Board of directors

Jane Hemstritch was managing director Asia Pacific for Accenture Limited from 2004 until her retirement in February 2007. In this role, Hemstritch was a member of Accenture’s global executive leadership team and oversaw the management of Accenture’s business portfolio in Asia Pacific.

She holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours in biochemistry and physiology and has professional expertise in technology, communications, change management and accounting.

Hemstritch is a member of the Council of Queen’s College – The University of Melbourne,   and the Board of KPMG Australia.  She is a former non-executive director of Lend Lease Corporation Limited and is the former Chair of the Accenture Australia Foundation.

Professor Sir John is the executive director of the Melbourne Academic Centre for Health (July 2019-present) after having served as an honorary consultant in renal and acute medicine in the UK (1990-2018).

In 2000 he established the Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Inflammation Research in Edinburgh as inaugural director. Professor Sir John served as Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh (2002-17) and was appointed to the Regius Chair of Medical Science in 2017. He was Chief Scientist in the Scottish Government Health Directorates (2008-10) and Chief Executive of the UK Medical Research Council (2010-18), having previously served as a member of MRC Council and research board chair (2002-08).

Professor Sir John’s work has been recognised by fellowships of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of London and Edinburgh, the Academy of Medical Sciences, the American Society of Nephrology, The Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and The Royal Society and honorary fellowships from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. He was knighted in the 2008 New Year’s Honours List for services to clinical science.

Malcolm Broomhead is a professional non-executive director. His directorships include Orica Limited (Chairman) and he is a council member of Opportunity International Australia.

Broomhead was formerly managing director and CEO of Orica Limited from 2001 until September 2005. Prior to Orica, he was Managing Director and CEO of the global diversified resources company North Limited.

He has had extensive experience in the resources industry, as well as in finance, investment and construction activities. He has worked in management positions with Halcrow (UK), MIM Holdings, Peko Wallsend and Industrial Equity.

Professor Mark Cassidy has been the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) at the University of Melbourne since January 2024. Before this appointment he was Dean of the University’s Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology from 2018-2024.

Prof Cassidy was an Australian Research Council (ARC) Laureate Fellow, Director of the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems (COFS), Deputy Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Geotechnical Science and Engineering (ARC CoE CGSE) and the Lloyd’s Register Foundation Chair of Offshore Foundations at the University of Western Australia.

His research interests are in offshore geotechnics and engineering, predominantly in developing models for the analysis of renewable wave and wind turbines, anchors and pipelines. Prof Cassidy is passionate about safe and sustainable engineering in the ocean.

Pippa Connolly is a non-executive director at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Her previous board experience includes positions with the State Board of Arup and the National Association of Women in Construction. Pippa was an Associate Professor of Practice at Monash University from 2015 to 2024 specialising in delivery of multi-disciplinary team outcomes integrating student teams with industry partners

Connolly holds a Masters in Architectural Engineering and has a background as a senior executive building engineer, delivering multiple-disciplinary major infrastructure projects including the National Museum of Australia, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa), Olympic Dam infrastructure and the expansion of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. Much of her experience has been gained as a director/principal of Arup in the UK, USA, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia.

Professor Shelley Dolan joined the Royal Melbourne Hospital in August 2023 as Chief Executive, previously serving as the Chief Executive of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

In her previous roles, Professor Dolan has successfully led large specialist tertiary hospitals in the UK, including as Chief Executive of Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Deputy Chief Executive of the Royal Marsden Hospital.

Professor Dolan is a highly respected clinical and research leader with an impressive track record in health care, having successfully led major organisational and cultural change in Victoria and the United Kingdom (UK).

Key capabilities include Executive and Non-Executive leadership across national and international bodies, strategy development, delivering excellence in quality and performance, overseeing large capital schemes and innovative research projects that require engagement with a broad range of stakeholders.

Professor Dolan has a PhD in the early diagnosis of sepsis in cancer patients and a master’s degree in advanced practice nursing. She is a Professor (Enterprise) of the Melbourne School of Health Science at the University of Melbourne.

She is a Director of the Melbourne Academic Centre for Health, Melbourne Genomics, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), and CRC Participant Director on the Board of Oncology One. In November 2022, the Minister for Health and Aged Care appointed Professor Dolan as a Member of the Cancer Australia Advisory Council.

Paul Donnelly has over 30 years of experience in capital markets and corporate finance and has advised on significant and complex M&A, ECM and privatisation transactions in multiple markets.

Prior to joining Flagstaff Partners, he was with Macquarie Group for 25 years, where his roles included Global Head of Equity and Debt Capital Markets and President and Chief Executive Officer for Macquarie’s Canadian business.

