Executive profiles

GENERAL MANAGER EDUCATION AND POLICY LEADERSHIP

Louise Petschler GAICD

BA(Hons)

Louise is General Manager Education & Policy Leadership, with responsibilities including AICD’s education portfolio, public policy positions and contemporary practice initiatives.

Louise joined AICD in 2015 to lead AICD’s advocacy functions. Louise was previously the CEO of the Customer Owned Banking Association and has held senior roles in financial services, government and community organisations. She has served on boards in the financial services and community sector and is currently a director of HADIA Foundation, a charity providing humanitarian services in Afghanistan. Louise is a graduate member of the AICD and a member of Chief Executive Women. 

GENERAL MANAGER MEMBERS AND CLIENTS

Kathryn Marshall GAICD

MBA

Kathryn joined the AICD in 2014, and is responsible for the Member, Directors and Clients products and services portfolio.

Kathryn has over twenty years’ experience as a senior executive and national manager within the education, retail, and wholesale sectors.

Industry experience covering education, pharmaceutical, fashion and cosmetics with a focus on generating results through leadership, transformational change management and process improvement.

Kathryn has a Master’s in Business Administration and has served on the board of not-for-profit organisation dLux Media Arts.

GENERAL MANAGER, ENGAGEMENT

Jenny West GAICD

MBA, B.Ec

Jenny boasts a rich and varied professional background in both government and consulting. Prior to her appointment at the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), she served as the Director of Balmoral Strategic Consulting and the Deputy Secretary of Trade and International with the New South Wales (NSW) Government.

Preceding these appointments, Jenny held several key positions at Austrade, including General Manager for Trade and Investment, and General Manager for Digital Innovation and Client Services. In these roles, she was instrumental in facilitating the international expansion of Australian businesses.

Jenny has 20+ years of experience in the private sector, working in General Management, Sales and Marketing for companies such as Westpac, Telstra, and Diageo, both locally and internationally. She holds a degree in Economics and a Masters in International Business.

Jenny values creating high-performing teams with diverse cultural backgrounds. She has successfully built teams that outperform expectations. Her approach to team building is grounded in fostering an inclusive culture that values diversity and empowers team members to contribute their best work.

Jenny received recognition for her work at Westpac, where she participated in the Quest Leadership Program and won the "Women of Influence" Award in 2013. She is passionate about leadership and talent development and has spearheaded the cultural diversity agenda at both Westpac and Telstra. Jenny holds several Board positions, including the UTS Business School's "Industry Advisory Board."

GENERAL MANAGER MARKETING, PARTNERSHIPS AND COMMUNICATIONS

Ben Ryan MAICD

BComm (Acc)

Ben joined AICD in 2011 and has responsibility for marketing and member communications, including our flagship Company Director magazine. Ben has more than a decade of experience in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors where he has lead digital and communication strategies for education and membership organisations in Australia and the United Kingdom.

COO AND CDIO

Vince Di Chiara

BEng / MBA

Vince joined the AICD in May 2020 with over 20 years’ experience across the technology and financial services landscapes, including with media and software companies. He brings a growth mindset and a focus on technology’s capacity to help an organisation achieve its purpose.

Most recently he was CIO and Executive Director, Business Technology Services at the Revenue NSW (NSW Department of Customer Service). Prior to that, he held various roles at CBA, including General Manager & CIO of Global Markets.

In these roles, Vince’s commitment to the development and execution of technology and digital strategy has underpinned business transformations, along with the introduction of Agile and Lean practices.

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AND COMPANY SECRETARY

Helen Wild FAICD

BCom, GradDipACG, FCPA, FGIA, CIA

Helen has over 25 years’ strategic commercial experience encompassing private, government and not-for-profit organisations, holding senior management and executive positions across industries including education, insurance, aviation, manufacturing, rail, construction and local government. The breadth of Helen's experience includes financial management, corporate governance, risk management, legal compliance, human resources, information technology and media relations.

Helen's qualifications include a Bachelor of Commerce and Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance.