Lucy Bloom

Bloom was born in 1973 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Bloom was married in 1995, separated in 2015 and divorced in 2019. She has three children and lives in Sydney, Australia.{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/lunch-with-lucy-perry-the-perfect-dining-companion-20160303-gn9hio.html|title=Lucy Perry on life after testifying at the Royal Commission|date=5 March 2016|publisher=Fairfax Media|work=Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate=2016-03-17}}

Bloom worked for a short time as a jillaroo after graduating from high school before dropping out of university. Later, she worked at advertising agency Pilgrim International on cause-related accounts such as Amnesty International and World Vision before she established her own boutique advertising agency, Pure Graphics, which she led for 20 years. In 2004 she trained as a doula and created a childbirth education program for men, Beer + Bubs.{{Cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life/prenatal-in-the-pub-20120323-1vo8m.html|title=Prenatal in the pub|last=Swan|first=Jonathan|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en-US|access-date=2016-12-31}}

Bloom began volunteering in communications for Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia in 2004, and became a prodigious fundraiser; in 2012 was appointed CEO of the organization. But in 2015, Bloom testified before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse about abuse she suffered at the hands of a former schoolmaster--and lost her job a month later. Hamlin Fistula merely said "Lucy Perry has now left Hamlin"; Bloom herself said she was devastated.{{cite web|url=https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/lucy-perry-forced-to-step-down-as-ceo-of-catherine-hamlin-s-foundation|title=Lucy Perry forced to step down as CEO of Catherine Hamlin's foundation|work=Women's Agenda|date=13 April 2015|accessdate=2016-03-17}} In October 2015 Bloom was appointed CEO (Australia) of Sunrise Cambodia, a Cambodia-based not-for-profit founded by Geraldine Cox.{{cite web|url=http://www.womensagenda.com.au/talking-about/item/6387-congratulations-lucy-perry-appointed-ceo-of-sunrise-cambodia|title=Lucy Perry appointed CEO of Sunrise Cambodia|work=Women's Agenda|date=16 October 2015|accessdate=2016-03-17}} Cox offered Bloom the position the day after appearing on the ABC program Australian Story.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-17/geraldine-cox-searching-for-heir-to-orphanage,-welfare-empire/6700850|title=Geraldine Cox searching for heir to orphanage welfare empire|work=Australian Story, ABC|date=16 August 2015|accessdate=2016-03-17}}

In July 2017 Bloom joined Inspiring Rare Birds as executive director. In her time there she launched a women-only speaker agency and media hub.{{Cite news|url=https://www.smartcompany.com.au/people-human-resources/leadership/jo-burston-rare-birds-worlds-first-women-only-talent-agency/|title=Jo Burston's Rare Birds launches world's first women-only talent agency in Australia - SmartCompany|date=2017-09-22|work=SmartCompany|access-date=2018-06-14|language=en-US}} Bloom left the role in December 2017, to finish her second book{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}} which was published in April 2019.

In March 2015 Lucy Bloom gave evidence against former Knox Grammar headmaster Ian Paterson in the Royal Commission into Institutionalised Responses to Child Sex Abuse.{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/royal-commission-into-sex-abuse-knox-boys-cheered-while-girl-was-assaulted-by-headmaster-ian-paterson-20150302-13stbc.html|title=Royal Commission into sex abuse: Knox boys 'cheered while girl was assaulted by headmaster Ian Paterson'|work=Sydney Morning Herald|publisher=Fairfax Media|date=3 March 2015|accessdate=2016-03-17}} Bloom testified that she was indecently assaulted by Paterson while at Roseville College at the age of 15 in 1989. Bloom's claims were supported in court the next day by a witness who remained anonymous. Paterson strongly denied the allegation and was supported by another teacher who was present during the rehearsal.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/knox-grammar-old-boy-saw-headmaster-hit-girl-on-buttocks-it-was-more-of-a-grope/news-story/350ca7e0a648748a0d181bbd8d6e1b5c|title=Knox grammar old boy saw headmaster hit girl on buttocks: 'it was more of a grope'|last=Fife-Yeomans|first=Janet|date=5 March 2015|website=The Daily Telegraph|publisher=|access-date=6 April 2016}}

On November 14, 2015 Bloom attended an Australian Graphic Awards Design Association (AGDA) award night and tweeted about the lack of gender representation at the awards. There were two male MCs and only one woman spoke for the event's entirety. Bloom was later accused of slander and threatened with legal action by AGDA, threats which were found to be baseless as an association cannot sue for defamation.{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/lucy-perry-threatened-with-legal-action-over-sexism-comments-on-social-media-20151120-gl4g7e.html|title=Lucy Perry threatened with legal action over sexism comments on social media|date=21 November 2015|publisher=Fairfax Media|work=Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate=2016-03-17}}

In 2016, under Bloom's leadership, and with full board approval, Sunrise Cambodia launched a fundraising campaign that portrayed a Cambodian child as an unkempt sex worker. The campaign was denounced by child protection organizations in Australia as being unethical and exploitative, dubbing it "poverty porn". Bloom defended the use of the images as well within the ACFID code of conducthttps://acfid.asn.au/code-of-conduct/{{Cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/world/poverty-porn-and-pity-charity-the-dark-underbelly-of-a-cambodia-orphanage-20160602-gpacf4.html|title='Poverty porn' and 'pity charity' the dark underbelly of a Cambodia orphanage|last=Murdoch|first=Lindsay|date=2016-06-04|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en-US|access-date=2016-12-31}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/world/lindsay-20160607-gpdeec.html|title='Poverty porn': Charity body denounces use of 'pity' advertising in fundraising campaigns|last=Murdoch|first=Lindsay|date=2016-06-07|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en-US|access-date=2016-12-31}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.phnompenhpost.com/post-weekend/posing-poverty-porn-murky-ethics-ngo-fundraising-hero-shots|title=Posing for ‘poverty porn’: The murky ethics of NGO fundraising ‘hero shots’|last=Vichea|first=Pang|date=2016-05-27|newspaper=Phnom Penh Post|access-date=2016-12-31}}

• Cheers to Childbirth (Flamingo Publishing, 2010, 2020)
• From Lads to Dads (Flamingo Publishing, 2020)
• Get the Girls Out (HarperCollins, 2019; Flamingo Publishing, 2021)
• The Manuscript (Flamingo Publishing, 2023)

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Category:1973 births

Category:Nonprofit chief executives

Category:South African emigrants to Australia

Category:Australian nonprofit businesspeople

Category:Living people