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At the Australian Governance Summit in Sydney in 2025, the AICD announced the winners of the 2024-25 Life Fellow awards. Life Fellows carry the post-nominal FAICDLife and are nominated for their outstanding work and contribution to governance over long periods of time.
Diane Kargas Bray AM FAICDLife ACT
Canberra-based Kargas Bray is a highly accomplished and dedicated leader whose extensive experience in governance, philanthropy and community service saw her awarded an AICD Life Fellowship at the Australian Governance Summit in March. A tireless contributor to the Canberra community, she acts as a mentor for women and others in the charitable and NFP sector. Currently she serves as a director at Diane Kargas Consulting – Philanthropy Matters, at Directions Health Services and at Community Foundations Australia.
Her contributions extend to reconciliation and social justice as a former Member of the ACT Reconciliation Council and as a longstanding ACT Committee Member of the Fundraising Institute of Australia. She has also served on the Sentence Administration Board ACT, as Chair of both the Chief Ministers Charitable Fund and Hands Across Canberra and as Director of Fundraising and Philanthropy at Common Ground Canberra. For the AICD, she has generously given her time as a speaker at numerous ACT member events.
Geoffrey Brunsdon AM FAICDLife NSW
Brunsdon has extensive director experience and currently chairs Paypal Australia and the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC). He also is a former chair at MetLife Australia, Dexus Asset Management, Sims Ltd and the children’s cancer charity Redkite.
As a longtime champion for AICD gender diversity work, he has volunteered as a mentor on the AICD Chair Mentoring Program from its inception and contributed to AICD work to lift the represenation of women on boards, plus supported numerous AICD events including the AGS and roundtables.
Jim Hazel FAICDLife SA
Hazel is a prominent South Australian business leader with experience in banking, property and the retirement sectors. He is Deputy Chancellor of Adelaide University and Chair of Precision Group. Hazel is also a former director at Bendigo & Adelaide Bank, CEO of Primelife and chair of the Ingenia Communities Group. Hazel is known for playing an instrumental part in the growth of women in business across several sectors and has supported and elevated women into key roles with organisations. He has made significant contributions to the director community, especially in the retirement living and senior housing sectors.
Tracey Horton AO FAICDLife WA
Perth-based Horton has carved out an exemplary director career across a wide range of listed, commercial, international, education and not for profit organisations across Australia, some of which have international reach.
Currently, she serves as a director on boards including the GPT Group, IDP Education, Imdex Limited, Campus Living Villages and Bhagwan Marine. She made an outstanding contribution to the AICD as board Deputy Chair from 2019-2022, as a board member from 2016 to 2022. She also chaired the AICD National Education Advisory Committee. Ms Horton is a former chair of education provider Navitas and served as a Commissioner of Tourism WA. She chaired the Presbyterian Ladies College Council and is a past President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WA). She was also Dean of the University of Western Australia’s Business School from 2004 to 2011.
Grant Murdoch FAICDLife Queensland
Murdoch, a former partner at EY with more than 40 years of chartered accountancy experience, has established a reputation as an inspirational, considered, innovative, thoughtful and prudent leader and director. He currently holds directorship roles with a portfolio of organisations; Auswide Bank Ltd, Lynas Corporation Ltd, OFX and The University of Queensland. He has contributed to the development and growth of society, community and economy in Queensland, Australia and internationally through his extensive financial, business, executive and non-executive leadership roles over four decades. His involvement with the University of Queensland in a directorship capacity stretches back about 15 years. He later became an Adjunct Professor at the university in Business, Economics and Law.
Over the years, Queensland-based Murdoch has been a strong contributor to the AICD as Division Council member from 2014 to FY2011 and on the Reporting Committee from 2017 to 2023.
Susan Rix AM, FAICDLife Queensland
For more than four decades, Rix has contributed to the development and growth of Queensland and Australian society, community, economy and health through her extensive business, executive and nonexecutive leadership roles. She has established a reputation as an inspirational, considered and innovative leader across multiple sectors.
She has held a diverse director career across government, NFP and financial services and is also a tireless and effective champion and connector of young and emerging directors.
Now Deputy Chancellor of the Queensland University of Technology, she is a Council Member & Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and Adjunct Professor. She also serves as a director at CENet – Catholic Education Network, Indue and the Queensland Performing Arts Trust. Her board portfolio includes a 21-year commitment as a director with CPL – Choice, Passion, Life (formerly Cerebral Palsy League). A strong contributor to the AICD, Rix served as a Queensland Division Council member from 2002 to 2011.
Alison Watkins FAICDLife Victoria
Watkins is a highly respected leader in the business community who currently sits on the boards of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Wesfarmers, CSL and PGA of Australia. She is also Chancellor at the University of Tasmania and a former Group Managing Director of Coca-Cola Amatil and former CEO at GrainCorp. Watkins is well-known for leveraging her experience across a diversity of business sectors to improve and strengthen governance. As a past Victorian Division Council President, Councillor and National Board Director of AICD, she has made frequent contributions to events as a speaker and moderator and continues to make a very substantial contribution our institute.
Kee Wong FAICDLife
Victorian-based Wong is an experienced non-executive director (NED) with almost 40 years of experience in senior executive and director roles. He was an AICD board director between 2016 to 2023, an active member of several committees and played a significant role in helping the board and management reshape the digital strategy of AICD. His contribution to AICD has and continues to be significant. He is founder and chair of the Governance of Innovation and Technology Panel at AICD, which has played an important role in partnership with the policy team in undertaking research into the digital/innovative capability of Australian boards and developing material to educate and support members. He is also founder and managing director of e-Centric Innovations, an IT/management consulting firm operating in Australia, Malaysia and Singapore. Kee is currently a Non-Executive Director of the Car Group (Carsales) globally, the Australian Energy Market Operator and Nomura Research Institute (Australia), the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute and an advisory board member at the ANU Centre for Asian Australian Leadership.
Acknowledgement
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Lands on which we are located and pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise First Nations peoples' cultural and spiritual relationships to the Skies, Land, Waters, and Seas, and their rich contribution to society.
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