Our Board

Appointed December 2017, prior to this was Chair, TAS DAB from November 2012.

Lyndal was elected Deputy President at the Annual General Meeting in December 2017. In her role as Deputy President, Lyndal was also appointed as a non executive director of Australian Red Cross Blood Service, and serves as a member of their Risk Committee.

Lyndal has been volunteering with Australian Red Cross since 2003 when she joined the Tasmanian Divisional Advisory Board as Treasurer. In November 2006 Lyndal was elected to the role of Deputy Chair and then in November 2012 to Chair of the Advisory Board. In addition to these Divisional roles, Lyndal served on a number of National committees, including the National Asset and Investment Strategy Committee (2008–013), the National Awards Committee (2009–2012), and the Finance Committee (2013–2016). She is a current member of the Audit and Risk Committee, the National Awards Committee and the Investment Sub-Committee. 

In February 2015 Lyndal initiated the commencement of the Divisional Advisory Board Chairs meetings, regularly coordinating these prior to each National Board meeting until she stepping down as the Chair of the Tasmanian Divisional Advisory Board on her election to Deputy President in December 2017.

Lyndal commenced her career as a taxation advisor in Melbourne with Arthur Andersen & Co, and moved to Hobart where she has worked with KPMG since 2001. She is currently a Director in KPMG’s tax practice, advising large companies, government enterprises and superannuation funds. She is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (FCA) and a Graduate Member of The Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

To 1 December 2018.

Jan has more than 40 years of finance and audit experience across Australian and international listed and private companies, government agencies and community organisations. She is currently a non-executive director of Australia Post, Dairy Australia, Neurosciences Victoria and Melbourne Forum as well as an independent member of the Audit and Risk Management Committee of the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance. She has been President and Chairman of the Board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, a member of the Financial Reporting Council, an audit partner at Deloitte and a non-executive director of a number of commercial and not-for-profit entities.

In recognition of her services to the accountancy profession and to the community, Jan was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2007 and was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001.

Jan is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (FCA) and a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

In addition to chairing the Red Cross Audit and Risk Committee, Jan is also a member of our Finance Committee, Nominations and Remuneration Committee and Blood Service Finance and Audit Committee.

Jan retired from the Board in December 2018 having completed her full term of office.

Appointed 1 December 2018.

Peter Lewinsky is an experienced Board Chair and Director, on boards of ASX-listed companies, government, not-for-profit and private sector companies and has chaired a number of Audit and other governance committees. He has conducted an advisory practice since 1991, providing strategic, financial and governance advice to a wide range of public and private companies and government. 

Prior to commencing his practice in 1991, Peter, a qualified Chartered Accountant, worked for investment banks and stockbroking firms in Australia and overseas.

Over the last 25 years, he has advised Victorian, South Australian, Tasmanian and ACT governments and the Federal government on a range of governance, privatisation, industry restructuring and industry reform issues. He is currently retained by a number of government departments for a range of assignments. 

He was appointed Chair of Administrators of Brimbank City Council for a three-year period from November 2009 and a further one year as Administrator in 2012.

Peter Lewinsky is the Chair of the Board of Holmesglen Institute and Board President of Australian Centre for the Moving Image

Peter is currently a member of other public and voluntary boards including:

• Ambulance Victoria
• Holmesglen Institute
• The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (Board President)
• Tasmanian Water & Sewerage Corporation
• TAL Superannuation Limited (Board Chair)
• The Emmy Monash Home for the Aged.

Peter is currently Chair of the Risk & Audit Committee of the Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning and Deputy Chair of the Audit Committee of the ACT Chief Minister, Treasurer and Economic Development.

Appointed December 2018.

Eveline (Evie) was elected as Youth Member in December 2018. Eveline started volunteering with Australian Red Cross in 2015, with the Roadhouse program in Canberra, providing meals to those who are vulnerable or at risk of homelessness. The following year she joined the ACT Youth Advisory Committee and co-chaired the committee from January 2017 to January 2019, while remaining an active member on the ACT Divisional Advisory Board. Since August 2018, Eveline has been acting as chair of the National Youth Advisory Committee, contributing to youth engagement and working with other young humanitarians, helping to lead a shift in the way that youth participate in the Australian Red Cross.

Eveline has a background in law and commerce, a keen interest in human rights, volunteering and giving back, while aiming to inspire others to do the same. When studying her Master of Laws, Eveline became more interested in International Humanitarian Law and its connection with Red Cross. The combination of her professional interests and having a direct impact with people on the ground led Eveline to want to become more involved. In these roles, Eveline saw how young people could influence the activities and direction of the Red Cross.

Along with serving on our Board, Eveline is a policy adviser in the Australian Public Service, with experience in foreign investment, critical infrastructure security and legislative design. Eveline is also a qualified yoga teacher, teaching at local Canberra yoga studios, and is passionate about promoting wellness and wellbeing.