Donnelly holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours in chemistry, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Directors and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Donnelly is a non-executive director of Fluence Corporation Limited and was a Director of the Melbourne Recital Centre from 2015 to 2024.

John Dyson has been an active participant in the venture capital industry for three decades. He is one of the founders of Starfish Ventures, a venture capital company established in 2001; and former chair of Swinburne Ventures Pty Ltd, the entity responsible for the commercialisation of technology for Swinburne University of Technology.

From 1997 to 2002 he was a director of the Australian Venture Capital Association Limited, including Deputy Chairman in 1998 and Chairman in 1999. He is currently a director of technology companies  Audinate, DesignCrowd, Echoview, Hearables 3D, Marp Therapeutics and the Chair and Committee Member of Snow Australia – Victorian and National Interschools Committees .

Dyson is a former Chairman of the Mount Buller and Mount Stirling Alpine Resort Management Board, which oversees the management of Victoria’s largest alpine resort. He is also a co-trustee of the Dyson Bequest, a $24million charitable foundation that supports a range of social welfare, education, medical research and environmental causes.

Professor Gunn is a distinguished clinician scientist with extensive experience in primary care research as well as hospital and not-for-profit governance. She is currently Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (MDHS) at the University of Melbourne.

Professor Gunn has played key leadership roles in reforming healthcare, beginning with her work in shared maternity care and cervical screening programs, and more recently in transforming mental health care in primary care settings. Her research and leadership experience led to a Ministerial Appointments to the NHMRC Council (2021-present) and NHMRC Research Committee (2009-2015).

Professor Gunn is a current Board Director of Melbourne Health, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and The Melbourne Academic Centre for Health.

Marie McDonald was a partner of Blake Dawson (now global law firm Ashurst) from 1990 to 2014. McDonald specialised in corporate and commercial law and, in particular, cross-border mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance.

McDonald was a member of the Australian Takeovers Panel (2001-2010) and Chair of the Corporations Committee of the Business Law Section of the Law Council of Australia (2012, 2013) and a Deputy Chair (2010, 2011).

Prior to becoming a lawyer, McDonald completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree with first class honours, majoring in chemistry.

McDonald is a non-executive director of CSL Limited, Nanosonics Limited and Nufarm Limited.

Geoff Roberts has more than 35 years’ finance experience, including as Group Chief Financial Officer of Seek Limited, Managing Partner of Deloitte Victoria, and Group Chief Financial Officer of AXA Asia Pacific . He is the honorary Treasurer of the Melbourne Cricket Club Committee and is a Board member of both JB Hi Fi Limited and Djerriwarrh Investments Limited.

Roberts holds an Executive MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and is a Fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Angela Skandarajah has over 25 years’ experience in the real estate and legal sectors, including over five years as CEO of Development Victoria and 13 years as partner at a large commercial law firm. Her expertise includes real estate transaction structuring, Board governance and reporting, and managing enterprise risk.

She has been a long-term contributor to the property industry through her work and participation in various industry bodies and is a passionate advocate for building inclusion and diversity across the development sector. She is committed to nurturing the next generation of leaders in the industry.

Skandarajah is the Chair of Development Victoria and a member of the Board of Trustees at the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and an Executive Master of Public Administration from the University of Melbourne.

Dr Angeli Weller has more than two decades of experience as a business ethics and ESG strategist and researcher.

Angeli is a passionate advocate for integrity, inclusivity and innovation in business and the capital markets. She has used her expertise in this area across startups and multinationals to build ethical organisational cultures, including strategies for creating psychological safety and speak up cultures, and to craft company strategy to improve social and environmental impacts.

Angeli is currently a partner with the board advisory firm Blackhall & Pearl, where she supports boards in improving performance and dynamics and effectively overseeing organisational culture. She was previously the national Director of Ethics at the US firm of KPMG, where she served for more than a decade as a company-wide resource on ethics, compliance and risk management.

In addition to serving on the WEHI board, Angeli is the Chair of the Lee Pesky Learning Center Endowment Board (US) and Chair of the MACH Consumer Advisory Panel (AUS).

Kee Wong is an entrepreneur with interests in start-ups and established businesses across the technology, retail, property, services, and food and beverage industries in Australia and overseas.

Wong has started several business including being the founder of e-Centric Innovations, a technology consulting firm that operates in Australia, Malaysia and Singapore, serving large multinational enterprises and governments.

Wong is a current Board member for a number of corporate and not-for-profit organisations including the ASX100 listed company Carsales.com, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and Nomura Research Institute Australia. Wong is also a member of numerous government and academic advisory bodies including , the Australian Business Growth Fund, the ANU Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership Advisory Board and Swinburne University’s Technology and Innovation Committee.