Tara Winkler

Social Entrepreneur, Systems Change Leader & Author

Tara Winkler has built her career by challenging entrenched systems and proving that radical change is possible. Her extraordinary journey of dismantling the orphanage she founded and creating a groundbreaking model, now being rolled out nationally by the Cambodian government offers a masterclass in systems change, courage, and disruptive leadership.

In 2007, Tara co-founded Cambodian Children’s Trust (CCT) to rescue 14 children from an abusive orphanage. Under her leadership, CCT became the first organisation in Cambodia to close its own orphanage and transition children to family-based care, sparking a national care reform movement. In 2019, she launched the Village Hive Project to address the root causes of family separation and decolonise development. By 2025, Cambodia had adopted the Village Hive as its official national framework for social protection, cementing CCT’s model as a global blueprint for systemic change.

Tara’s powerful message has reached millions through her viral TED Talk, Why we need to end the era of orphanages (1.2M+ views), her book How (NOT) to Start an Orphanage (Allen & Unwin, 2016), and features on Australian Story, 60 Minutes, and other international media. She is also producing a documentary on decolonising development.

A dynamic storyteller and disruptor, Tara inspires audiences to challenge orthodoxies, embrace failure as a driver of innovation, and reimagine systems that no longer serve people or planet.

Speaking Topics

• Rebel with a Cause: A Masterclass in Systems Change
  How dismantling an orphanage and building a model now adopted nationwide in Cambodia proves bold, disruptive action can rewrite the rules.

• The Power of Failure: How Getting it Wrong Leads to Getting it Right
  Why courage, humility, and self-awareness are essential leadership tools—and how mistakes can drive innovation.

• Disruptive Leadership
  A case study in challenging orthodoxies, persistence, and reshaping systems when the world says it can’t be done.

• Courage as a Strategy: Leadership Lessons from the Edge
  How to lead when the path is unclear, take risks when stakes are high, and turn vision into systemic change.