John Atkin FAICD
BA (Hons), LLB (Hons)
Chair & National Director
Appointed: 30/11/2018
Board Committees: Governance Committee - Chair
Audit, Finance & Investment Committee - Member
Risk & Compliance Committee - Member All Other Board Committees - Attendee
John is currently a non-executive director of IPH Ltd, Integral Diagnostics Ltd and Commonwealth Bank Officers Superannuation Corporation Pty Ltd. He is also Vice Chair of Outward Bound International Inc. Prior to his non-executive director career, John was CEO of The Trust Company, successfully steering the organisation through the GFC. Prior to this he spent six years as National Managing Partner of Blake Dawson (now Ashurst) and 15 years as Partner at Mallesons Stephen Jaques (now King & Wood Mallesons).
John is a Graduate of both the Company Directors Course and Mastering the Boardroom and in January 2020 he completed the Boardroom Mastery program.
Tracey Horton AO FAICD
BEc (Hons), MBA, Emeritus Professor
Deputy Chair & National Director
Appointed second term: 10/06/2019
Appointed Deputy Chair: 29/08/2019
Board Committees: Governance Committee - Member
Technology Committee - Member
Tracey is a non-executive director of Nearmap Ltd, Chair of its People, Culture & Remuneration Committee and member of its Audit & Risk Committee. She is also a non-executive director of GPT Group, Chair of its People & Remuneration Committee and member of its Sustainability and Risk Committee. She is on the Board of Campus Living Villages, Chair of the Australian Industry & Skills Committee and Acting President of the Australian Government Takeovers Panel and a member of the Bain & Company Advisory Board.
In 2017 Tracey was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to business and business education through a range of leadership and academic roles, and to the arts in Western Australia.
Julie Cooper FAICD
BA (Arts/Journalism), Grad Dip (Business)
SA/NT Division Director
Appointed: 22/12/2021
Board Committees: Human Resources & Remuneration Committee - Member
Technology Committee - Member
Julie is Chair of Defence Technology Company, Nova Systems Pty Ltd, and a member of the Sarah Group’s Advisory Board (Construction and Property). She is Director of Credit Union SA and Chair of the Credit Union’s Governance Committee. Julie is also a Director of Helping Hand (Aged Care) and a member of its Finance and Property Committee. She is a member of the Finance & Audit Committee for the Adelaide Football Club (AFC Board Committee); a Director of the Adelaide Crows’ Foundation, and Chair of the Foundation’s Risk and Audit Committee. She is a member of the International Women’s Forum Australia (IWFA).
Before embarking on a Board career, Julie spent more than 25 years working in the Brewing, Banking, and Defence, sectors. She was also a Management Consultant for McKinsey & Company, operating out of the Firm’s London office.
Anne Cross AM FAICD
BSW, MSW
QLD Division Director
Appointed: 29/08/2019
Board Committees: Governance Committee - Member
Human Resources & Remuneration Committee - Member
Anne is a non-executive director of St Vincent’s Health Australia and its subsidiary companies. She is Chair of Uniting Church in Australia Redress Ltd and a director of Opera Queensland. She is member of the Senate of the University of Queensland.
Anne concluded her executive career as Chief Executive of UnitingCare Queensland in 2017 after a long career working in health, aged care, disability and community services. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Queensland.
Anne was admitted as a Member in the Order of Australia for her services to Social Welfare Organisations and
Women in 2018. She was named Telstra’s National Business Woman of the Year in 2014.
Naomi Edwards FAICD
BSc(Hons), FIA, FIAA, FNZSA
TAS Division Director
Appointed: 30/08/2018
Board Committees: Risk & Compliance Committee - Chair
Audit, Finance & Investment Committee - Member
Naomi is Independent Chair of Spirit Super and a non-executive director of Propel Funeral Partners, Nikko AM Ltd, the Tasmanian Economic Development Board, and the Actuaries’ Institute. She is also chair of the Audit and Risk Committee for the Department of State Growth, Tasmania.
She was formerly Chair of Australian
Ethical Investments, Trustee of
Australian Ethical Super and nonexecutive director at Hunter Hall.
Naomi was previously an actuarial consultant at Trowbridge Consulting and a Partner at Deloitte, where she led the Financial Services Industry Group following Deloitte’s merger with Trowbridge in 2000. She is a Fellow of both the British and Australian actuarial institutes.
Derek La Ferla FAICD
B.Arts, B. Juris, LLB
WA Division Director
Appointed: 08/07/2019
Board Committees: Governance Committee- Member
Human Resources & Remuneration Committee - Member
National Membership Committee - Member
Derek is Chair of Sandfire Resources Limited and Poseidon Nickel Limited. He is a director of Chalice Mining Limited, Green Peak Energy Pty Ltd and also a partner with Western Australian law firm Lavan.
Derek has been on the AICD Western Australia Division Council since 2015 and a Fellow since 2011.
Derek is a corporate lawyer and company director with more than 30 years’ experience. He has held
senior positions with some of Australia‘s leading law firms and a variety of board positions with listed public companies and not-for-profit organisations.
Rebecca McGrath FAICD
BTP(Hons), MAppSc(ProjMgt)
VIC Division Director
Appointed: 13/11/2020
Board Committees: Audit, Finance & Investment Committee - Member
Technology Committee - Member
Rebecca McGrath is an internationally experienced business leader.
She is currently Chairman of ASX100 listed Oz Minerals Ltd and Non-Executive Director of Macquarie Bank, Goodman Group and Investa Property Group. She is Independent Chairman of Scania Australia and a member of the Advisory Council for JP Morgan in Australia.