Appointed February 2016.

James Birch was appointed Chair of the Lifeblood (formerly Blood Service) Board in February 2016. He was previously a member of the South Australian Division Board from 2005 to 2008.

James is currently an independent consultant.

Until January 2016 he was the Global Health Care Leader for Ernst & Young, having previously been its Oceania Government and Public Service Leader and the inaugural Leader of its Health and Human Services Practice for Asia Pacific. James has had more than 35 years of experience in planning, leading and implementing change in complex organisations such as Health Care, Justice and Human Services.

He has also been the Chief Executive of a Human Services and Health Department, Deputy Chief Executive of a Justice Department and Chief Executive of major health service delivery organisations, including academic teaching hospitals. In addition to Lifeblood, James is currently the Chair of the Australian Digital Health Agency, Deputy Chair of the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, a Director of the Little Company of Mary Board, a Director of the Cancer Council of South Australia and Chair of the Board for Clevertar Pty Ltd.

James has a Bachelor of Health Administration from the University of NSW (1983) and is a Fellow of the Australian College of Health Service Management (FCHSM).

Appointed October 2013.

Dianne was appointed Chair of the WA Divisional Advisory Board in October 2013 and has been a member of the Divisional Board since 2006, taking up the position of Vice President in 2007 and Deputy Chair in 2009.

Dianne originally joined Red Cross in 1999 as a passionate member and volunteer, and continues to volunteer in various areas such as Emergency Services, undertaking many deployments in a variety of roles both interstate and intrastate. She is Australasian Inter-Service Incident Management System (AIIMS) trained and has completed several Australian Emergency Management Institute courses, is a volunteer trainer, a REDiPlan/Pillowcase facilitator/presenter, a Team Convenor and represents Australian Red Cross on the City of Stirling Local Emergency Management Committee. Dianne also volunteers in other Australian Red Cross programs including the Migration Support Program and Community Services Program.

She is currently the Chair of the WA Awards Committee, President of the fundraising ‘Flower Committee’ Unit, and member on the National Audit & Risk Committee, the National Services Advisory Group, the National Emergency Services Advisory Group and the WA International Humanitarian Law Committee.

For her service, dedication and exceptional leadership to the organisation, Dianne was awarded Honorary Life Membership in 2016.

Now retired, Dianne worked in the corporate information technology sector for many years, and then in computer software consulting.

Appointed October 2014.

Charles was elected Chair of the Northern Territory Divisional Advisory Board in October 2014, after having served as a Board Member for numerous years.

His affiliation with Australian Red Cross dates back to a very early age where he was introduced to the significance of the organisation’s work by immediate family members who have had a very active involvement with Red Cross. Charles has consistently contributed in a voluntary nature to the Society and continues to contribute significantly to the Community, especially within the Northern Territory.

Charles began his career as an Investment Adviser specialising in financial markets, having worked in that industry for more than 15 years. He now actively works within the property industry based in Darwin, while also having obtained extensive Board experience as an active Board Member of several local organisations. Charles enjoys an active lifestyle with an interest in most sports and leisure activities.

Retired August 2018.

John Dorrian retired from the Board in August 2018 having completed a full six-year term as an Additional Board Member. There were no meetings held from 1 July 2018 to 22 August 2018 when his term completed.

Appointed November 2018.

Akin was appointed to the Tasmanian Divisional Advisory Board in May 2017, elected as Deputy Chair in December 2017 and elected as Chair in November 2018. His involvement with the Red Cross includes the International Humanitarian Law committee and mentoring in the Migration Support Program.

He migrated to Australia in 2015 as a skilled migrant from Nigeria. Before then, he was technical adviser on climate change to the Chief Executive of a Federal Government Agency. He obtained his doctorate degree in 2013 from the University of Ilorin Nigeria, where he investigated farmers’ perception and adaptation to climate change. In Australia, he has held senior roles in local government and currently in state government. 

Akin has a broad range of experiences across areas such as community and international development, stakeholder engagement, research, leadership, governance and strategy. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders Australia and New Zealand (IML ANZ), a member of the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Australasia and a member of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) Tasmania.

Appointed April 2017.

Ian is a Yorta Yorta man who has been actively involved in the Victorian Indigenous community in a personal and professional capacity for many years. Prior to joining our Board in April 2017 as an Additional Board Member, Ian was a member of the Victorian Divisional Advisory Board.

Ian has had a wide level of exposure to policy development and program management at executive level through his work with the Federal Government (Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health) and the Victorian Government (Department of Justice; Department of Planning and Community Development, and the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources).

