George Savvides (Board Chair)

George Savvides is the Managing Director of Medibank, Australia’s largest health insurer, he was apponted in 2002. The organisation has enjoyed record membership growth and strong financial performance and expanded into health services as well as health insurance. Medibank’s revenue is over $5 billion pa., covering nearly 4 million customers.

George has twenty years experience in the Australian health care industry. He was Managing Director of Sigma Co Ltd, which he listed on the ASX in 1999.

George has an Honours degree in Industrial Engineering from UniNSW and an MBA from UTS and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is also Vice President of the Council of the iFHP (International Federation of Health Plans). He is Chairman of Arrow Leadership Australia and has recently been reappointed as a Director of World Vision Australia. He previously served for 12 years on both the World Vision Australia and World Vision International Boards.

Married to Vivian for 33 years, they have sons Peter and Luke. George continues to play masters hockey for Melbourne University.

Shannon Adams

LLB, FAICD

Special Responsibilities: Audit Committee (Chair), Executive Committee.

Shannon Adams joined our Board in 2005. Shannon is a lawyer who has advised financial institutions and insurers for over 27 years. He has been the managing partner of several legal firms and is presently a partner at Langes+. He specialises in financial services, insurance law and corporate governance, with a strong emphasis on the mutuals sector.

Rob Goudswaard

B.Ec, GRAD DIP CORP FIN, F Fin, FAICD

Special Responsibilities: People, Culture & Remuneration Committee (Chair).

Rob Goudswaard joined our Board in 2008. He is currently the CEO and a Director of Rural Finance Corporation based in Bendigo. Prior to this, Rob had 30 years experience with Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited in various roles including  Chief Risk Officer Institutional, Managing Director Regional, Rural & Small Business Banking, General Manager of Personal Banking Asia and Pacific and Chief Operating Officer with ANZ Small to Medium Business.
 
He is a Fellow of the Williamson Leadership Community Program and an Alumni of Melbourne Business School, London Business School and Wharton/RAM University of Pennsylvania. Rob has a Bachelor of Economics from Latrobe University and a Postgraduate degree in Corporate Finance from RMIT and attended the Senior Management Programmes at Melbourne Business School and London Business School. 

Dr. Louise Baur

AM  BSC (MED), MB, BS (HONS), FRACP, PHD

Special Responsibilities: People, Culture & Remuneration Committee.

Louise Baur joined our Board in 2007. Louise is Professor in both the Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health and the Sydney School of Public Health at the University of Sydney. She is a consultant paediatrician at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, the main paediatric institution in Sydney.  She has long-standing expertise in various aspects of child health and public health.

In 2010 Louise was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) “for service to medicine, particularly in the field of paediatric obesity as a researcher and academic, and to the community through support for a range of children’s charities”

Colin Carter

B.COM, MBA

Special Responsibilities: People, Culture & Remuneration Committee.

Colin Carter joined our Board in 2008. Colin has over 31 years consulting experience advising on business strategy, corporate governance and organisational issues. Colin retired from full time consulting work with The Boston Consulting Group in 2001 and has since been a director of Origin Energy Ltd and a Commissioner of the Australian Football League.
Colin currently serves on the boards of Wesfarmers Limited, Seek Limited and the Geelong Football Club as a non-executive director. He is also a director of The Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership and the Indigenous Enterprise Partnership and Chair of the AFL Foundation.

Bishop John Harrower

OAM, BE, BA, CENG CEI; MICHEME. THL, ADV DIP MISSL STUD. MA (THEOL), FAICD

Special Responsibilities: Audit Committee.

Bishop John Harrower joined our Board in 2006. John graduated with honours in Chemical Engineering from Melbourne University in 1970 and worked as a petroleum engineer with Mobil Oil. During these years he pursued studies in economics and political science, completing a Bachelor of Arts. A change of direction stemming from an invitation to work as a university lay chaplain took him to the Anglican Missionary training college in Melbourne in 1977.

John lived and worked in Argentina for nine years in university chaplaincy, book publishing and distribution.

He was ordained a priest in 1986 and was installed as the 11th Bishop of Tasmania in 2000. In that same year he was awarded a Medal of The Order of Australia “for service to the community through the Anglican Church and as a missionary”. John holds senior positions on mission boards and national committees of the Anglican Church.

Fiona Pearse

B.Ec, CPA, GAICD

Special Responsibilities: Audit Committee.

Fiona Pearse joined our Board in 2011.  She is an accountant with extensive corporate and financial experience accumulated during 19 years with Australian blue chip companies.  She held various roles during 14 years at BHP Billiton, including financial accounting, management accounting and corporate tax. 

Fiona worked in corporate tax for several years at BlueScope Steel, managing income tax and fringe benefits tax for multiple different legal entities, including tax due diligence and integration of new acquisitions.  She also brings tax experience in the charity sector through managing the tax and legal establishment of a new charity.

She is a director of Presbyterian Ladies College, a leading Melbourne girls’ school, and is also a director of a scholarships investment trust.  Fiona has a Bachelor of Economics, majoring in Accounting, is a CPA, and is a Graduate from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Barry Pipella

FAICD

Special Responsibilities: Audit Committee.

Barry Pipella joined our Board in 2005. Barry was appointed to the role of Executive Director, Strategic Sales, Telstra Enterprise & Government in October 2010.  In this role Barry has accountability for sales of services and products to Telstra’s top 150 enterprise customers.

Prior to joining Telstra in 2010, Barry worked at IBM for 14 years holding many senior leadership roles including Vice President for Asia Pacific Financial Services Sector and Vice President for Sectors and Sales, IBM Global Technology Services (GTS) ANZ.  Before IBM, Barry had 10 years in sales leadership in the financial services sector with Digital Equipment Corporation.
 
Barry is a board member for Business for Millennium Development (B4MD) and the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) Board.

Michael Prince

BA (HONS). MASTER OF CHRISTIAN STUDIES. DIP PROF COACHING

Special Responsibilities: Executive Committee, People, Culture & Remuneration Committee.

Michael Prince joined our Board in 2006. Michael is a director of The Winding Staircase, a consultancy group offering services in coaching, coach training, and leadership development. He brings significant experience in International Development in Asia and the Pacific.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia and a Master of Arts in Christian Studies from Regent College, Vancouver, Canada. 

Donna Shepherd

BA, MIIM, GAICD

Special Responsibilities: Audit Committee.

Donna Shepherd joined the World Vision Australia Board in 2008 and the World Vision International Board in 2010. Donna is the Managing Director of Creating Communities Australia, a community and economic development consultancy. Donna holds a Masters in International Administration from the School for International Training in Vermont USA.

She has worked in the USA, Tunisia, Ecuador and Australia and has extensive experience in social planning, strategic planning, community engagement, communications and training.

Donna is currently also on the Indigenous Advisory Group for World Vision Australia and the Envirodevelopment Board for the Urban Development Institute of Australia WA.

She has previously served on the boards of University of Western Australia Extension, Southern Arc, Ausdance WA, Chrissie Parrot Dance Collective and the Independent Filmmakers Association.