Rebecca is also involved in the not-for-profit sector. She is President of the Victorian Division Council of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Chairman of Kilfinan Australia. She is a member of Chief Executive Women and is an ambassador for the National Association of Women in Operations.
Rebecca is a speaker, mentor and advisor in a range of industry and professional forums. Prior to her non-executive career, Rebecca spent 23 years as an executive in the oil industry. She held business line, corporate and functional leadership roles with BP in Australasia, Europe and the United Kingdom.
Rebecca holds the degrees of Bachelor of Town Planning (Hons.) and Master of Applied Science (Project Management). She has attended executive management programmes at Harvard Business School, Cambridge University and MIT in Boston. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
In 2014 Rebecca was recognised as one of the AFR/Westpac “Australian 100 Women of Influence
Dr Michael Schaper FAICD
BA, MComm, PhD
ACT Division Director
Appointed:06/11/2021
Board Committees: Audit, Finance & Investment Committee – Member
National Membership Committee – Member
Other: Corporate Governance Committee – Member
National Education Advisory Committee – Member
Michael is currently the chair of the federal government’s Shadow Economy Advisory Forum, and the self-regulatory body for Australia’s buy-now-pay-later fintech sector; he is also a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, and was previously the Chief Executive Officer of the Canberra Business Chamber.
Prior to this, he served for ten years as the full-time Deputy Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, where his work had a special focus on small business, franchising, industry associations, industry codes of conduct and business liaison.
Michael has extensive experience working, advising and advocating for business. He has held key leadership roles including those of ACT Small Business Commissioner, Dean of Murdoch University Business School in Western Australia, Head of the School of Business at Bond University in Queensland, and chair of the ACT Minister’s Small & Micro-Business Advisory Council.
In 2009 he was recipient of the “National Small Business Champion Award” by the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia.
Michael is an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Public Accountants and a member of the governing council of the University of Canberra.
Michael holds a PhD and a Master of Commerce degree from Curtin University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia.
Arlene Tansey FAICD
MBA, Juris Doctor
NSW Division Director
Appointed: 06/11/2021
Board Committees: Audit, Finance & Investment Committee – Chair
National Membership Committee – Member
Arlene has over 30 years’ experience as a senior executive in business, corporate and investment banking and financial services gained in Australia and the United States and extensive experience as a company director.
Arlene is currently a Non-Executive Director of Aristocrat Leisure Limited, TPG Telecom Limited, WiseTech Global Limited, Lendlease Real Estate Investments Limited and Infrastructure NSW. She is a former Non-Executive Director of Adelaide Brighton Limited and Healius Limited. She is also a Board Member of the Australian National Maritime Museum Foundation and Council. Arlene is a Member of Chief Executive Women and the International Women’s Forum Australia.
She has a Juris Doctor (Law) from the University of Southern California and an MBA in finance and international business from New York University.
Nicola Wakefield Evans FAICD
BJuris, LLB (UNSW)
National Director
Appointed second term: 22/11/2019
Board Committees: Risk & Compliance Committee - Member
Other: Chair of the Australian chapter of the 30% Club of which AICD is the secretariat
Nicola is Chair of 30% Club Australia and a director of Lendlease Corporation Limited, Macquarie Group Limited, Macquarie Bank Limited and MetLife Insurance Australia. She is also a member of the Australian Government Takeovers Panel, and a director of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the Goodes O’Loughlin (GO) Foundation and the UNSW Foundation Limited.
Nicola has significant Asia-Pacific
experience as a corporate finance lawyer and was a Partner at King & Wood Mallesons (and its predecessor, Mallesons Stephen Jaques) for more than 20 years. She held several key management positions at King & Wood Mallesons including Managing Partner International in Hong Kong and Managing Partner, Practice, Sydney.
Kee Wong FAICD
BEng (Hons), MBA, GradDipComp (Distinction)
National Director
Appointed second term: 28/06/2019
Board Committees: Technology Committee - Chair
National Membership Committee - Member
Risk & Compliance Committee - Member
Other: Technology & Innovation Governance Committee - Chair
Kee is the founder and the Managing Director of e-Centric Innovations, a management and technology consulting company that provides strategic advice and systems integration services in e-business
and IT for large enterprises and government in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and SE Asia.
Kee is Immediate Past Chairman of the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA). He is a director of carsales.com Limited and the Committee of Melbourne. Kee is on the Eloque LLC Board of Managers and is an advisor to the Board of VICTRACK, a member of the Victorian Government Innovation Taskforce and a member of the Victorian Government’s International Education Advisory Council. Kee is an Adjunct Professor with La Trobe University (Engineering and Technology).
Angus Armour FAICD
BEcon (Hons), MBA
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
Appointed: 05/10/2017
Board Committees: All Board Committees – Attendee
Other: All Policy Committees & Forums – Attendee
Angus joined the AICD as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in 2017. His previous roles included Principal Advisor on innovation and research at the Business Council of Australia from 2015 to 2017; Deputy Secretary in the NSW Government from 2013 to 2015 responsible for trade, innovation and industry and the arts; and CEO at Export Finance & Insurance Corporation from 2003 to 2013.
Angus served in the past as President of the Berne Union, an association of over 50 public and private sector companies from 40 countries supporting $1.5 trillion of global trade and investment annually, and as Chair of the Berne Union’s Risk and Compliance Committee, and the Asia Regional Cooperation Council. He has also served as Chair of the Asian Eximbank Association, and on the boards of the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund of the UAE, and the Historic Houses Trust of NSW.
In addition to the AICD Board, Angus serves on the board of the European Australian Business Council.