Meet the mentees of the Chair’s Mentoring Program 2025

NSW

Kate Burleigh GAICD

Kate is a seasoned technology executive and board director with over 25 years of experience leading digital transformation and AI initiatives across global organizations. With hands on experience in the application of AI, Kate brings strategic insight to the intersection of emerging technologies and business innovation.

Currently, Kate serves as Non-Executive Director for: Hollard Insurance, Super Retail Group (ASX: SUL), Camp Quality, and Wenona School. Her executive career includes leadership roles at global technology giants, serving as Country Manager and Executive Director for Amazon Alexa and Devices, Australia/New Zealand (2017-2023), and Managing Director of Intel Australia/New Zealand (2011-2017).

Kate holds a Master of Business Marketing from the University of Technology Sydney, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women.

kate-burleigh

Sarah Butler GAICD

Sarah is a NED and strategic advisor with 30+ years’ experience in Health, Insurance/FS, Government and Consumer/Tech in 30+ countries, including five years in China/Asia. She is a NED for IAG-RACV's $6B insurance JV, IMA; NED & People Committee Chair for The George Institute for Global Health; and NED for Lumonus healthtech. She enables companies in regulated sectors to grow and scale their impact, including strategy, customer, digital/data/AI, culture and M&A.
 
Previously, Sarah held executive leadership roles with a strong track record delivering better customer outcomes, profitable growth and improved DE&I. She led PwC's $2B Global Health practice through COVID-19, growing 25 per cent in 2022 and doubling the Australia practice in five years. Sarah led PwC’s NSW Government practice 2019-22, growing 60 per cent. She doubled Booz & Company's China business and led Global Insurance for 10 years.
 
Sarah was a Senior Partner in Booz/Strategy& advising 150+ organisations in APAC, Americas and Europe: 50+ insurers and 50+ health/pharma players, as well as working broadly cross-sector and publishing thought leadership. Sarah also held governance roles, including as Chair Audit & Risk on Booz & Company’s Global Board through the sale to PwC.
 
Sarah is a member of Chief Executive Women, GAICD and MA Cambridge University.

sarah-butler

Shirley Chowdhary GAICD

Shirley’s career has been driven by a strong desire to build a connection between people, place and purpose in order to create sustainable shareholder value. Shirley is currently the Chair of Women for Election and an external member of the University of Sydney Senate People & Culture Committee. She sits on the Advisory Boards of Propel Group, an organisation empowering boards and C-Suites to manage digital reputation, and Mentor Walks, providing mentoring to over 10,000 women across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Dubai and Canada. She was previously the Deputy Chair of YMCA NSW, Chair of the Australian Institute of Architects and a non-executive director on the board of the Australian Associated Press. She has also chaired numerous audit & risk committees and nominations committees.

Career highlights include being in private practice at Cleary Gottlieb in New York, Regional Counsel for JP Morgan Investment Management, and CEO of the GO Foundation, an NFP founded by Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin. She lived and worked for a decade in Japan, and has worked internationally across Asia, North America, Europe and Africa in the listed, private and for-purpose sectors. She has also hosted two series of the Women’s Agenda Leadership Lessons podcast and written a biography for a WW2 POW.

In 2024, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Sydney for her contributions to law, business, gender equality and Indigenous education, and she was recognised as a 2019 AFR 100 Women of Influence. 

shirley-chowhary

Debra Eckersley GAICD

After ASX-executive and consulting careers, Deb Eckersley founded Calaur Advisory this year to advise boards and management on the alignment of strategy, performance and remuneration. Her clients include ASX-listed and non-listed companies across a breadth of industries.

 A long-time advocate for equality and inclusion, Deb is formerly President (Chair) of UN Women Australia and is now a Director of Chief Executive Women and on the Advisory Board of Get Skilled Access (founded by Dylan Alcott to improve disability inclusion and accessibility).

Deb trained as tax specialist and Chartered Accountant and worked at PwC for almost 25 years including as member of the Executive Board, Managing Partner – Human Capital, leading the People & Change practice, member of the Consulting leadership team advising clients on complex people matters, and as executive remuneration consultant to many Australian listed company boards.

Most recently, Deb was the Group Executive – People & Culture at Bank of Queensland, which included the design and implementation of the people and culture strategy for about 3,000 employees, regular engagement with BOQ Board, oversight of the Banking Executive Accountability Regime (BEAR), and health & safety responsibilities.

deb-eckersley

Tanya Gilerman GAICD

Tanya is a senior executive with an extensive track record working with large listed and unlisted businesses, and a particular focus on the financial services, property & construction and infrastructure sectors.

Tanya’s strategic and commercial skills have enabled her to manage through and deliver success in changing economic circumstances and she has a strong understanding of both domestic and global business issues. In addition, Tanya has deep experience in risk, audit & assurance, and business management having advised boards and executives across a range of industries over three decades.

As Chief Risk Officer for KPMG Australia and a member of the KPMG Australia
Executive Committee, Tanya had significant regional and global leadership responsibilities. Since 2016, she provided strong leadership in these roles, helping to steer the firm through a period of remarkable growth and transformation.

Achievements included spearheading technological transformation, managing a
range of emerging issues, initiating critical firm-wide responses, including COVID-19 response, managing engagement with regulators, and participating in parliamentary inquiries. Under Tanya’s leadership, KPMG Australia expanded its business portfolio, embraced technological advancements such as AI to enhance service delivery, and navigated a period of significant economic, regulatory, and social change.

In addition to her executive experience, Tanya is well credentialled in the
non-executive director world. She holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and New Zealand. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of Chief Executive Women. Tanya is currently a NED and Chair of Audit & Risk Committee of the Starlight Children's Foundation.

