To provide leadership on director issues and promote excellence in governance to achieve a positive impact for the economy and society.

Since our early beginnings, we have developed as an organisation recognised for quality and professionalism. We aim to be recognised as:

• A key influencer in the creation of world-leading governance laws and practices in Australia;
• A key player in achieving world-leading performance of Australian boards and directors, including the application of governance principles.

What we do

The Australian Institute of Company Directors is committed to excellence in governance. We make a positive impact on society and the economy through governance education, director development and advocacy. Our membership of more than 40,000 includes directors and senior leaders from business, government and the not-for-profit sectors.

Organisational structure

We are a national organisation with seven state and territory divisions. Our national Board, which consists of up to 12 directors, is our governing body. Our Board is comprised of not less than two and not more than four National directors, seven Division directors, and a Chief Executive Officer who may be appointed as a Director by the Board. The Board appoints the chair.

See our constitution (PDF) for our procedure for appointing directors.

We have a national office in Sydney, Australia, offices in all Australian states, the ACT and representation in Darwin. Members are served by their state division and a state manager, and that office reports to the national office on the effective running of the division.

Each division has a Council of up to 10 representatives, with up to six councillors elected by members from that state and up to four appointed by the Council.

Our national office is structured to support our state divisions. It delivers core education courses and events, develops policy on director issues, publishes Company Director magazine and good practice books for directors, and represents the views of members nationally.

History

The origins of the Australian Institute of Company Directors can be traced back to the United Kingdom’s Institute of Directors (IoD), formed by Royal Charter in 1906.

Branches of the IoD appeared in the Australian states in the 1960s. These branches were amalgamated in January 1971 under the Institute of Directors in Australia, an autonomous body affiliated with the IoD in the United Kingdom. The challenge of servicing state branches saw the emergence of the Company Directors Association of Australia in 1982. The two bodies merged on 1 January 1990 to form the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

International associations

We are a founding member of the Global Director Development Circle, a group now known as the Global Network of Directors’ Institutes Membership of GNDI provides us with a forum to demonstrate the leadership of Australian directors internationally, and to share expertise in corporate governance and professional director development. GNDI is comprised of membership organisations for directors from Australia, the UK, US, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, Brazil and South Africa.

Elizabeth Proust AO FAICD
BA (Hons) LLB
Chairman
National Director
Chairman of the Board Nominations Committee
Member of the Board Strategy Committee

Elizabeth joined the AICD Board in March 2014 and was appointed Chairman in December 2015. Elizabeth is Chairman of Nestle Australia and the Bank of Melbourne. She is also Deputy Chairman of the Catholic Church’s Truth, Justice and Healing Council and a member of the ASIC Directors’ Advisory Panel and the Victoria Police Corporate Advisory Group.

In 2010 Elizabeth was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to public administration and to business, through leadership roles in government and private enterprise, as a mentor to women, and to the community through contributions to arts, charitable and educational bodies.

Previously Elizabeth worked in senior roles at the ANZ Banking Group, in local, State and Federal Government, and in BP Australia and BP International. She has held senior positions in the Victorian Government, including as Secretary (CEO) of the Department of Premier and Cabinet and Secretary of the Attorney-General’s Department. She was also CEO of the City of Melbourne.

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Gene Tilbrook FAICD
BSc Dip Comp MBA
Deputy Chair
WA Division Director
Member of the Board Investment Committee
Member of the Board Nominations Committee

Gene Tilbrook is a non-executive director of Orica Limited, GPT Group Limited, Woodside Petroleum Limited and Bell Shakespeare Company. He is also a councillor of Curtin University. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Western Australia Division Council.

Gene was with Wesfarmers from 1985 to 2009, in various roles across acquisitions, capital investment, finance and strategy. He became executive director of business development in 2002 and finance director in 2005.

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David Bayes FAICD
VIC Division President
VIC Division Director
Chair of the Board Human Resources & Remuneration Committee
Chair of the National Membership Committee
Member of the Board Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee

David Bayes is a non-executive director of Sigma Pharmaceuticals Ltd and chair of its People & Remuneration Committee and a member of the Risk Management & Audit Committee.

David previously served as a non-executive director of Chiquita Brands South Pacific Ltd; the Victorian Government appointed Board of the North Western Health Care Network and as an executive director of McDonald's Australia and Bakers Delight.

He served as CEO Australasia for Choice Hotels International and CEO of Bakers Delight and held senior roles across retail, food and accommodation, financial services and Government health organisations.

