The Hatchery

Ian Yates is Chief Executive of COTA Australia, the national peak body for COTAs (Councils on the Ageing) in each State and Territory of Australia. Ian was appointed CE of COTA SA in June 1989 and has played national leadership roles in COTA since 2002.

Ian serves on a wide variety of federal government and aged care sector national bodies. He is a member of the Federal Government’s Aged Care Financing Authority; the Aged Care Sector Committee and the Aged Care Quality Advisory Council.

Beyond aged care Ian is a member of the Consumer Advisory Panel to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), a Director of Livable Housing Australia, and a member of the Advisory Board of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR).

Ian holds a BA from Flinders University; is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors; is an Honorary Doctor and Emeritus Deputy Chancellor of Flinders University; and was awarded Membership in the Order of Australia (AM) in June 2005

Patricia Sparrow is a social policy leader and innovator with expertise in stakeholder engagement and management. She has specific and detailed expertise in ageing policy and aged care, having worked as, and with, a diverse range of stakeholders including consumers, service providers, workforce, health professionals, corporate organisations and Government. This unique ‘360 degree’ perspective ensures that Pat’s leadership approach is strategic and nuanced, inclusive and collaborative.

Pat is currently leading Aged & Community Services Australia (ACSA) toward a new era, as a recently-transitioned national organisation and with the challenges it faces in an increasingly competitive, consumer-driven environment. She is focused on ensuring the organisation has genuine respect and influence among key stakeholders through the establishment of a strong national voice. Pat’s breadth of knowledge, depth of experience and constructive approach enable her to achieve results that benefit ACSA members and contribute to the best possible outcomes for older.

Kate Swaffer is a humanitarian and an award-winning campaigner for the rights of people with dementia and older persons in Australia and globally. She was named 2017 Australian Of The Year in South Australia, and the 2018 Global Leader, top 100 Women Of Influence in Australia, and is also an Ambassador for the Australia Day Council (SA) and for Step Up For Dementia Research in Australia. Kate has a Master of Science in Dementia Care, a Bachelor of Psychology, a BA, a graduate Diploma in grief counselling, and is a retired nurse. She is also a board member for Alzheimer’s Disease International, an Honorary Associate Fellow, Faculty of Science, Medicine & Health, University of Wollongong, International Fellow, Impact Research Group, University of East Anglia. Kate has played a key role in campaigning for the human and legal rights for people with dementia including equal access to the CRPD. She has been tireless in her work on reframing dementia as a disability, for rehabilitation for dementia, and is the first person in the world with dementia, diagnosed herself at the age of 49, to be a keynote speaker at the WHO. 

She has contributed to key policy documents including work for the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Quality Rights initiative, the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) and is an Ambassador for StepUp for Dementia Research in Australia. With two honorary university positions, has been very active as a researcher, and is a highly published author and poet. Her uncompleted doctoral work, and other research projects includes Dementia as a Disability, Disability Rights, Human and Legal Rights, Stigma, Quality of Life, and the Public Discourse of Dementia.  She has published two books, What the hell happened to my brain? Living beyond dementia (2016) and Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or Another Dementia (2016), two poetry books, and countless journal articles, media appearances, interviews, publications, and blogs.

Craig has extensive experience in health service management and health consulting. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of OPAN. Flowing from his background in nursing he is passionate about connecting and improving the health system for all Australians. He also holds positions on a number of NGO Boards.

Kaele Stokes is Executive Director Consumer Engagement, Policy and Research at Dementia Australia. Her portfolios span a range of strategic and policy initiatives, including elevating the voice of people living with dementia, their families and carers through a wide range of consumer engagement activities; undertaking systemic advocacy on key issues for people impacted by dementia; and supporting international and national research, including management of the Dementia Australia Research Foundation.

Kaele has held a number of roles in Dementia Australia and it’s precursor Victorian organisation and she also has a background in retirement living and aged care, having previously worked in the areas of policy, strategy and new service development for an organisation that focused on individual and community wellbeing. Prior to this work, Kaele completed an M.Phil and PhD in history at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom as well as working as an editorial assistant in Belgium and running her own grant writing consultancy.

An accomplished strategist, Faye has extensive experience in executive leadership roles across government, corporate and for purpose sectors.

 She has an excellent record of achievement in directing policy design, implementation and evaluation, and system design and service delivery particularly focused on reframing challenging social issues to achieve systemic change.  

 Her areas of expertise include aged care, cultural and religious diversity, gender parity, social justice, access and equity and social cohesion.

