Our People

GENERAL THE HONOURABLE DAVID HURLEY AC DSC (Ret’d) AND HIS WIFE MRS LINDA HURLEY
National Patrons

We are truly honoured that our former Patron, General The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Ret’d), and his wife Mrs Linda Hurley are now our National Patrons. The Governor-General and Mrs Hurley serve as Patron of organisations who do amazing things.

The Governor-General says, “I am delighted to serve as National Patron of Royal Far West. Being far from help doesn’t have to mean being far from hope. It’s a powerful message that neatly captures the real and meaningful difference that Royal Far West makes.”

“The volunteers, donors and supporters of Royal Far West are bound by a common vision – they want every child to have the best chance at realising their potential. Keeping country kids connected to the healthcare they need and couldn’t otherwise access is critical to achieving this vision. As National Patron I look forward to working with Royal Far West to bridge the ‘kidometres’ and support all Australians to realise their potential.”

HER EXCELLENCY THE HONOURABLE MARGARET BEAZLEY AC QC
Patron

Our Patron Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC is the 39th Governor of New South Wales, commencing her five-year tenure on 2 May 2019. Prior to her appointment as Governor, Her Excellency enjoyed a long and distinguished law career spanning 43 years, during which time she served as a role model for women in law at both the State and national level.

Appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1989, in 1993 she was made a judge of the Federal Court of Australia, the first woman to sit exclusively in that Court. In 1996 she achieved the distinction of being the first woman appointed to the New South Wales Court of Appeal and, subsequently, as the first woman to be appointed as its President. She served, on a number of occasions, as Administrator of the Government of the State of New South Wales. She was made an Officer in the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List on 12 June 2006 for service to the judiciary and the law, and awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the Australia Day Honours List 26 January 2020.

Her Excellency has three children and is married to Mr Dennis Wilson, a barrister, mediator, accredited international arbitrator and Adjunct Professor of Law, at Notre Dame University, Sydney.

Her Excellency brings her deep commitment to education, youth leadership, human rights and social justice to the role in service of the people of New South Wales.

MRS JOAN H TREWEEKE OAM, OAM, LLB (Melb)
Chairman

Board Member since April 2014. Elected Chairman in October 2017. Joan Treweeke resides in North West NSW and has represented communities in this area in local government, natural resources, the arts, education and community development. She is currently a Director of Royal Flying Doctors Service South East Section and has been a Board Member since 1996, served three years as President, and spent three years on the National Board. Joan currently serves on the Boards of the Western NSW Local Health District and is the President of Contact Inc. She has a commitment to seeing better services and equity of access to health and education services in rural and remote communities. Joan is a member of the RFW Nominations, Governance & Remunerations Committee, and an ex-officio member of the RFW Investment Committee, and the Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee.

MR STEVEN GRUNDY, FAIM, MAICD
Vice Chair 

Board Member from February 2018. Elected Vice-Chairman in October 2019. Steven was previously Treasurer from March to October 2019. Steven began his career in the Royal Australian Navy and amid many other highlights culminated in him becoming Commanding Officer of HMAS Rushcutter.  He left the Navy in 1999 to further develop his interest in the commercial sector – this included senior executive roles in Advantra (national IT outsourcing company) and Telstra.  A move into the Health sector saw Steven appointed as the inaugural Chief Operating Officer, then Managing Director, of Australian Hearing.  Steven has been a retained consultant at Lazard Australia Private Equity and most recently was the Executive General Manager at Airservices Australia as part of the team which successfully restructured the organisation.

Other Board appointments have included Australian Hearing, The Hearing CRC, Hearworks Pty Ltd and The National Acoustics Laboratory research committee. Steven is currently the Owner / Director of several Early Learning Centres across rural NSW. Steven is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Steven chairs the Nomination, Governance & Remuneration Committee.

