Brenda Appleton OAM

Brenda retired in 2009 after 35 years working in the corporate sector and is heavily involved volunteering with a wide range of community groups, including the LGBTQIA+ communities in Melbourne (for more than 25 years).

Brenda was the chair of Transgender Victoria until 2021, and stepped down in 2019, after two terms as the co-chair of the LGBTIQ Taskforce set up by the Victorian Government. Brenda has been a member of the Victoria Mental Health Taskforce, the Senior Victorians Advisory Committee, the NWMPHN Suicide Prevention Taskforce and the Victorian Elder Abuse Roundtable. Brenda served three years on The Pinnacle Foundation Board and was appointed as an ambassador in 2021.

Brenda is enthusiastic about using her lived experience to improve the health and wellbeing of trans and gender diverse people across Victoria. She was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2017 and in 2018 received a Victoria Senior of the Year award.

Brenda is a retired chartered accountant. She has a Bachelor of Commerce, a Master of Sustainable Practice, and GAICD, and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in January 2019. Brenda was awarded the Voltaire Human Rights Award for 2022 by Liberty Victoria.

“The opportunities provided by The Pinnacle Foundation can be significant for the future success of many young disadvantaged LGBTQIA+ people, and I love being involved in this important work. The benefit of networking, mentoring and financial assistance can be game changers for our communities.”