 She was an Executive Leader within the Clemenger Group for almost 17 years as Communications Director for Cultural Perspectives and more recently a Partner, head Social Diversity at Hall & Partners.

 In February 2021, she was appointed CEO of Fronditha Care, and is committed to building on the legacy of the organisation in provision of care to the Greek community. She was also the first female President and Board Chair of the organisation and ended her 9 year tenure in 2019. 

Recently retired as Board Chair of inTouch, Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence, a role she held for the last 10 years; Faye has continued to support the work of inTouch through her role as Patron.  She is a current Parkinson’s Victoria Board Director.

 Passionate about achieving better social outcomes driven by genuine collaboration and engagement, Faye was recognised for her contribution to driving social change and awarded the Victorian Premier’s Achievement Award in 2001. 

 In 2019, she was inducted to the Victorian Honour Roll for Women as a Change Agent.

Robyn’s passion for providing high quality care is shown through her dedication and career progression at Goodwin. From starting as a carer in 2006, Robyn has worked in various positions including senior management and executive roles for the past eight years. This experience combined with tertiary qualifications in both Business and Management provides invaluable knowledge and insight for her position and her team.

Robyn is committed to research and translating evidence into practice which is evident through her publications in two British pharmaceutical and medical journals and involvement in various research projects including a recent research pilot to investigate the benefits of having a pharmacist working in a residential care facility. She has made a significant impact on the memory support unit through implementing the Montessori method of care. She is passionate about innovative models of care for people living with dementia and providing high quality care for people who don’t have a voice.

Patricia Sparrow is a social policy leader and innovator with expertise in stakeholder engagement and management. She has specific and detailed expertise in ageing policy and aged care, having worked as, and with, a diverse range of stakeholders including consumers, service providers, workforce, health professionals, corporate organisations and Government. This unique ‘360 degree’ perspective ensures that Pat’s leadership approach is strategic and nuanced, inclusive and collaborative.

Pat is currently leading Aged & Community Services Australia (ACSA) toward a new era, as a recently-transitioned national organisation and with the challenges it faces in an increasingly competitive, consumer-driven environment. She is focused on ensuring the organisation has genuine respect and influence among key stakeholders through the establishment of a strong national voice. Pat’s breadth of knowledge, depth of experience and constructive approach enable her to achieve results that benefit ACSA members and contribute to the best possible outcomes for older.

Grant is the senior partner of Stewart Brown and leads the national Consulting Division.

Stewart Brown are market leaders in providing financial benchmarking and consulting services to the aged care sector. Grant specialises in a range of professional services for clients including undertaking complex accounting assignments, governance and system reviews, management consulting, financial modelling and general business advice. He also has considerable experience in advising clients on the sale and purchases of businesses, business valuations and due diligence.

Grant has over 40 years’ experience in the profession and was previously responsible for the Audit and Aged Care Division which he established in 1990. He has significant professional expertise within the not-for- profit sector and he has a lengthy client list including many national aged care and community service providers.

Professor Alan Lilly is an Adjunct Professor with Australian Catholic University. He is a Registered Psychiatric Nurse and Registered General Nurse by background, with a Graduate Diploma in Health Services Management and Master of Business in Health Administration. With extensive experience in residential care, he has worked across the health, disability and aged care sectors and was Chief Executive for almost ten years in public and private sector organisations. He is currently a Board Director of the Royal Women’s Hospital and the Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hospital in Melbourne and chairs their respective Board Quality & Safety Committees. A former Accreditation Surveyor with the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards, his professional interests are in leadership, quality & safety and the consumer experience. Nowadays, Alan is Principal of his own consulting firm, Acumenity, providing consulting services in Health and Aged Care. Professor Lilly is a member of the newly established Aged Care Advisory Group which provides advice to the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.

Dr Brendan French joined the Commonwealth Bank in 2007. His current role is Executive General Manager, Customer and Community Advocacy, which oversees 5 critical customer oriented functions within the Bank, reporting to the Deputy CEO.

These functions being:

• Group Customer Relations
• Office of the Group Customer Advocate
• Community and Customer Vulnerability
• Group Remediation & Systemic Customer Issues
• Systems, Analytics & Transformation

Brendan is one of the most well recognised consumer affairs specialists in the country, having worked as an ombudsman, academic, board director, author and consultant. Brendan brings independent leadership to solve some of the Group’s biggest and most public challenges.

Prior to joining CommBank, Brendan lectured at the School of Law, Western Sydney University, and published widely, including the standard text, Resolving Conflict (Oxford University Press, 2009). Brendan holds a PhD in the History of Ideas.