MR DAVID HEARD, GAICD, MBA, BE (Elec)

Treasurer

Board member since October 2018.  Elected Treasurer in October 2019. David is a resident of Manly and an active member of local Surf Lifesaving and cycling clubs.  He is a past Director of Scallop Credit Union and Shaun Parker & Company, and a current Director of Community First Step, a non-profit offering child, youth and family services, disability services under the NDIS, and commercial child-care service in the Fairfield Local Government Area in SW Sydney.  David is an experienced corporate financial advisor, equity analyst, and investor, and is the founding principal of Finncorn Consulting, through which he provides specialized energy-sector advice spanning commercial, investment and policy issues to private and public sector clients.  David chairs the Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee and is a member of the Investment Committee.

MR PETER J VEENSTRA OAM, B.A. (UNE) MAICD

Board Member since April 2013, Peter Veenstra is the immediate past Regional Co-Ordinator of the Order of Australia Association (NSW Branch) and has held Directorships with New South Wales Rugby Union and New South Wales Country Rugby Union; recently he has retired from the position of CEO of Central West Rugby Union, a position held for 31 years.  In addition, he is the immediate past Chairman of the Lyndon Therapeutic Community – a drug and alcohol detox/rehab Institution based in Central Western New South Wales.  Peter also served one term as a Councillor of Cabonne Shire Council.  Peter had 38 years’ experience as a teacher in NSW retiring, from Kinross Wolaroi School as a Senior Staff Member and Personal Assistant to the Principal, in 1999.  Peter is a member of the Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee.

MS SHERIDAN H DUDLEY, BA, LLB, DipCrim (Melb), MAdmin (Monash)

Board member from February 2018.  Sheridan has over 20 years’ experience as a chief executive and leader in state and local government and the not-for-profit sector, focusing on delivering strategic redirection, policy reform and high-quality service delivery. She is currently Visiting Fellow in the School of Education at UNSW, Guest Professor in the School of Education at Hangzhou Normal University in China and Company Secretary of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement. Sheridan has provided advice to Premiers and Ministers in NSW, Victoria and the Northern Territory on education, early childhood, employment and training, health, community services, planning and local government. She has been District Commissioner – South West on the Greater Sydney Commission, Chief of Staff to the NSW Minister for Education, the Hon Adrian Piccoli, MP, General Manager of Camden Council and Chief Executive Officer of KU Children’s Services and Job Futures Ltd. She has also been Visiting Associate Professor of Management at a university in China and College Director of Tamworth TAFE. Sheridan was a founding Director of the Australian Council for New Urbanism and has been a Director of the international aid agency, Austcare.  Sheridan is a member of the Nomination, Governance & Remuneration Committee.

PROFESSOR ELIZABETH ELLIOT AM, AM FAHMS FRSN MD MPhil MBBS FRACP FRCPCH FRCP

Board Member since July 2019. Elizabeth Elliott is a Distinguished Professor in Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of Sydney; Consultant Paediatrician at the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network Westmead; and a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Practitioner Fellow. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science and a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW. Her clinical work, research, advocacy and policy development has a focus on improving health and well-being for children living in disadvantage, including children in remote Aboriginal Communities, with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, with a range of rare diseases, in immigration detention and in South-East Asia. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder has been a major focus for over 20 years: Elizabeth has led projects in the remote Fitzroy Valley in WA on FASD prevalence and delivery of a Positive Parenting Project; is a member of the National FASD Advisory Group; developed the Australian Guide to FASD Diagnosis, and is Head of the NSW FASD Assessment Service. Elizabeth is a member of the Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee.

REBECCA WARK

Board Member since March 2020. Rebecca Wark is an experienced leader of major infrastructure projects and has been NSW Health Infrastructure CEO since 2008, overseeing the development of some of the State’s largest hospitals and public health services. Currently, she is proudly leading the delivery of the largest health capital works portfolio in Australia. Previously Rebecca worked on significant infrastructure projects across the public and private sectors. Her experience is multisector; her first public sector role was planning and delivery venues for the Sydney Olympics and she has since delivered facilities in education, justice and health. Rebecca has completed studies in landscape architecture and project management is a strong advocate for women in leadership and acts as a mentor to young professionals in business and construction.

