Matt Pfahlert

Co-Founder and CEO, Australian Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship (ACRE)

Matt is a globally recognised leader and fielder builder for social entrepreneurship. Matt is a globally recognised leader and fielder builder for social entrepreneurship. As a pioneering social entrepreneur, Matt started his first social enterprise in 1993, working with youth-at-risk in wilderness settings. Since 1996, when Matt was Young Australian of the Year, he has dedicated his career to youth entrepreneurship development, rural communities and building the ecosystem for social enterprise. He co-founded ACRE in 2012 to drive the renewal of Australia’s rural communities so that the next generation can thrive. In 2016, Matt led the community buyback of the Old Beechworth Gaol, famed for its connection to infamous outlaw Ned Kelly. ACRE has co-convened international ‘rural social enterprise’ symposiums in partnership with the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) since 2017. ACRE hosted the SEWF Rural Gathering in 2022 and co-convened the development of The Rural Manifesto for Social Enterprise involving 100 backbone organisations across 35 countries. Matt is also co-founder and inaugural board member of Social Enterprise Australia.