Cultura CEO Joy Leggo to retire from her position

The chief executive of Geelong’s leading multicultural organisation will be stepping down from her role.

Cultura chief executive officer Joy Leggo will be retiring from her role. Picture: Indie Lane Photography

The chief executive of Geelong’s leading multicultural organisation, Cultura, will be stepping down from her role to retire.

Joy Leggo was appointed to the topjob in 2021, and has championed the expansion of care and support services within Geelong for more than 30 years.

Cultura provides a support network for multicultural communities in Greater Geelong.

Cultura board director Gillian Costa said Ms Leggo has been instrumental in shaping the new entity of Cultura, leading the complex merger of Diversitat and MACS in 2021.

“Joy has been a driving force behind supporting an inclusive, engaged and harmonious multicultural Victoria,” Ms Costa said.

“Cultura is an organisation that at its heart, represents 85 different nationalities and as a relatively new organisation, we are still creating our own culture and Joy has shaped the entire direction of this with her clear vision, passion, knowledge and expertise in this space.”

“She will be hard to replace and while we will certainly miss her extraordinary leadership, we are also excited about the future and have commenced the robust recruitment process for a new CEO who will guide us into this next phase of growth and impact in mid 2025.”

Ms Leggo said serving as chief executive had been an incredibly rewarding and humbling experience.

“Victoria has a long history of multiculturalism, and this diversity enriches everyone,” she said.

“It promotes understanding, brings new ideas, extends our skills, attracts businesses and creates new jobs.”

Ms Leggo, 69, has been volunteering since the age of 15 and was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2023 for her work in the aged care and diversity space, after being chief executive of Geelong Multicultural Aged Care Services (MACS) for 27 years.

Ms Leggo said she does the work that she does not to receive any accolades, rather because helping others had always been in her DNA.

“It is part of who I am,” Ms Leggo said.

“It is so important to give back to the community in which you live.

“Working in the not-for-profit sector for over 50 years has allowed me to do that and make a difference where I can.”

Ms Leggo said she would continue to work and volunteer for the community for as long as she was able.

Originally published as Cultura CEO Joy Leggo to retire from her position