 

DAVID HEATHCOTE Bec FINSIA MAF

Board Member since March 2020. David Heathcote spent more than two decades working for international and investment banks, both in Australia and the U.K. In early 2009, David returned from the U/K. to join KPMG Australia, where he has held a number of senior roles, including, National Head of Debt Advisory, Group Head of Deal Advisory, Head of Corporate Finance and continues to remain active with the dual responsibility of Global Head of Debt Advisory and Global Client Lead Partner. During his time at KPMG he has held a number of internal Executive and Board roles, was an activation leader for a firm-wide cultural change program and has been involved in a number of philanthropic activities. David is a member of the Investment Committee.

 

NICKI ASHTON BA GAICD

Board Member since March 2020. Nicki Ashton is an experienced Executive Director of a unique diversified and truly aligned global fund manager. She is responsible for development and implementation of strategy, business development, investor relations, and product agenda for the Australian business. She has expertise across investment management, sales management, distribution, risk management, business development and investment consulting. Nicki has worked in finance and investment sectors for over 25 years’ in Australia and the United States. Over this time she has held senior executive roles with IFM Investments, Russell Investments, Citigroup, Ecofin and Deutsche Bank.

She has a passionate interest in disability, serving as a Treasurer for the Cerebral Palsy Sport & Recreation Association since 2010, and as a Non-Executive Director of the Vision Australia Trust since 2018. Nicki has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Sydney and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Nicki chairs the Investment Committee.

LINDSAY CANE AM
Chief Executive Officer

Lindsay Cane AM is an experienced non profit CEO and company director. She brings with her a wealth of experience in leading, managing and inspiring organisational development and growth in the non-profit sector. She has a solid background in physiotherapy and healthcare management with previous directorship roles that include The Australian Physiotherapy Association, The Asthma Foundation (NSW) and Netball Australia. In 2019 Lindsay was awarded ‘CEO of the Year’ by Third Sector News.

 

KATHERINE BURCHFIELD
Executive Director, Strategy, Services and Innovation

Katherine joined Royal Far West in March 2015 as the organisation’s first Health Director.

She leads a multidisciplinary team of medical and allied health staff to deliver effective health services and programs for country children and families, provided in Manly, via Telecare and in community; and develops new partnerships and service models that improve access and outcomes for children and families in rural and remote communities.

An economist by background, Katherine has 20 years’ experience in health reform, strategy, research, policy and health management in Australia and internationally, working the public, NGO and consultancy sectors. Prior to joining Royal Far West, Katherine was Director of the Integrated Care Branch of the NSW Ministry of Health, leading a broad portfolio that covered integrated care reforms, primary and community care, aged care, hospital substitution, disability and priority programs.  In previous roles she has led national studies into the UK National Health Service, advised NSW and Commonwealth governments in areas such as health funding models and rural health workforce, and consulted on a range of donor-funded health reform projects in Central and Eastern Europe and Africa, relating to health financing and governance.

 

JACQUELINE EMERY
Executive Director, Business People and Culture

Jacqui joined Royal Far West in November 2016. Prior to joining Royal Far West, Jacqui set up a new business development team at the Australian Institute of Company Directors, to provide bespoke education and training to improve the governance of organisations across Listed, Private, Public and NFP sectors. Jacqui has also held a number of leadership roles in the media and publishing industries. As Marketing Manager of the Financial Review Group, she led a number of award winning brand and promotional campaigns for The Australian Financial Review, BRW and BOSS magazines. She also set up numerous strategic partnerships with professional associations tertiary institutions, and commercial partners.

 

MARK AUDET
CFO & Company Secretary

Mark has more than 25 years senior executive experience in operations and finance, with a strong background in all aspects of accounting, auditing, financial and operational strategy and management.

He has held senior roles across NFP, consulting, government, member-based organisations and commercial operations covering manufacturing, wholesale and retail.

Mark has enjoyed time as a senior executive over the last decade within the NFP space, and is a strong advocate for people’s rights, particularly those who are most vulnerable.

A self-motivated and organised professional, Mark provides thorough and skilful support to Directors, senior executives and divisional managers.

Mark holds an undergraduate degree in Accounting and International Management and a Master of Business Administration. He is also a member of CPA Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Mark as acted previously as Company Secretary within the NFP sector and is a keen advocate of maintaining strong corporate governance relationships between management, the Board of Directors, business partners and other stakeholders to help influence how a company operates.