Mr Tony Reeves, Chair
Tony is an experienced non-executive director and executive.
He is currently Chair of St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research, Hewitt Agribusiness Pty Ltd, Hewitt Foods Pty Ltd, Southern Premium Vineyards Pty Ltd and is also a director of Fresh Country Farms Pty Ltd.
Prior to his NED roles Tony’s executive career saw him serve as Chief Financial Officer of several Australian public companies, including Treasury Wine Estates Limited a vertically integrated, global producer and marketer of branded wine, Foster’s Group Limited and OneSteel Limited, a fully integrated Australian manufacturer and distributor of steel and finished steel products, which was demerged from BHP Billiton.
Earlier in his career, he was CFO of Orica Explosives after holding several senior executive roles in strategy, finance, marketing and IT with the ICI Group in the UK, USA, and Australia.
Tony is a past President of the Group of 100, an organisation of CFOs from Australia’s largest businesses.
He is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Program for Management Development, the University of NSW with a Master of Commerce, and the University of New England with a Bachelor of Economics. Tony is a Fellow of CPA Australia, a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Financial Executives Institute. He offers broad executive and board experience in Australia, UK, USA, Canada, Taiwan, UAE, and NZ
Ms Kallie Blauhorn
For more than 20 year’s, Kallie has applied her experience and enthusiasm to the social sector through her work with international and Australian not-for-profit organisations. Her previous work includes roles at: VerySpecial Kids (Australia), The United Nations Development Programme/ UNAIDS (India) and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (Australia). In 2015, Kallie commenced as Director of MGA (Monash Gallery of Art) which is the Australian home of photography. In 2017, she became Chair of MGA Foundation. Kallie is also a board member of Melbourne Fashion Festival and National Gallery of Victoria Women’s Association.
Mr Michael Burn
Michael Burn is an experienced finance executive and company director. He has enjoyed a long career in Investment Banking and is Deputy Chairman of Flagstaff Partners, a boutique corporate finance firm. Mr Burn is also a Director of PFD Food Services Group and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Trust. Previously, Mr Burn was an Executive Director with the Macquarie Group, Chairman of the Victoria Racing Club, a member of Council at Loreto Mandeville Hall and a Director of Prince Henry’s Institute of Medical Research. Mr Burn joined the SVI Board in 2019.
Ms Melanie Eagle
Melanie Eagle’s many years of governance experience span local government, community services, health, disability, and violence against women, as well as having worked professionally in women’s policy, law reform, equal opportunity, city strategic planning and private legal practice.
For the past decade, Ms Eagle served as CEO of LiverWELL (previously Hepatitis Victoria) and on the Board of Hepatitis Australia. At LiverWELL Ms Eagle expanded the remit in relation to hepatitis B and then broader liver disease, and most critically built the participation of those with lived experience. Other governance roles currently held by Ms Eagle include the Inaugural Chair of the Disability Worker Registration Board, Director of Alfred Health and a Queen Victoria Women’s Centre Trust member. Previous governance roles include Inaugural Chair of Respect Victoria, Star Health, Hanover Welfare Services, and Prahran Mission. She is also a former Mayor of the City of St Kilda. Ms Eagle has qualifications in Arts, Social Work, the Law, and International Development and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ms Karen Inge
Karen Inge is an accredited practising dietitian with more than 30 years’ experience, specialising in the areas of sports dietetics and nutrition communication. Ms Inge is the founding member and Past President of Sports Dietitians Australia and founding Head of Nutrition at the Victorian Institute of Sport. She has been a Director of the Institute of Health and Fitness, Melbourne since 1989. She is a respected nutrition commentator for media and is heavily involved in community service and philanthropy.
Professor Thomas WH Kay
Professor Kay is Director of SVI. He holds a Professorial appointment within the Department of Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital and The University of Melbourne. He also holds the position of Honorary Endocrinologist at St Vincent’s Hospital. Professor Kay’s research interests are in the area of autoimmunity, particularly of type 1 (juvenile) diabetes.
Mr Simon Marton
Simon Marton is Chief Executive Officer of Starward Distillery, Australia’s largest premium whisky producer located in Port Melbourne, Victoria. Prior to Starward, Mr Marton spent over 20 years with Treasury Wine Estates and the Fosters Group, most recently as Global Chief Marketing Officer for Treasury Wine Estates, the largest publicly listed wine company in the world. Mr Marton has more than 25 years’ experience in strategy, marketing, communications, PR, export and the beverage industry and was rated in Australia’s Top 50 CMO’s in 2015, 2016 and 2017 by CMO Magazine. Mr Marton has an MBA from Monash University and joined the SVI Board in November 2019.
Professor Mike McGuckin
Professor Mike McGuckin is the Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at The University of Melbourne, where he oversees the strategic direction of research and the International, Engagement and People & Culture portfolios.
Professor McGuckin is the author of more than 170 scientific publications, with his research currently focused on mucosal infection, chronic inflammation and cancer in the gastrointestinal tract, and diabetes. Professor McGuckin has held four patents and his intellectual property is being developed in the start-up company, Jetra Therapeutics. Professor McGuckin is heavily involved in national and international peer review, has served on the Editorial Boards of multiple international journals, and is the immediate Past-President for the international Society for Mucosal Immunology. Professor McGuckin has served previously on multiple Boards, including for the Cancer Council Queensland, and is currently a Director on the Boards of St Vincent’s Institute for Medical Research and the Melbourne Genomics Health Alliance.
