Mr Dawson started a new job with the IRT Group this week after being appointed to manage the new IRT Foundation.

The benevolent arm of IRT aims to create opportunities for people to age without barriers and Mr Dawson will lead the foundation's community grants, research and education and advocacy programs.

He said he had most recently worked in HR at the Cancer Council in Sydney but really loved working in partnership with the community.

"Being brand new, the foundation is a really exciting opportunity to innovate and change the approach of working with people over the age of 55," he said.

"Often you hear the words retirees, seniors and the elderly and looking at my parents, they are not elderly, they are not seniors and they are not retirees, but they are definitely in that over-55 bracket. So this is about reframing and reshaping the perspectives of a massive part of our population who still have so much to contribute."

Mr Dawson said the foundation was a charitable function of IRT and was capturing an entire demographic.

He believed the foundation could help break down stereotypes and discrimination and create innovative ways to support older people beyond aged care. It is estimated that more than one-quarter of the population will be aged 65 and over within three decades and those people will be in their middle years, not their later years.

Mr Dawson said there were four staff working for the foundation that had just closed off applications for the first round of community grants. "We were excited to get 128 applications," he said. "We will be making the announcements on those in June.

"On May 1 we will be launching our research grants for 2015 where research institutions can apply to the foundation for funding on issues that are relevant."

Mr Dawson will also work with policy and decision makers in government to develop age-friendly cities and communities.