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Michael Coleman FAICD
BCom MCom FCA FCPA
NSW Division Director
Chair of the Board Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee
Member of the National Membership Committee

Michael Coleman is a non-executive director of Macquarie Group and Macquarie Bank, where he chairs the Audit Committees and is a member of the Risk and Governance Committees. Michael is a member of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s Audit Committee, chair of Bingo Industries Pty Limited and the Planet Ark Environmental Foundation. He is governor of the Centenary Institute of Cancer Medicine & Cell Biology and chair of the Risk & Audit Committee. Michael is a Director of the Belvoir Street Theatre Foundation and an executive coach with Foresight Global Coaching.

Michael is Adjunct Professor, Australian School of Business, UNSW and chair of the Centre for Accounting and Assurance Research Advisory Board, Chair of the AICD’s Reporting Committee and a member of the AICD’s ‘Director Assist’ Corporate Governance Panel.

Michael retired from KPMG on 1 July 2011, where his career included 30 years as an audit partner and a practice leader for both Audit and Risk Management. He has extensive financial reporting and corporate governance capability.

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Kathy Gramp FAICD
BA (Acc) FAICA
SA/NT Division Director
Member of the Board Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee
Member of the Board Human Resources & Remuneration Committee

Kathy is a non-executive director of Codan Limited and chair of its Audit & Risk Committee. She is a non-executive director of the Royal Automobile Association of South Australia and member of its Risk & Compliance, Audit, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Innovation & Technology Committees. Kathy is also a board member of Silver Chain Group Ltd, chair of its Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee and member of its Clinical Governance Committee. In addition, Kathy has membership of the Council of the Flinders University of South Australia and is chair of its Audit Committee.

Kathy has had a long and distinguished executive career in media as CFO with Austereo Group Limited and over 17 years of board experience across a diverse range of Australian organizations and industry sectors.

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Tracey Horton AO FAICD
BEc (Hons), MBA, Emeritus Professor
National Director
Member of the Board Human Resources & Remuneration Committee

Tracey is Chair of Navitas Limited and member of its People & Remuneration Committee, Commissioner of the Tourism Commission WA and member of its Audit & Risk and Events Committees, and a member of the Australian Government Takeovers Panel and the Bain & Company Advisory Board. Tracey is active in the community as Chair of Council of Presbyterian Ladies College and Immediate Past President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WA).

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.

Tracey’s previous board roles include Chairman of D’Orsogna Ltd, Deputy Chair of the Water Corporation (WA) and non-executive director for SKILLED Group and Automotive Holdings Group.

Tracey was Dean of the University of Western Australia’s Business School from mid-2004 to August 2011, where she was awarded the lifetime title of Emeritus Professor for her service.

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Dr Sally Pitkin FAICD
LLB LLM PhD
QLD Division President
QLD Division Director
Member of the Board Nominations Committee
Member of the Board Strategy Committee

Sally Pitkin is a non-executive director of the Link Group, Star Entertainment Group, IPH, Super Retail Group and chair of Opera Queensland Ltd. She is also President of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Queensland Division Council.

Sally is an Adjunct Professor with the University of Queensland Business School, Fellow of Bond University, a former corporate partner with Clayton Utz and she holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Governance.

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Rod J Roberts FAICD
BEc MBA Dr Laws (Hon)
TAS Division President
TAS Division Director
Chair of the Board Investment Committee
Member of the Board Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee

Rod Roberts is a non-executive director of AGW Funds Management Ltd and various proprietary companies. He is a governor of the UTas Foundation.

His prior directorship appointments include chair of Harris & Company Limited, chair of Clements Marshall Consolidated Limited, a non-executive director of County NatWest Australia Limited, Bain & Company, Austflora Pty Ltd, Examiner Newspapers Pty Ltd and director of Tassal Group Limited.

Rod was also formerly Deputy Chancellor of the University of Tasmania, where he served for 13 years as a Council member.

In his senior executive career, Rod worked in investment banking and automotive industry manufacturing. Prior to completing his MBA, Rod also worked in the dairy industry and as a teacher.

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Nicola Wakefield Evans FAICD
BJuris LLB (UNSW)
National Director
Member of the Board Investment Committee

Nicola is a director of Lend Lease Corporation Limited, Macquarie Group Limited, Macquarie Bank Limited  and BUPA Australia Holdings Pty Ltd. She is also a member of the Australian Government Takeovers Panel, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and a director of UNSW Foundation Limited, Asialink Business and Asialink (University of Melbourne).

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.

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Liesel Wett FAICD
BSc MPH MBA
ACT Division Director
Member of the Board Human Resources & Remuneration Committee

Liesel Wett is chair of Goodwin Aged Care Services in the ACT, the leading aged care provider and largest not for profit employer in Canberra.

Liesel also holds non-executive directorships with Pathology Awareness Australia and Osteoporosis Australia.

