The Deaf Society & Deaf Services Merger Announcement
Happy New Year from the team here at Plutus Financial Guidance.
We hope you had an enjoyable holiday period spending time with family and friends. 2020 was a transformative year not just for Plutus Financial Guidance, but also personally and professionally for Vince Lam.
As you may be aware, in addition to offering independent financial advice through Plutus Financial Guidance, Vince strives to dedicate himself to philanthropy and community service.
One such commitment is Vince’s ongoing support for The Deaf Society, through his roles on their Board of Directors and Finance & Audit Committee Member since 2017.
The Deaf Society
Founded in New South Wales in 1913, The Deaf Society was Australia’s chief not-for-profit expert service provider for the deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing people. Services provided include employment support, education and training support, family support, assistive technology support, everyday life skills and support relating to NDIS packages.
A New Chapter For The Deaf Society & Deaf Services
In October 2020, The Deaf Society merged with Deaf Services (Queensland) to create a newly formed organisation, called Deaf Connect, which is now Australia’s largest whole-of-life service provider for the deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind community.
This new organisation will bring together 680 staff across New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT, and a forthcoming facility in the Northern Territory.
Deaf Connect will now be operating at a hugely increased capacity as a result of this merger, with annual revenue of about $45m (up from $8m) & an equity portfolio of about $35m (up from $17m). It is an exciting prospect and we look forward to seeing what these combined resources can achieve.
Vince is proud to share that he is a newly appointed member of the Deaf Connect Board of Directors and Finance & Audit Committee.
For Vince, these exciting challenges represent a convergence of his work in finance and his passion for philanthropy and community service. He looks forward to continuing this meaningful work through 2021 and beyond.
For further information regarding the work of Deaf Connect, please visit their website here.
