singapore’s Impact Hub.
Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II honoured Emily naming her a Queen’s Young Leader, 1 of 240 people in the world to earn this distinction.
Emily works at Australia’s leading food rescue charity, OzHarvest, leading its corporate engagement function in NSW/ACT with a focus on partnership programs, corporate events, and fundraising, to enable businesses to deliver impact and take action on climate change and hunger. During the Covid pandemic, Emily was part of the leadership team managing Australia’s largest emergency food relief project.
Prior to OzHarvest, Emily was a national manager at The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Australia responsible for governance and programs.