As an experienced CEO and health strategist, Liesel is the CEO of Pathology Australia, the peak body for private pathology practices in Australia. Previously, Liesel held the position of CEO of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, the professional membership organisation for 18,000 pharmacists in Australia.

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Kee Wong FAICD
BEng (Hons), MBA
National Director
Member of the Board Strategy Committee
Member of the National Membership Committee

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), Deputy Chairman of Asialink (University of Melbourne) and director of Asialink Business. He is a director on the Victorian Governments ‘LaunchVIC Initiative’, Victoria University council member and an advisory board member of the Australia-Malaysia Institute (an appointment by Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs). 

We are dedicated to making a difference to the quality of directorship and seek to promote excellence in governance. As such, we are committed to ensuring that we lead by example in how our organisation is governed.

Every year, we run several hundred programs and courses that convey to participants the theory of Corporate Governance and how to apply it in practice. The theme of effective governance – whether it is the systems, processes or relationships that define the practice – also underpins the information resources we provide and many of the events that we conduct around the country.

Learn more

Rachel Gatehouse MAICD
BEcon & Finance CPA
Chief Executive Officer (acting), Chief Financial Officer & General Manager Corporate Services

Rachel joined the AICD in August 2015 and is responsible for Finance, Technology, Human Resources and Legal. Prior to joining the AICD, Rachel had an accomplished career in Financial Services that included CFO and senior roles at HBOS Australia and ANZ Bank. Rachel is on the Board of Landcare Australia and was previously on the Board of Capital Finance Australia Limited. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Economics and Finance from the University of NSW and is a Certified Practicing Accountant.

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Marcel Mol MAICD
MEd
General Manager Education & International

Marcel joined the AICD in April 2014, having held the position of Regional Director, Learning & Development, at Ernst & Young. Prior to this, he led the Learning & Development function at the CSIRO and Clayton Utz Solicitors.

Marcel holds a Masters of Adult Education & Training and is an internationally certified Executive Coach.

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Louise Petschler MAICD
BA(Hons)
General Manager Advocacy

Louise joined the AICD in July 2015 with responsibility for policy, government affairs and media relations and the Governance Leadership Centre. Louise was previously the CEO of the Customer Owned Banking Association, the peak body for Australia’s $85 billion mutual banking sector. She has also held roles in consumer advocacy, government and banking. Louise is a director of Australian NFP Settlement Services International and was previously a director of the World Council of Credit Unions.

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David Lumb
General Manager Members & Directors

David joined the AICD in October 2016 and is responsible for the state and territory divisions serving the membership base. Prior to joining AICD, David spent eight years as the Chief Customer Officer at the NRMA. David commenced his professional career as a lawyer and, after practicing law for a number of years, moved into investor relations and corporate communications consultancy. Over the ensuing years, while continuing to work directly with clients, David also took on a broader management role and ultimately served as the Managing Director of the Sydney office of a global PR firm before joining the NRMA.

 

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Bodo Mann
Group Executive - Advisory and Executive Development

Bodo joined the AICD in October 2016 from White Room Associates, his boutique consulting firm specialising in strategy and management consulting. Bodo is an experienced executive with over 20 years’ working with ASX 100 and global blue chip clients across Australasia and Europe. Bodo commenced his professional career with GE before spending eight years with Booz & Company initially in Europe then moving to Australia and working as part of their Australasian Management Team.  Bodo has since worked with Spencer Stuart as an Executive Search and Leadership Consultant before taking the position of Managing Director at Rubik Financial Limited.

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Michelle Wood MAICD
BMedia MARes(Bus) 
General Manager Marketing & Communications

Michelle Wood has spent over 15 years working in public affairs, marketing and communications. Prior to joining the AICD, Michelle was the Director of Communication at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management and also held marketing and communication roles with the University of Sydney and the Australian Mission to the United Nations in New York.

She is completing a PhD in business at MGSM, has a Masters of Research (business), as well as Bachelor of Media from Macquarie University.

We are dedicated to making a difference to the quality of directorship and seek to promote excellence in governance. As such, we are committed to ensuring that we lead by example in how our organisation is governed.

Our annual reports are available to download in PDF format.

View reports

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How to partner with us

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The basis of any successful partnership requires:

• Strong brand alignment
• Shared strategic objectives and expectations
• Shared markets and potential markets
• Shared understanding and expectations
• Complimentary strengths that can be brought to the table by both parties

About our members

• ASX representation 98 per cent have at least one director that is a member and 63 per cent of ASX 200 chairs are members.
• More than 38,000 members nationally, 89% of members are directors. Average tenure is 6.4 years.
• International membership based in more than 30 countries around the world.
• Most of our members wear multiple hats. Gain reach across more than 90,000 directorships.

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