The Chief Executive Officer of Fairtrade Australia New Zealand, Molly Harriss Olson is a leader in global sustainability with experience spanning more than 30 years. Fairtrade, the most widely recognised and trusted ethical mark in the world, helps marginalised farmers and workers to build better lives, while tackling global issues such as supply chain sustainability, gender equity, child labour and climate change.

Throughout her career, Molly has worked hard to build teams able to forge difficult consensus frameworks to advance sustainable development. She worked in the White House as the founding Executive Director of the President's Council on Sustainable Development. Appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, the 25-member Council was aground-breaking partnership of high-ranking representatives of industry, government, environmental, labour and civil rights organisations. The Council was commissioned to develop a broad-based national action strategy on sustainable development and in March 1996 submitted its report, Sustainable America: A New Consensus, to President Clinton.

The President called it his 'crowning environmental achievement' during his first term as President. In 2020 Molly was recognised by the YALE Alumni of Distinction Award for 'exceptional contributions to global environmental and economic sustainability and the development of ethical supply chains.' In 2017 Who's Who of Australian Women; in 2014 she won the Australian Financial Review and Westpac 100 Women of Influence Award, recognised in the ‘global influence’ category for her contribution to international development and sustainability.

Molly previously served as the Chair of Fairtrade International from 2008 to 2014 and currently supports Fairtrade International's work in Asia and the Pacific. During Molly's tenure as Chair of Fairtrade International, she overcame monumental obstacles to pass a new constitution, providing half ownership of the AUD $12 billion global system in annual retail sales to Fairtrade producers and workers. She also significantly enhanced the governance of Fairtrade.

As a result of Molly's efforts, Fairtrade evolved from a niche initiative to a movement with global reach. Today, Fairtrade supports more than 1.7 million farmers and workers worldwide, who invested AUD$275 million in projects using their Fairtrade premium in 2019.

For the past five years, Molly has led Fairtrade's team strengthening Asia-Pacific markets, where an estimated 600 million people live in poverty and another 45 million are trapped in modern slavery. Molly's personal and professional mission is to transform trade in the Asia Pacific to transform lives.

Together with a team of 30 people, Molly works tirelessly to expand regional Fairtrade supply chains, grow Fairtrade revenue and bolster environmental and economic sustainability practices. In the 2019 financial year, Fairtrade Australia New Zealand achieved $327 million in retail sales.

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