Ian holds a number of governance positions including Chairperson: First Nations Foundation (national); Chairperson: Connecting Home Ltd (Stolen Generations Service); Chairperson: Koorie Heritage Trust (Vic) (Victorian Indigenous arts trust); Deputy Chair: Aboriginal Housing Victoria Ltd; Director: Institute of Public Administration Australia (Vic); and Director: National Trust Australia (Vic). He also serves on a number of Advisory Boards and is a former President of the Western Region Football League, one of the major Australian football leagues in Melbourne. Ian is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (Vic).

Appointed October 2015.

Sam Hardjono was appointed Chair of the NSW Divisional Advisory Board in October 2015. He has been a member of the Divisional Advisory Board since 2010 and a member of the National Property Sub-Committee since 2013, National Awards and Finance Committee since 2015.

For his service, dedication and exceptional leadership to the Australian Red Cross, Sam was awarded a Distinguished Service Award in October 2017.

Sam is currently a senior strategic adviser, working with leaders in the corporate, not for profit and start-up sectors. For more than a decade he was Chief Executive Officer of a large charity with projects in South-East Asia, South America and Australia. Prior to this, he was Australian Managing Director of a NASDAQ/London Stock Exchange listed property service company, and previously Group Financial Controller for one of Australia's largest and iconic architectural firms.

He has served on various boards continuously since 1996 including the Australia Indonesia Business Council for thirteen years. He was also board member of Catholic Healthcare (Hunters Hills), Waverley College in Sydney for twelve years and Chairman for the last four, as well as advisory roles for several start-ups.

Sam holds a Bachelor of Business in Accounting and an MBA in International Business.

Appointed October 2014.

Anne joined Junior Red Cross in 1952 and has been an active member of Lindenow & District Branch for 49 years. Anne is currently the Chairman of the Victorian Advisory Board. She also chairs the Red Cross Emergency Services Advisory Group and is a member of the Nominations and Remunerations Committee and Property Sub-Committee.

During her time with Red Cross Anne has been heavily involved in Branch and Regional governance, fundraising and other Red Cross activities. Anne was a trained Emergency Services volunteer for more than 20 years and was heavily involved during the Black Saturday bushfires.

Anne represented the Victorian Advisory Board on the Victorian International Humanitarian Law committee for 15 years and has been a member and past Chairman of the Victorian Overseas Support Group since its inception in 1997. Anne has been awarded Honorary Life Membership of Australian Red Cross as well as other awards. Anne was the Bairnsdale Citizen of the Year in 2005 and was also awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2007 for her work in the wider community and, in 2016, a Victorian COTA Senior Achiever award.

Appointed August 2018.

Melissa was elected as an Additional Board Member in August 2018. Melissa is a consultant and academic with almost 20 years' experience working with migrants and refugees in Australia and overseas. She is an Adjunct Fellow at Western Sydney University’s Humanitarian and Development Research Initiative.

Melissa was formerly a Senior Regional Advisor on refugee protection and migration for Danish Refugee Council based in the Middle East and North Africa and has academic expertise on issues related to migration, multiculturalism and displacement. Melissa has worked for the United Nations in South Sudan and for international NGOs in Libya, the Horn of Africa and South Sudan in the areas of protection of civilians and humanitarian coordination. Melissa has formerly worked for the Australian Red Cross Tracing and Refugee Services department and managed a refugee resettlement project in Australia.

Melissa has a  Doctorate in Social and Political Sciences on the pre-migration experiences of migrants and refugees was completed at the University of Melbourne (2013). She also holds a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts (Honors).

Melissa is a Regional Advisor for the International Detention Coalition, is on the Advisory Board of Urban Refugees and is an Assistant Editor for the Journal of Intercultural Studies. In addition to her current role on the Board, Melissa is also a member of the Migration Programs Advisory Committee.

To October 2018.

John first began his association with Australian Red Cross volunteering for the Alice Springs Branch in 1981. Since then, he has held a number of senior leadership positions, including Chair of the Northern Territory Divisional Advisory Board and Vice-Chairman for the National Board. He joined the Queensland Divisional Advisory Board in 2007 and was appointed Chair in October 2012. John retired from this position in October 2018 having served a full six-year term.

Retired August 2018.

Margaret Piper retired from the Board in August 2018 having completed a full six-year term as an Additional Board Member. There were no meetings held from 1 July 2018 to 22 August 2018 when her term completed.

Appointed October 2016.

Wendy was appointed the Chair of the ACT Divisional Advisory Board in 2016 having held the Deputy Chair role for three years and has been a member of the DAB since 2012. She joined the National Red Cross Board in October 2016 and has since become a member of the Nominations and Remuneration Committee and Services Advisory Group.