Prof McCallum is an academic leader widely published in peer-reviewed publications, books and monographs; NHMRC evidence statements and Guidelines; National Seniors reports. He had teaching and research roles at: Griffith University; Andrus Gerontology Center University of Southern California; Nanzan University Nagoya; Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology; Renmin University Beijing; ESCAP Bangkok; Ageing Family Project; National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health ANU from where he ran the Dubbo Study of the Health of the Elderly.

He was Executive Dean Health and Social Sciences University of Western Sydney (received Campbelltown Council Community Service Award), Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor and Director TAFE Victoria University; Senior Executive (NHMRC Research Translation Group; Director NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research; Research Director National Seniors Australia and CEO from 2018.

Some of his major projects were: Dubbo Longitudinal Study of Ageing, Australia-Japan Collaboration in Aged Care, Asset and Health Dynamics of the ‘Old’ Old (AHEAD), Vietnam Veterans Mortality Study and he received the Federation Medal in 2003 ‘for outstanding service as a researcher to ageing and aged care issues’.

Gerard Mansour is a highly respected and passionate advocate for the needs of older people. In 2013, Mr Mansour was appointed as the first ever Commissioner for Senior Victorians to provide advice to the Victorian Government on issues relevant to senior Victorians. In 2020, he was appointed as a special advisor to the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre.

Mr Mansour’s current priorities include isolation and loneliness of older people, prevention and response to elder abuse and what it means to age well. His report Ageing well in a changing world was launched in November 2020.

Liesel is an experienced CEO and non-executive Director and is Chair and of Director of Goodwin Aged Care Services in the ACT, the largest not for profit employer and leading aged care provider in Canberra. In 2015, Liesel was appointed to the national Board of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).

Liesel also holds non-executive directorships with Doctors’ Health Services and Pathology Awareness Australia. As an experienced CEO and health strategist, Liesel is the CEO of Australian Pathology, the peak industry body for private pathology practice in Australia and represents more than 95% of private pathology services.

Previously, Liesel held the position of CEO of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, the professional membership organisation for 18,000 pharmacists in Australia.

Liesel holds qualifications in science (BSc.) a Masters by Research (MPH) and an MBA (with Distinction).

Ben Lancken joined Opal to head Opal’s Customer Experience Transformation Program, and now is Director of Customer Experience and Innovation, who exist to support the organisation in the areas of customer insights and analytics, customer relationship management, digital transformation, strategic project management and business process improvement. 

Caryn Farber is the Customer Insights Manager at Opal and plays the important role of advocating for the customer in everything the organisation says and does.  Caryn is responsible for managing Opal’s Voice of Customer Program—comprising feedback and complaints, customer surveys, visitor sentiment and online reviews. Most importantly, she is charged with translating this critical customer feedback into actionable insights that drive improvements across the business. Caryn leads many of the customer experience improvement initiatives at Opal and develops customer experience content to support residents and families at point of service. 

The Board of Trustees elected Professor Peter Shergold AC as its chair and the University’s new Chancellor in 2010. His term began on 1 January 2011 and has recently been extended until December 2020.

Peter received a B.A. Hons (First Class) in Politics and American Studies from the University of Hull; an M.A. in History at the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle; and a PhD in Economics from London School of Economics.

He was elected a Fellow of The Academy of Social Sciences (FASSA) in Australia in 2005. He has also been made a Fellow of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG), the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA), the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), the Australian Institute of Management (AIM) and the Royal Society of NSW (FRSN). In 2017 he was elected National President of IPAA.

Peter migrated to Australia in 1982 to take up a lecturing position at the University of New South Wales. He became Head of the Department of Economic Histories in 1986. As an academic he received two Fullbright scholarships to study in the U.S.A.

In 1987, Peter became a CEO in the Australian Public Service (APS) for two decades, working with Prime Ministers and Ministers from both sides of politics. His first job was to establish the Office of Multicultural Affairs. From 1991 he headed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and from July 1994 he was Chief Executive Officer of Comcare. He was appointed Australian Public Service Commissioner from September 1995 to February 1998. He served as Secretary of the Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business from 1998 until 2002 and then became the Secretary of the Department of Education, Science and Training.

