What the retreat set out to do
ASUTA convened a three-day strategy retreat in early 2024 to design the next five-year horizon. Forty-two participants joined — board members, senior management, council representatives, peer representatives, and selected funder and partner observers.
The retreat was deliberately structured to surface trade-offs, not to manufacture consensus. Every strategic option was tested against three criteria: client outcomes, council ownership, and organisational sustainability.
The five pillars
The 2025–2029 plan rests on five pillars: deepen KVP service quality; transition council ownership of the response; diversify the funding base; strengthen organisational systems; and grow the evidence and learning function.
Each pillar carries a measurable five-year outcome statement, a set of annual milestones, and a named senior accountable lead within ASUTA.
What changes for the team
Operationally, the most visible change is the elevation of the learning function from a project line item to a standalone unit, and the introduction of a quarterly board-level strategic dashboard reviewing progress against pillar milestones.
The 2025–2029 strategic plan reorients EpiC towards sustainability, quality, and council ownership.