With more than 25 years’ experience working in the not-for-profit sector within the health and community services industry, Wendy has an established track record in strategic and business development, corporate governance, marketing, people & culture, organisational change management, research and policy. Building on this expertise, Wendy now leads the community development division at Beyond Bank Australia in the ACT and south-east NSW and continues to have a keen interest in social impact and social innovation. Wendy holds a Graduate Certificate in Management with Charles Sturt University and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Appointed October 2017.

Rose was appointed as Chair of the SA Divisional Advisory Board in October 2017 and as such a member of the Society’s Board. Rose originally joined Red Cross as a member and volunteer in the Northern Territory in 2007. On moving to South Australia, Rose was appointed to the SA DAB member in 2009 and was elected as Deputy Chairperson in 2011. 

As a volunteer, she continued to work in Emergency Services undertaking deployments to Queensland and in SA performing various roles including that of Team Leader, Planning Officer and Deputy Commander during activations as well as undertaking outreach services and Telecross REDi. Rose is also a REDiPlan trainer and community speaker. Throughout her working career, Rose completed several Australian Emergency Management Institute (AEMI) courses and contributed in the development of Australian Emergency Handbook Series (2011) – Community Management Practice: Recovery published through the Attorney General’s Department. Rose previously chaired the Disability Action Plan Committee and the Members and Volunteers Sub-Committee in SA. She is currently a member on the National Emergency Services Advisory Group and a member of the National Services Advisory Group.

Rose previously worked in Health and Communities Services with the South Australian and the Northern Territory Government including positions of Regional Director of Health and Community Services, Executive Director of Community Services and Deputy Secretary Health and Community Services in the NT. 

Rose was awarded a Public Service Medal in 2007 for her outstanding public service.

Qualifications:

• Registered Nurse – Royal Adelaide Hospital, graduated 1971
• Post Basic Operating Cert, 1972
• Registered Midwife, UK 1973
• Diploma of Hospital Nursing andUnit Management, College of Nursing Australia 1976
• Bachelor of Health Administration, UNSW 1988
• Graduate Diploma for Public Administration, Charles Darwin University 1994

Appointed October 2018.

Winifred (Win) joined Australian Red Cross in 1997 after retiring from the workforce as Queensland Administration Manager for a multi-national electrical company. Since then she has been an active member and volunteer, Win was appointed Chair of the Queensland Divisional Advisory Board in October 2018.

During her time with Red Cross, Win has served as Branch President, Regional President and Regional Voluntary Trainer and has served on a wide range of Divisional Committees. She has been active in supporting Emergency Services especially in the areas of Evacuation, Response and Recovery and has served on five of the Queensland Premiers Disaster Relief Fund Distribution Committees. She received the National Emergency Medal for her role in the Queensland 2011 floods and cyclone Yasi. She has served on the National Awards Committee as a member and chaired that committee for 4years. She is a Trustee on the Alexander Steel Young Lions Memorial Fund for the Australian Red Cross Blood Service.

She has received many awards for her work at Red Cross including Honorary Life Member in 2011 and the Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to Australian Red Cross Queensland Division and the community in 2015.

Appointed August 2018.

Cris was elected as an Additional Board Member in August 2018. A former refugee aided by Red Cross and migrant herself, Cris is passionate about and committed to contributing with her experience across innovation, digital agility and transformation to make a positive social impact and help those in need.

A senior technology executive, Cris was the Head of Merchant Acquiring and Payments Services at Coles and Coles Financial Services.  Prior to joining Coles, Cris held positions in military research and software agencies in Australia and overseas. She was recognized as one of the top 100 influential leaders in payments by Fin Tech Asia in 2016 and is a regular speaker at national and international conferences. Cris contributed to the establishment of a national payments framework and policy through committee membership at the Australian Payments & Clearing Association, Eftpos Payments Australia Ltd, the Australian Payments Council and Standards Australia.

Cris is a founding member of Women in Payments Australia and served as board member for three years. She holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Sciences, Senior Leadership training from Mt. Eliza Business School. She is a certified Senior member of the Australian Computer Society and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Resigned November 2018.

Appointed to the Tasmanian Divisional Advisory Board in May 2017, Colin was elected Chair of the Division in December 2017. Colin resigned from this position and the Board in November 2018. He attended one meeting during the financial year.

While not a member, Jeni attends all Board meetings and commenced working with Red Cross in September 2004 as Assistant to the Board. She was appointed Board Secretary in December 2009.

Jeni has more than 40 years’ experience in administration, the majority of which have been at a senior level working in the education, banking, chemicals, information management, utilities and not-for-profit sectors.

She holds a Secretarial Diploma, Certificate of Governance Practice and Administration, Certificate of Governance for Not-For-Profits and is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia (FGIA). Jeni was awarded a Distinguished Staff Award in 2009 and received her 10 years’ Long Service Medal in September 2014.