Karen Bentley, CEO, WESNET
Karen Bentley is the CEO of WESNET, the national peak body for specialist women’s domestic and family violence services.
Karen has worked across the Violence Against Women sector since 1997 as a senior executive in the Australian Public Service, as a consultant, in women’s and community health services and in WESNET. Always a tech enthusiast and strong anti-violence advocate, Karen has a particular interest in the intersection of technology and Violence Against Women, and is regularly called upon to provide advice to governments, policy makers and technology companies. Karen has trained thousands of frontline workers and other professionals about technology safety and is a co-founder of the Safety Net Australia project.
Karen has a BSc(Hons) from ANU and began her career as a scientist before joining the Australian Public Service where she worked across several agencies. She has also worked as a consultant to numerous non-government organisations and in leadership positions in the health sector. She is passionate about ensuring gender equality and ending violence.