In February 2003, Peter was asked by the Prime Minister, John Howard, to serve as Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, becoming the nation’s most senior public servant. He did so for 5 years. During that time the so-called ‘Shergold Report’ (actually the report of the Task Group on Emissions Trading) was presented to – and accepted by – the Commonwealth government. He managed the transition to government of the new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, leaving the APS in February 2008.
In addition to his Western Sydney University role Peter served as a non-executive director on the Boards of AMP Ltd and its subsidiaries, AMP Life and AMP Bank from 2008 – 2017. He also served as an external director of Corrs Chambers Westgarth from 2009 to 2016. He presently chairs Opal Aged Care. He is also a director of a capital start-up in the area of quantum security, QuintessenceLabs, and is a member of O’Connell Street Associates.

In the not-for-profit field he has been the chair of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, the deputy chair of the Sydney Writers’ Festival and patron of the Left-Right Think Tank. He was CEO of the Centre for Social Impact from 2008 – 2011 and is now its chair. He remains a member of the State Library Council of NSW.

In the government arena he chairs the NSW Public Services Commission Advisory Board. He has been chair of the Aged Care Reform Implementation Council and the Aged Care Sector Committee. He headed the Ministerial Expert Group on Gambling for the Commonwealth Government under Prime Minister Rudd. In Western Australia he was asked to lead the Government/not-for-profit Partnership Forum under Premier Colin Barnett. In 2013 he completed a report on community service sector reform for the Victorian government. He served on the Queensland Public Sector Renewal Board on major public projects. He wrote a major report, “Learning from Failure”, which was handed to the Commonwealth government in 2015. He has also chaired reviews into Medicare Card security (2017) and the implementation of the National Construction Code (2017 – 2018). He presently chairs the forum on Western Sydney Airport.

He is active in education. He chairs the National Centre for Vocational Education Research. He was chair of the TEQSA Advisory Council. He now chairs the Commonwealth’s Higher Education Standards Panel.

Peter was appointed in 2014 as Coordinator General for Refugee Resettlement in NSW.

Peter was made a Member in the Order of Australia (AM) for public service on Australia Day 1996 and was presented with the Centenary Medal in 2003. In 2007, he received Australia’s highest award, the Companion in the Order of Australia (AC) for service to the community.

Phil Butler is the Not For Profit Sector Leader for the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) based in Canberra.

In this role, Phil has worked closely with Boards, CEO’s and Directors of organisations in Public and Not for Profit sectors.

Since 2011, he has led the Not for Profit Project for AICD. This project is designed to support organisations in the NFP sector to achieve their respective missions through ongoing improvements in governance and to build greater awareness of the contribution of NFP directors and support their ongoing professional development. Examples of this work include the Good Governance Principles and Guidance for NFP Organisations and the annual NFP Governance and Performance Study.

Phil is a Graduate of the Company Directors Course and a member of CPA Australia. He has been on a range of boards of NFP and Government organisations and recently stepped down as a Director of Alzheimer’s Australia ACT.

Andrew Hollo is one of Australia’s leading strategy consultants, known especially for his work with organisations on the boundary between private and public value. These include member-based organisations, statutory authorities, research institutes, large-scale service delivery organisations, regulators and more. His clients value his ability to create synergies amongst disparate groups to solve complex and ambiguous problems. His key work focusses on establishing purpose and value propositions, identifying success measures, especially in difficult-to-quantify areas, and building board and executive team processes to successfully implement strategy.

He has worked with hundreds of complex organisations since 1999, including Bendigo Bank, Australian Institute of Company Directors, Coliban Water, City of Monash, The University of Melbourne, Catholic Education Western Australia, Environment Protection Authority, St Vincents Hospital and many others

With 30+ years in nursing, leadership and consulting Louise’s experience spans a diverse range of organisations including public hospitals, aged care services and consulting. Louise has led the quality and business improvement team at the Ideal Consultancy for the past 10 years.

Louise’s experience and expertise has also been called upon throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, where she is the Subject Matter Expert for the establishment of the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre.

Victor is a principal at Russell Kennedy Lawyers, based in the firm’s Melbourne office where he leads the national aged care and royal commissions team. He has over 30 years’ experience representing providers (both not-for-profit & for profit) in litigious matters across all states of Australia. As an experienced legal advisor to his aged care clients, he is a fierce and tough negotiator, and has won his clients results that are often only possible outside court processes. His extensive knowledge of aged care laws allows him to provide practical and expert advice across a broad range of areas and issues. Victor’s litigious experience extends to acting for Government and aged care providers in Royal Commissions, Public Inquiries and Coronial Inquests. His aged care clients can benefit from his rounded perspective of previously working for regulatory bodies as well as Government Departments and agencies. Victor has been regularly recognised by Best Lawyers in Australia for his expertise in Senior Living Law (since 2017) and in Government Practice and in Retirement Villages (since 2014).