Mr Julien O’Connell AO

Independent non-executive chairman

Newly appointed to the VMCH Board of Directors in 2019. Julien brings significant senior board and management experience, together with a detailed knowledge of health and aged care.

He has recently retired as Pro-Chancellor of Australian Catholic University and as the Chair of the Board of Mercy Health which he held from 2008. He is a board member of Catholic Health Australia, Executive Chairman of Mercy Health Foundation, Chair of PM Glynn Institute and is a member of a number of Archdiocese Committees and Councils.

The Hon. Kevin Andrews

Independent non-executive director

Kevin Andrews was appointed to the Board in 2022 and sits on the Finance and Audit Committee. Kevin served in the Australian Parliament from 1991 – 2022 as a member of the House of Representatives.

He held various ministerial portfolios including Minister for Ageing, Minister for Workplace Relations, Minister for Immigration, Minister for Social Services and Minister for Defence.

He also chaired the Parliamentary oversight committee for the NDIS. Prior to his election, Kevin was a Barrister-at-Law.

Mr Vincent Arthur

Independent non-executive director

Vincent was appointed to the Board in February 2022 and sits on the Finance and Audit and Strategic Projects Committees. Vincent has deep commercial knowledge from over 30 years executive experience.

Vincent has been Managing Director of logistics business L Arthur Pty Ltd since 2003. Prior to that he held various commercial roles with Rio Tinto Ltd over 10 years. Vincent is also a member of the General Freight Committee of the Victorian Transport Association and a Director of the Bethlehem Griffiths Research Foundation.

Vincent holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of Melbourne, and a Master of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge, he has also completed post graduate studies in Business.

Mr Tom Barry

Independent non-executive director

Tom was appointed to the Board of Directors in January 2024. He was the Chair of Corpus Christi Community Greenvale Inc. prior to its merger with VMCH and has sat on not-for-profit boards and sub-committees since 2011.

Tom is a barrister practising in commercial, regulatory and public law. He regularly acts in high profile disputes arising from mergers and acquisitions, major infrastructure projects and complex financial transactions. He is recognised for his business acumen and ability to apply the law to commercial and financial dealings.

Tom has a Master of Laws from Melbourne University, specialising in tax and competition law subjects.

Mr Brendan Donohoe

Independent non-executive director

Brendan was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2019 and sits on the Finance and Audit Committee. He established Bank of Ireland Asset Management Australia in 1996 and later, a similar operation in Japan.

Brendan went on to manage all of Bank of Ireland Asset Management’s business outside of Ireland. During his 29-year tenure with Bank of Ireland Group, he held senior executive and directorship positions in Ireland, Australia, Japan, the UK, USA and Canada. Brendan later joined the leadership team at NAB Asset Management, responsible for its global distribution, client services and the management of Antares Equities, a boutique asset management firm based in Melbourne.

Mr Michael Fisher

Independent non-executive director

Michael was appointed to the Board of Directors in November 2019. He has had significant experience in information technology and cyber security.

Michael has run a successful business over the last 13 years that has provided a broad array of ICT services to Victorian Catholic institutions in the fields of education, digital media, social services and health.

Prior to running his own business Michael had a successful career in Human Resources with several publicly listed Australian organisations.

Ms Sally Howe

Independent non-executive director

Sally was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2019. Sally brings extensive health, business and senior leadership experience with over 25 years’ experience in the not-for-profit private health sector, private health insurance markets and more recently, primary and community health.

Currently Sally holds non-executive directorships on the Connect Health and Community Board, a State Ministerial Planning and Partnership Board and is a Trustee (VIC) of the Committee for Economic Development Australia.

Sally serves on a range of board subcommittees including Remuneration, Nominations and Audit and Risk. Having also previously held NFP Board and School Council positions, Sally has governance experience across diverse sectors.

Ms Liesl Malcolm

Independent non-executive director

Liesl was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2024. She is a member of the Finance and Audit Committee.

Leisl is a Chartered Accountant, with over 17 years’ experience in the Corporate Finance team, specialising in valuations. She is also a Partner at Pitcher Partners, one of the largest accounting and advisory firms in Australia. Liesl has been a part of the Corporate Finance team at Pitcher Partners since its inception.

Liesl has a Bachelor of Business and Commerce from Monash University and is an accredited Business Valuation Specialist with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. She also is a Senior Appraiser with the American Society of Appraisers, one of the few Australian valuers to hold this qualification.

Dr Natasha Michael

Independent non-executive director

Natasha is Director of Palliative Medicine, Cabrini Health, A/Professor at the University of Notre Dame Australia and Adjunct A/Professor at Monash University. She has 25 years of experience working and internationally in healthcare in Europe and Singapore and relocated to Melbourne in 2010.

Natasha has contributed to the healthcare sector through senior leadership and academia. She brings specific expertise in service development, clinical governance, palliative care and bioethics, is a member of the National Advisory Group of the Little Sisters of the Poor Ltd. and is on several other national health committee.

Natasha is a graduate of the University of Leeds and Kings College London, UK and is completing her doctorate studies at the University of Notre Dame, Australia.

Ms Mary Power

Independent non-executive director

Mary was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2020 and has extensive experience in finance, superannuation, and the property industry. Working for an Australian based investment adviser, Mary has advised a diverse client base on asset allocation, portfolio construction and property related matters.

Mary has wide governance experience representing clients in numerous property transactions in Australia. Mary sits on the Strategic Projects Committee at VMCH.

Mr Bob Santamaria

Independent non-executive director

Bob was appointed to the Board of Directors in early 2020. Prior to this he was Group General Counsel of ANZ Bank for 12 years; responsible for the provision of legal services to ANZ globally.

Pre-ANZ, Bob’s career spanned more than 30 years across governance, securities, mergers and acquisitions, including numerous complex transactions in the resources, manufacturing and finance sectors.

Bob has also held Partner and Executive roles and been a Relationship Partner for Rio Tinto, ANZ, BHP Billiton, Goldman Sachs JBWere, Aviva Insurance Group and Bendigo Bank.

Ms Phoebe Shipp

Independent non-executive director

Phoebe was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2019. She has a background in technology with over ten years’ experience in the ICT industry and has held roles across sales, business development, market enablement and management consulting.

Phoebe currently works at Ernst and Young, one of the largest audit and consulting firms in the world, as a Director in the Asia Pacific Managed Services Group. She also holds the title of President of the Sales Enablement Society Melbourne Chapter.

Phoebe has a Bachelor of Commerce (with Honours) from the University of Melbourne.

Mr Garry Thompson

Independent non-executive director

Garry was appointed to the Board of Directors in December 2023 and sits on the Strategic Projects Committee. He brings extensive experience in the built environment and planning across corporate, government and charitable entities.

Garry is a registered Architect and Urban Designer and the Managing Director of Y2 Architecture. He is also a current Councillor and Former Mayor the City of Boroondara and holds the position of Chair of the Board of Directors of Ronald McDonald House Charities for Victoria and Tasmania, as well as a Director on the National Board of the Charity.

Garry has a Bachelor of Architecture [Honours] and a Bachelor of Arts [Architecture] from Deakin University. Garry is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an Alumni of the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership Colloquium program.