The Honourable Chris Pearce, Deputy Board Chair
The Honourable Chris Pearce has been a Member of the Ministry in the Federal Government of Australia responsible for financial services, business law and consumer affairs and later, in Opposition, as Shadow Minister. Throughout his career, Mr Pearce has been an energetic non-executive director on boards, including having been Chairman & Board Director at Anglicare Victoria, the State’s largest child and welfare organisation, Chairman of the Board for Global Voices, Board Director of the Victorian Funds Management Corporation (VFMC) and a Board Director for Renewtek Pty Ltd.
Mr Pearce is presently a Board Director of the McKinnon Institute and the External Representative on the Learning and Engagement Board Committee of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Mr Pearce has been a former Associate Fellow of The CEO Institute, former Member of The Economist CEO Forum and a former Member of the Australian National Academy of Music. He is presently a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute, Member of the Royal Victorian Association of Honorary Justices, and a Member of the Royal School of Church Music.
Ms Fiona Rowland
Ms Rowland is an experienced Non-Executive Director and former CEO, in public, private, government and for-purpose sectors, with significant experience in leading established and disruptor businesses through transformational and regulatory change. Ms Rowland has extensive experience in financial services, asset management and infrastructure across wide-ranging customer segments in public, private, government, listed and disruptor environments. Over her 23-year executive career, Ms Rowland held senior executive management, CEO and Managing Director roles at the Bennelong Group, National Australia Bank, UBS AG, UBS Wealth Management, and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group.
Ms Rowland is currently the Non-Executive Chair of Macquarie Investment Services Limited and Non-Executive Director of Macquarie Life Limited, Melbourne Water Corporation, Infrastructure Specialist Asset Management Limited (part of the UK Foresight Group Holdings Limited FSG:LSE), where she also Chairs the Audit, Compliance, Risk Management Committee. Ms Rowland is also an Independent Member of the Audit & Risk Committee of Unisuper Limited and an Advisory Board member of Kearney Australia part of the global management consulting group. Ms Rowland holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and is admitted as a legal practitioner in Victoria. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Professor Ian Smith
Professor Ian Smith is a research academic who served as Vice-Provost (Research and Research Infrastructure) at Monash University, where he had responsibility for research infrastructure, strategy and research alliances. Professor Smith is an accomplished medical researcher and a recognised leader in his field – applying proteomics technologies to study proteases involved in brain and cardiovascular function. He co-founded a proteomics-based, publicly-listed, biotechnology company and he continues to collaborate and consult widely with the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
Professor Smith is an experienced board member and sits on a number of national and international government and non-government advisory and governing boards and committees, many with a strong industry focus. His unique background in business and research drives his passion to get researchers and industry collaborating and applying academic and institutional based research and research infrastructure to innovate. Professor Smith strongly believes that by Improving the translation of medical research into commercial outcomes will help drive innovation in Australia, grow successful Australian businesses and lead to better health outcomes for the nation.
Dr Marcus Tierney
Dr Tierney is an experienced advisor with a demonstrated history of working with companies focused on commercialisation, growth and expansion. He also provides advice regarding a broad range of commercialisation, innovation and government incentive programs.
Dr Tierney is currently the CEO of CO2 Australia Limited and holds Director positions at Mitchell Asset Management, Vensos Labs. He was previously a partner at PWC.
Adj. Professor Nicole Tweddle
Adj. Professor Tweddle joined St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne in April 2021 as Executive Director of Acute Services, before being appointed Chief Executive in August 2022. Prior to this, she was Chief Operating Officer at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre where she also took up the role of Interim Chief Executive.
Adj Professor Tweddle has held additional executive positions across Melbourne’s renowned Parkville Precinct, specifically Executive Director Strategy and Development roles at both the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Royal Women’s Hospital.
Mr Michael Wachtel
Michael Wachtel is a Board Member of the Future Fund and Non-executive Director of Seek Limited and Pact Group. He chairs the Audit & Risk Committees on all these Boards. Michael’s primary business experience is predominantly in the area of large complex international business , including structuring investments , mergers and acquisitions . He was the Chairman (Asia Pacific & Oceania) of Ernst & Young (EY) (2020-2015); a member of the EY Global Governance Council (2007-2015); Global Risk Committee (2013-2016) and Global Leader for Tax Quality and Risk (2013-2016). He was an adviser to Australia’s leading multinationals and high net worth families for over 30 years and co-authored the BCA White Paper ‘Removing Tax Barriers to International Growth’ (2001). Michael is a past Board member of ACMI, past President of the International Fiscal Association (Australia); and a past Member of the Tax Advisory Board and Senior Fellow in the University of Melbourne Law Faculty.
The Honourable Kathy Williams
The Honourable Kathy Williams was a Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria from 2002 to 2015 and a Judge of the Victorian County Court from 1999. She initially practised as a solicitor and taught in the Law Schools at The University of Melbourne and Monash University. She then joined the Victorian Bar, specialising in commercial law. She was a director of Barristers’ Chambers Limited and Over 50s Building Society. At the Supreme Court, Ms Williams was Principal Judge of the Common Law Division and President of the Victorian Forensic Leave Panel. Ms Williams is currently also a director of Launch Housing and President of Court Network.