Meet Hilary: Our new Activism Manager!

We are very excited to welcome Hilary McAllister to the Ben & Jerry's team as Activism Manager! Yes, that is an actual role we have at Ben & Jerry's! How does someone become an activism manager? Great question! We decided to go straight to the source and ask Hilary herself!

Welcome to the team, Hilary! How does someone become an activism manager?Great question! I didn't even know such a role existed until a few months ago! But when I saw that Ben & Jerry's, a brand I'd long admired, was hiring, I knew it was meant to be. It's one of those jobs you can't necessarily train or prepare for - but rather, a combination of roles, experiences, and values align, and you realise that not only does your dream job exist, but that you are perfectly suited to it!

What previous jobs and experience prepared you for this role?I'm relatively new to activism and advocacy, having only been working/volunteering specifically in the environmental space since 2020. I studied interior design and worked as an events designer until COVID-19 turned everything upside down. Losing my job was a good motivator for me to rethink my direction and pivot into something that was more aligned with my values. Different opportunities arose, and I jumped at them, including co-founding For Wild Places, a not-for-profit that exists to inspire and empower outdoor communities to learn, care for and celebrate the wild places we love to explore. My work with FWP was mainly voluntary, but it led to meeting lots of great people who shared my love of the outdoors, activism and grassroots organising, which opened up new doors. I also got involved in politics, as I saw this as a key way to create positive, lasting change. Most recently, I worked as a communications and campaigns coordinator with a Victorian Greens MP for the Parliament of Victoria. Through this, I learnt a lot about what it takes to create change at the government level. After a few years, I was keen to get another perspective and see how a global, values-led brand like Ben & Jerry's could affect progressive social change. But professional experience aside - lots of volunteering, passion, connections and, importantly, enthusiasm helped me land this dream role!

What campaigns have you been involved in?While working in Victoria, I was super involved in the campaign to stop the world's largest seismic blasting project in the Southern Ocean. Yes - the same campaign Ben and Jerry's did amazing work on - Save the Southern Seas! Working for an MP fighting to stop seismic blasting and end all offshore gas, we channelled the electric energy generated by the 'Southern Blast' movie and Paddle Out events in Parliament to show that so many Victorians didn't want to see this project go ahead. We invited advocacy groups to Parliament to protest on the steps and speak to the media. We introduced Private Members' Bills to ban offshore gas and encouraged our supporters to attend screenings and paddle-outs.
I'll never forget the day that the email came through to say that the world's largest seismic blasting project would not go ahead. It was surreal - after so many events, petition signatures, news articles, and hard work, we had done it! Knowing that so many people, groups, brands and communities had banded together to make this happen made the win even sweeter!

What campaigns are on the horizon for Ben & Jerry's?Another great question! There is so much happening right now - a new government has just been sworn in, and global events like COP30 are just around the corner. There is a lot of work to be done! I'm settling in and connecting with all of the excellent partners Ben & Jerry's has worked with in the past, as well as talking to new people about other issues that need our attention. It's a really exciting stage - there are so many incredible places in Australia and Aetearoa that are under threat from climate change and need our help. I have the challenging but incredibly fulfilling job of deciding where we focus our efforts and what change-making campaigns we can support.  

And finally, what is one thing you've learnt about Ben & Jerry's since starting that people might be surprised to know?Oh wow, there are quite a few things, actually! But what comes to mind is the national focus on social mission. Across every Ben & Jerry's Scoop Store and in the Head Office every quarter, we take time to give back to our local community. Whether it's donating blood, rewarding nurses for their hard work by handing out free ice cream or spending a day doing gardening and maintenance work at a youth hospice (like we recently did) - Ben and Jerry's is initially committed to its values. I knew Ben & Jerry's made nice ice cream in the nicest possible way, but I didn't appreciate just how embedded their values are into every corner of the brand.