Our Board

Shannon Adams

Non-executive director

LLB, FAICD

Tenure: Appointed November 2005

Board and committee responsibilities: Board Chair (World Vision Australia) and Board member (World Vision International)

Career: Shannon has been Chair of our Board since February 2018. He has also served as Deputy Chair and as Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee. Shannon has been a member of World Vision International’s Board since 2013 and sits on their Partnership Governance Committee.

Shannon is a partner at Piper Alderman, a large commercial law firm with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. He advises banks, credit unions and other financial service providers, with a strong emphasis on regulatory compliance, governance and the customer-owned banking sector.

After establishing his own firm in 1979, Shannon has been managing partner of several law firms. He has served on numerous Law Society of South Australia and Law Council of Australia committees and advisory groups.

Shannon and his wife Chris live in Adelaide and have three children and three grandchildren. They have served in their local church and parish for many years – Shannon as a musician since 1977. Before Shannon joined our Board, he and Chris spearheaded a project to establish a hospital and clinic in central Tanzania. They continue to be involved in the facility’s successful operation. 

Wendy Simpson

Non-executive director

OAM, BSocSci, GradDip Ed, BLitt, MBA, FRMIT, FAICD

Tenure: Appointed February 2013

Board and committee responsibilities: People, Culture and Governance Committee (Chair)

Career: Wendy is an experienced, versatile global business leader and entrepreneur. She was the Founding Chair of Springboard Enterprises, Australia’s only internationally-focused business accelerator for women entrepreneurs seeking investment capital.

Previously, Wendy was a Senior Vice President of Alcatel Asia Pacific, responsible for a sales budget of 4.2 billion euros. She implemented the sales of major mobile and broadband services to 17 countries and was on the team that negotiated with the Chinese government to bring the internet to China. She has also held global leadership roles with QBE Insurance, Alcatel and TNT International. Wendy is on the organising committee of the annual Sydney Prayer Breakfast.

Wendy was recognised in the Australia Day 2013 Honours with a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community through a range of women's and youth organisations. Also in 2013, she was inducted into the Australian Businesswomen’s Hall of Fame on International Women’s Day and named as one of the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence. She was appointed to the Board of the General Sir John Monash Foundation in January 2015.

Fiona Pearse

Non-executive director

BEc, MBA, FCPA, FAICD 

Tenure: Appointed February 2011

Board and committee responsibilities: Audit and Risk Committee (Chair)

Career: Fiona is an experienced professional non-executive director, with extensive commercial, financial and risk expertise. Her commercial/finance career spanned almost two decades at leading ASX-listed global companies BHP Billiton and BlueScope Steel.

She is currently a non-executive director of U Ethical (fund manager), Scotch College and Smart Parking, an ASX-listed technology innovator developing pioneering parking technology adopted in 17 countries.

Fiona’s previous non-executive directorships include City West Water, a $2 billion water utility. She has also served as an Advisory Board member to a FinTech developing state-of-the-art governance, risk and compliance software solutions for the financial services industry.

Andrew Scipione

Non-executive director

AO, APM, MMgmt, GradDip Police Mgmt, FAIM, MAICD

Tenure: Appointed May 2019

Board and committee responsibilities: People, Culture and Governance Committee

Career: Andrew was the New South Wales Police Commissioner from 2007 until his retirement in 2017, making him one of the longest-serving police chiefs in the state’s history. He worked for the NSW Police Force for more than four decades in a decorated career that included targeting global organised gangs and heading up campaigns to reduce alcohol-related and domestic violence.

Andrew was a recipient of the National Medal in 1996 and Australian Police Medal in 2003. In 2016 he was named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List as an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia for his service to law enforcement and “advancing the professionalism of policing and leadership of international investigations and counter terrorism activities”.

Andrew was also named as the 2018 Macquarie University Alumni of the Year for Public and Community Service.

Charles Badenoch

Non-executive director

BA Oxon (Oxford University Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics), ACA (Qualified Chartered Accountant UK)

Tenure: Appointed September 2019

Board and committee responsibilities: People, Culture and Governance Committee

Career: Charles is World Vision International’s Partnership Leader for Support Office engagement. Prior to this he was World Vision International’s Partnership Leader for advocacy and external engagement.

Charles began his career at Arthur Andersen, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He then worked for several international technology companies as Finance Director before moving to Paris to become Regional General Manager Europe Middle East Africa for SITA/Equant, an international data communications group subsequently acquired by France Telecom.

Charles moved to Xerox Europe to build a Network Services Business before starting his own boutique consultancy specialising in operational integration for mid-size mergers and acquisitions.

He served as CEO of World Vision UK from 2003 to 2009.

Darryl Gardiner

Non-executive director

Tenure: Appointed May 2016

Board and committee responsibilities: Audit and Risk Committee

Career: Darryl is an Anglican priest who has been involved in youth and community work for more than 40 years. He sits on and has helped to establish several not-for-profit boards.

He has travelled extensively, training and assisting charities – particularly those in the social service sector. For eight years he was a weekly guest on television show Good Morning Australia, discussing youth and family issues. He currently works with judges in the Youth Court, focusing on communication issues.

Darryl is married with two children.

Donna Shepherd

Non-executive director

AM, BA, MIIM, FAICD

Tenure: Appointed September 2008

Board and committee responsibilities: People, Culture and Governance Committee (World Vision Australia) and Board Chair (World Vision International)

Career: Donna is Managing Director of Creating Communities Australia, a leading social value advisory firm. She has also been Chair of the World Vision International Board since November 2016.

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 in international development, social planning and intercultural management.

Her governance experience is extensive, including directorships for LandCorp, EnviroDevelopment Board for the Urban Development Institute of Australia (Western Australia Division), University of Western Australia Extension, Southern Arc, Ausdance WA, Chrissie Parrot Dance Collective and the Independent Filmmakers Association.

In 2020 as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours List, Donna was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) "for significant service to children through international humanitarian aid organisations.

Donna and her husband Allan Tranter live in Perth.

Jon Seeley

Non-executive director

FCA, BEc, MBA, FAICD

Tenure: Appointed February 2017

Board and committee responsibilities: Audit and Risk Committee

Career: Jon is Group Managing Director of Seeley International, a manufacturer of heating, ventilation and air conditioning products including Breezair and Braemar. The company employs around 550 people with manufacturing plants in Adelaide, Albury and Denver.

He previously worked for Deloitte and Goldman Sachs JBWere, in addition to spending 10 years overseas in the not-for-profit sector with relief and development organisations. This included postings to Austria, Turkey, Uzbekistan and the UK.

Jon lives in Adelaide with his wife Claire and their son who is completing high school. They have 3 adult daughters and two granddaughters, with whom Jon is besotted.