CREATE Foundation Board of Directors
David Matcham
David joined Lumley Insurance in 1997 after migrating from the UK. David was Managing Director at Lumley from 1999 until 2003. When Lumley Insurance was acquired by Wesfarmers in 2003, David became the CEO. He retired in 2009. David serves on the Board of Hollard Insurance Company Limited and is a past Director of the Insurance Council of Australia. He has been a Director of CREATE Foundation since 2004 and served as Chairman since 2007.
Jann Skiner
Jann was a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers specialising in the financial services sector, particularly the insurance industry. She was the auditor of CREATE Foundation for a number of years. After nearly 30 years she retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2004. Still keen to maintain her involvement with CREATE Foundation, she volunteered to assist in the year-end financial reporting process and also during the year to help out with other financial reporting requirements. Jann has been the Treasurer and a Director of CREATE Foundation since 2006.
Jacqui Reed
Jacqui has been the Chief Executive Officer of CREATE since December 2007. She has over 20 years experience in child protection, out of home care, family services and community work and has undertaken social research and held several management roles. She has written not only policy, training manuals and research papers, but also a children’s book. Jacqui is an accomplished public speaker presenting at many national and international conferences. Jacqui firmly believes that children and young people, given the right opportunities, have the capacity to transcend their adversity and reach their full potential.
Brian Greig
Brian is a Chartered Accountant. He is Deputy Chairman and a member of the Board of KPMG Australia. Brian is the Head of KPMG Australia’s insurance practice and a member of KPMG’s Global Insurance Leadership Team. Brian has 30 years business experience predominantly advising companies in the financial services and insurance industries in Australia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Brian grew up in a care environment. Consequently. he has a strong appreciation of the needs of children and young people in care. Brian has been a Director of the CREATE Foundation since 2008.
David Coney
David started his career in London with WWAV and Ogilvy & Mather. In 1992 he moved to Australia and joined the John Fairfax Group as Marketing Manager for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Financial Review. In 1993 David joined Integrated Options to establish their direct- and data marketing capabilities. He was appointed Managing Director in 2000. In 2005 David oversaw their integration into its sister EURORSCG. He has been an Australasian Promotion Marketing Association (APMA) and Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA) Awards judge and recipient. He has been a director of CREATE Foundation since 2005.
Joan Fitzpatrick
Joan is a barrister who joined the insurance industry in 1992 in London and worked for several years in Asia. In September 1997, Joan was appointed CEO of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF). In 2008 she participated in Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s Australia 2020 Summit. Joan is a Director of the ANZIIF Board, the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority (VMIA), a member of the Victorian Finance Industry Council (VFIC) and has been a Director of CREATE Foundation since 2002.
Dr Joseph McDowall
Joseph has a PhD in social psychology from the University of Queensland and has lectured at both the University of Queensland and Griffith University in the areas of research methods, statistics, social skills training, as well as all aspects of the theory and practice of photography. His research interests range from empirical aesthetics to his current concerns with child protection. Joseph authored the CREATE 2008 and 2009 Report Cards dealing with Transitioning from Care in Australia. He also has served as a consultant to the Queensland Department of Child Safety. He became a Director of CREATE in 2008.
Robyn Miller
Robyn is Principal Practitioner Child Protection and Family Services Branch Office for Children at the Department of Human Services. She was over 25 years experience as a social worker and family therapist. Prior to this she has worked in the Community Sector, Local Government, Child Protection and for the past 14 years at the Bouverie Family Therapy, La Trobe University Centre as a senior clinician and teacher. Her practice and research interests have been in the area of trauma and family work and she has a particular expertise in working with families where there has been sexual abuse and family violence. She became a Director of CREATE in 2008.
Trevor Gruzin
Trevor is Managing Director, Management Consulting–Asia Pacific Area for Accenture. Trevor joined Accenture in Sydney in 1985 having previously worked in South Africa and the UK. He has held several global roles with Accenture over the past decade including leading the global banking practice. Trevor has been a Director of CREATE Foundation since 1999.
Jennifer Cordingley
Jennifer has worked in the advertising industry, with a specialisation in women-centric brands, since 1994. Her association with CREATE began in 2006. Presently Jennifer owns HALO Brandbank and in this, as well as her previous agency, she provides pro-bono agency services and marketing support to CREATE; particularly supporting CREATE’s business development and marketing functions. Jennifer has been a director of CREATE Foundation since 2010.
Melissa Widner
Melissa is a general partner at SeaPoint Ventures, a US based venture capital firm. She was previously the CEO of 7Software and Northwest Supply where under her leadership, both companies generated significant returns for their investors. Melissa is the Chairperson of Sydney based Heads Over Heels, an organisation that supports women entrepreneurs. She was the founder and President of the Northwest Chapter of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and a member of the board of the Alliance of Angels. Melissa served as a lecturer at the University of Washington’s Graduate School of Business where she taught courses on venture capital and entrepreneurship. Melissa is an active member of the Sydney Angels where she focuses on investments in early stage companies. She holds a Masters degree from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington. Melissa served as a board director on several US based venture backed technology companies as well as a director on the University of Washington, Bothell’s Business School Advisory Board. She joined CREATE’s Board in 2010.
Richard Hill
Richard Hill is an investment banker and lawyer and spent many years working in London, Hong Kong and New York with the HSBC Bank Group.
He is the Chairman of the Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research. He is also the Chairman of Sirtex Medical Limited and Calliden Insurance Group which are listed on the Australian Securities Exchange; as is Biota Holdings Limited of which he is a Director. He has been admitted an Attorney of the New York Bar. Richard has been a Director of CREATE Foundation since 2010.