Our People 

Heather Hamilton

Founder & CEO

Heather works with purpose-driven organisations to strengthen their capability, build internal readiness, and diversify income through strategic engagement, partnerships, and philanthropy.

Her experience spans more than 30 years across Australia, Asia, and Canada, at the intersection of external relations, marketing and communications, and fundraising. Beginning her career as a reputation management consultant, she transitioned into the not-for-profit sector in the late 1990s, introducing integrated approaches to stakeholder engagement, marketing, and fundraising.

She has led teams across higher education, schools, health and medical research, and professional associations, bringing together strategy and execution across the full funding lifecycle. Her work focuses on helping organisations move from ad hoc activity to a more aligned and sustainable approach, strengthening the foundations required to grow income over time. This includes securing significant gifts, developing partnerships, and supporting campaigns ranging from $1 million to $300 million, alongside oversight of more than $25 million in strategic partnerships and engagement with over 1,000 volunteers.

Heather has held executive and director roles with organisations including the Lions Eye Institute, The University of Western Australia Business School, The University of Queensland, Brisbane Grammar School, St Hilda’s School Foundation, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

She holds an MBA in International Business, is a Vincent Fairfax Fellow in Ethical Leadership, and has completed studies in Social Impact Outcomes Measurement. Her contribution to the sector has been recognised through a CASE Laureate designation.

Through Advfinity, Heather works with organisations to align purpose, people, partnerships, and philanthropy into practical strategies that build confidence, capability, and long-term impact.

She is based in Western Australia and enjoys time on the water, swimming, sailing, and diving, often with a camera in hand, and the company of her dog, Dexter.

Mark Sollis

Senior Associate
Alumni & Stakeholder Relations 

Mark specialises in performance management, strategy development, and business planning in advancement. He is also researching cultural and national differences in stakeholder engagement and practices in education.

As the founder, strategist and creative of D3 Advancement Studio, Mark advises many alumni operations in Asia-Pacific and North America, and supported the reshaping of benchmarking, metrics, and reporting practices for consortia CAAE and PCUAD. 

As the first Associate Vice-President, Alumni at the University of Calgary, he led the creation of the university’s acclaimed alumni strategy, making it a global leader in performance-driven alumni engagement. He also served three years as the project manager for Canada’s leading alumni facility, the $20M Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre at the University of British Columbia, as well as the Senior Director, Operations and Planning, and Interim Associate Vice-President, Alumni/Executive Director Alumni Association for UBC.

Mark's experience in post-secondary education spans communications, university foundations, media relations, finance, and project management. Known for his innovative thinking, focused execution and collegiality, he has provided strategic counsel to higher education executives, led major Canadian political campaigns, and served as a political caucus chief of staff.

He served on the CASE Commission on Alumni Relations (2013-2016) and the CASE District VIII Board (2014-2016) and has presented extensively globally for CASE, AUAPG, and CCAE. 

Mark holds a Bachelor of Applied Communications (Journalism) from Mount Royal (Calgary) and an Advanced Certificate in Design Thinking from IDEO. He has also completed post-graduate studies in Intercultural and International Communications at Royal Roads University (Victoria).