Board and governance

The Board of SVA governs our overall direction and purpose, acting as the centrepiece of governance, fiduciary and overall responsibility for SVA and related companies.

Responsibilities include the approval of new members. Our board brings a diverse range of business, financial, entrepreneurial and philanthropic capabilities to SVA.

Company secretariat services are provided by Justine Isemonger.

Our people are our greatest asset. Find out more about the SVA team.

Paul Robertson AO
Chair, Social Ventures Australia

Paul Robertson is currently Chair of St Vincent’s Health Australia Group, Chair of Trustees of St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney and Chair of Tonic Health Media.

He is Founder and Director of Financial Markets Foundation for Children. He is also Director of Telco Together Foundation, Grace Papers and Sydney Theatre Company Foundation.

Paul has extensive experience in banking including 27 years at Macquarie Bank/Hill Samuel where he was an Executive Director, Global Treasurer and Integrity Officer of the Bank. He was also a Director and CEO of Macquarie Risk Advisory Services. Paul has served on a number of other commercial boards.

Adrian Appo OAM
Founding Chief Executive Officer, Ganbina

Adrian is currently Executive Director of First Australians Capital (FAC). As Founding CEO of Ganbina, Adrian has been instrumental in motivating thousands of Indigenous people in the Goulburn Valley to improve their circumstances. A graduate of Fairley Leadership’s Community Leadership Program and the Williamson Community Leadership Program, Adrian has also studied at the Harvard Business School.

A Gureng Gureng man, Adrian served with distinction in the Royal Australian Air Force. He holds a Bachelor of Teaching and taught for several years after leaving the RAAF. Adrian then moved into the professional recruitment industry working as a consultant with both the private and public sectors before joining Ganbina. He was awarded an OAM in 2011 for service to Indigenous youth through career planning, employment and training programs, and was one of the inaugural AMP Tomorrow Makers award recipients in 2014.

Adrian also holds current directorships with Australian Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship, Children’s Ground, Indigenous Leadership Network Victoria, Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority and Australian Advisory Board on Impact Investing. He is also a member of the Indigenous Social Enterprise Fund Advisory Committee.

Robert Fitzgerald AM
Commissioner, Productivity Commission

Robert is a Commissioner with the Productivity Commission, where he has served since 2004. Most recently he has been a Commissioner on the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse.

A commercial lawyer for more than 20 years, including with top-tier firm Clayton Utz, Robert has also held a number of policy-related roles including as a member of the National Competition Council.

Prior to joining the Productivity Commission, Robert was Community and Disability Services Commissioner and Deputy Ombudsman in New South Wales.

His considerable experience with the not-for-profit sector includes serving as Chair of the Australian Charities and Not-For Profits Commission Advisory Board, President of the Australian Council of Social Services, and over 30 years of volunteering with numerous community services.

Tanya Gilerman
Partner, Financial Services, KPMG

Tanya Gilerman is currently Chief Risk Officer at KPMG and has been a partner in KPMG Sydney’s Audit Financial Services practice for the last 15 years. From 2009 to 2013, Tanya’s role has also included the function of Chief Operating Officer of Audit nationally.

During the last 20 years, Tanya has worked with clients principally in the banking, finance and investment management industries. During this time, Tanya has provided assurance services and undertaken reviews of risk management practices, compliance plans and provided accounting advice.

Tanya has extensive experience working with Boards and senior management during times of change and restructure.Tanya was formally a non-executive Director of The Benevolent Society and is a graduate of the 2006 Sydney Leadership Programme.

Chris Harrop
Director, Bain & Company

Chris Harrop is a Director in the Melbourne office of Bain & Company and a member of the global board of directors at Bain & Company, where he has worked for over 20 years in both the US and Australia.

Chris has worked with clients in many industries, and has specialised in projects addressing corporate strategy, growth strategy, customer experience improvement and broad-based transformational change.

Chris was a long-serving member of the Board of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, and currently serves as the Director on the Brandenburg Foundation Board. He earned an MBA (honours) from IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland and a Bachelor of Commerce (honours) from Otago University in New Zealand.

Daisy Mallett
Partner, King & Wood Mallesons

Daisy Mallett is a risk management and dispute resolution specialist, with a particular focus on cross-border disputes.

Daisy was a member of the Australian Delegation to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Arbitration and Conciliation Working Group, as well as being a member of the New South Wales Law Society’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, a member of the Law Council of Australia’s Transnational Litigation Committee, a fellow of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration Group. Daisy was a member of the Philanthropy Australia New Generation of Giving Program and is Chair of the Crawford Foundation.

Daisy’s legal practice has involved considerable pro bono work, including acting for the government of Southern Sudan in a border dispute and the UK House of Lords test case on the admissibility of evidence obtained through torture in criminal terrorist prosecutions.

Lisa Paul AO PSM

Lisa Paul is a prominent Australian policymaker. She has been a Commonwealth Government Chief Executive for ten years and has more than 20 years public sector experience, including three Deputy CEO roles.

In 2011, she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to public sector leadership in key policy and program implementation, and also received the Australia Chartered Accountants’ Federal Government Leader of the Year award. She was an inaugural member of the AFR Knowledge 100. She was awarded a Public Service Medal in 2003.

Lisa is also a Melbourne University Enterprise Professor and Bond University Councilor. Lisa is a Director on the boards of the Australian American Leadership Dialogue, APM International, Australian Schools Plus, Navitas, High Resolves and Programmed Group.

Our members

SVA was established in 2002. We were created by, and have the ongoing support of, some of Australia’s most well-known non-profit and philanthropic organisations. These are our founding partners:

AMP Foundation
The Benevolent Society
The Smith Family
WorkVentures

Our members include our founding partners as well as other leaders in the non-profit and social sector. SVA members are the guardians of the underlying mission and values of SVA for the benefit of its stakeholders. SVA members can appoint and remove Directors.

Michael Traill AM – Founding CEO of Social Ventures Australia. Chair of Goodstart Early Learning. Co-founder and former Executive Director of Macquarie Group’s private equity arm.

AMP Foundation – The core vehicle wealth manager AMP uses to invest in the community. The foundation focuses its funding on youth unemployment and programs that build the capacity of the non-profit sector.

The Benevolent Society – Australia’s first charity. A not-for-profit and non-religious organisation and helping people, families and communities achieve positive change for 200 years. Through its work, the Benevolent Society educate, support and advocate for personal and societal change, to create a fair society where everyone thrives.

The Smith Family – A national, independent children’s charity helping disadvantaged Australians to get the most out of their education, so they can create better futures for themselves.

WorkVentures – A Sydney based community employment and economic development enterprise with a history of social innovation.

Tony Berg AM – Director of Gresham and Chairman of Gresham Property. Gresham is a leading Australian investment and advisory house.

Elaine Henry OAM – Former CEO of national, independent children’s charity, The Smith Family

Bill Lawson AM – Retired Engineer and Founder of Beacon Foundation and Reconciliation Tasmania. Currently a Board member of Reconciliation Australia and co-chair of Reconciliation Tasmania.

Helen Liondos – Manager of the AMP Foundation, the core vehicle for investment in the community by wealth manager AMP.

Rob McLean AM – Founding Chair of SVA, former Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand of management consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

John Poynton AM – Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Azure capital, an independent boutique corporate advisory firm based in Perth.

Jane Schwager AO – Leading thinker and practitioner on social innovation. Former CEO, The Benevolent Society.

Carol Schwartz AM – Chair of Our Community, a social enterprise that provides advice and tools for Australia’s 700 000 community groups and schools.

SVA Leadership Council

The activities of SVA are augmented through the operation of the SVA Leadership Council. The purpose of the SVA Leadership Council is to provide input and guidance to SVA on strategic funding opportunities and networks. It is an extremely valuable and high profile point of connection and leverage for our funding endeavours.

The Council comprises:

Rob Koczkar (Chair) – Former CEO of Social Ventures Australia. Founder and Managing Director, Adamantem Capital.

Andrew Clifford – Chief Investment Officer of ASX-listed fund manager Platinum Asset Management.

Sarah Davies – Chief Executive Officer of Philanthropy Australia.

Alison Deans – Westpac Board Director and previously CEO of the technology-based investment company netus Pty Ltd.

Gary Gerstle – Former Managing Director of Man Investments Australia, an alternative investment manager.

David Jones – Chairman, VGI Partners

Rob Keldoulis – Founder and CEO of Vivienne Court Trading, an international arbitrage firm wholly owned by a charitable entity.

Tony Mackay AM – CEO of Centre for Strategic Education (CSE) Melbourne

Michael Price – Executive Director of Macquarie Bank and a Director for In-Form Limited, which raises funds for youth mental health charities.

Nigel Renton – Founder, NJ Renton and Partners.

Stephen Roberts – Member of the boards of Cancer Council Australia and Cancer Council Australia Executive Committee. Former Senior Partner and Regional Business Leader of Asia Pacific for Mercer Investments.

Paul Robertson AO – Chair of Social Ventures Australia Board, Chair of St Vincent’s Health Australia and Chair of Saint Ignatius’ College, Riverview. Former Executive Director, Macquarie Bank.

Michael Traill AM – Founding CEO of Social Ventures Australia. Chair of Goodstart Early Learning. Co-founder and former Executive Director of Macquarie Group’s private equity arm.

David Vaux – Established The Vaux Family Education & learning Foundation and is the Independent Chairman on the GenesisCare Board.

Yan Li Wang – Partner of Melbourne HWL Ebsworth Lawyers

Shemara Wikramanayake – Head of Macquarie Asset Management.

Social Ventures Australia

Social Ventures Australia

Board and governance