Tanya immigrated to Australia from Moldova at the age of 15 with no knowledge
of English, an experience that helped her build resilience, determination and an acute appreciation of the opportunities afforded to her.

tanya-gilerman

Sarah Hofman GAICD

Sarah transitioned from her executive career to become a NED in early 2024. In March 2024, she was appointed as Chair of ARCC, Orora Limited Group, an ASX Industrials 150 company. 

Prior to becoming a NED, Sarah spent 8 years as an Assurance Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Before joining PwC, Sarah spent over 20 years in investment banking largely at the Royal Bank of Scotland, she held domestic and regional roles and was on the Australian senior leadership team specialising in complex global structured finance, advising issuers and investors in the USA, Europe, Australia & Asia.

During her executive career Sarah advised both listed and unlisted companies on practical and tailored solutions covering capital management and raisings, M&A due diligence, risk management, risk culture, accountability, and governance.

Sarah was the Chair of the peak industry body for capital markets in Australia, the Australian Securitisation Forum.

She is a Chartered Accountant, has a Bachelor of Economics from Sydney University and a Master of Economics from Macquarie University. She also recently completed the Business Sustainability Course at the University of Cambridge's Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

sarah-hofman

Rachel Johnson-Kelly GAICD

Rachel Johnson-Kelly has over 25 years of executive experience across the Technology, Finance and Infrastructure sectors helping businesses transform and create new pathways for growth. Her most recent role was leadership of a multi $Bn telecommunications asset portfolio at Telstra InfraCo transforming asset operations to deliver world-class customer services, reducing Telstra’s carbon emissions, and driving new growth to provide options for future capital investment in the portfolio.

Before Telstra, Rachel held IT and Finance leadership roles as CIO, then CFO at the Australian Securities & Investments Commission, and at IBM managed several large IT outsourcing contracts for Australia’s largest companies.  

As a passionate champion for diversity, Rachel was a member of Telstra’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, is a mentor for Mentor Walks, and is regularly a State Judge for Telstra’s Business Awards, having been a State Finalist herself.

Rachel earned an MBA from Warwick Business School, holds a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University and recently completed the Mergers and Acquisitions qualification from Wharton Business School.

Currently holding board appointments with Australian Associated Press, Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation and Carers NSW, Rachel is currently focusing on her next corporate challenge as well as continuing her passion for mentoring as an Independent Director.

rachel-johnson-kelly

Gillian Larkins GAICD

Gillian is an accomplished financial leader and experienced board director with over 30 years’ experience in executive and governance roles across financial services, arts, education, and superannuation. She currently serves as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee at Bennelong Funds Management.

Throughout her career, Gillian has held senior positions, including Chief Financial Officer roles at the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), Perpetual, Westpac Institutional Bank and Citi (Aus & NZ). Her expertise spans financial and strategic oversight, governance, risk management, business transformation/integration, and sustainability, having led ASX’s Sustainability Committee to implement climate change and TCFD reporting frameworks.

A lifelong learner, Gillian recently completed a Graduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence for Business, equipping her with advanced insights into leveraging AI for strategic decision-making and innovation.

In addition to her corporate achievements, Gillian has served on boards in superannuation, education, and the arts. She is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants ANZ and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Beyond her professional roles, she is passionate about mentoring young executives, fostering leadership growth, and contributing to community initiatives.

gillian-larkins

Helen Lea GAICD

Helen is an experienced executive, non-executive director and advisory board member, passionate about seeing organisations (and the people within them) succeed. Her current portfolio includes independent non-executive director roles and Nomination and Remuneration Committee Chair at MiQ Private Wealth and ReadyTech.

Previously, Helen was the Chief Employee Experience Officer at MYOB and Government Policy Lead, responsible for a diverse portfolio of functions including People, Digital, Workplace, Corporate Affairs and Government Relations. She led efforts towards the digital productivity uplift of the SME sector via her contribution to the Victorian Advisory Council of the Australian Industry Group and the Digital Boost Alliance in New Zealand.

Helen has been a Non-Executive Director of ASX listed Fintech Butn and of ITA Co (Independent Telecommunications Adjudicator), and Advisory Board member of FlareHR. Helen has worked in significant Australian and multi-national corporations including Telstra, Seven Group Holdings, UGL and British American Tobacco.  She has experience with transformation, stakeholder engagement, culture and performance, remuneration committees and digital risk in both listed and private equity contexts. 

Helen is a graduate and member of the AICD, a Fellow of the Australian Human Resources Institute and a registered organisational psychologist.

helen-lea

Pip Marlow GAICD

Pip Marlow is a globally recognized leader in technology and innovation with a career spanning significant roles across diverse industries. Most recently, as CEO for ANZ and ASEAN at Salesforce, she led the organisation through substantial growth, fostering a values-driven leadership culture, team diversity, and customer success. Under her leadership, Salesforce Australia and Singapore consistently ranked among the Top 5 Best Places to Work.

Previously, Pip served as Chief Executive Officer Customer Marketplace at Suncorp, where she drove digital transformation across banking and insurance. Her 20-year tenure at Microsoft included leadership roles in Australia and the USA, where she guided the Australian business through its transition to the cloud, established local data centers, and launched Microsoft’s first retail footprint outside the US.

Pip is a non-executive director of Rugby Australia and the Rugby World Cup, a member of Chief Executive Women (CEW), and an Executive Ally for Pride Diversity. She has served on the UTS Industry Advisory Board and co-chaired the Australian New Zealand Leadership Forum.

Awarded an AFR Women of Influence and LinkedIn Top CEO Influencer honors, Pip is also a board member of CarGroup and advises Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She resides in Sydney with her family.

Pip Marlow

Sally Martin GAICD

Sally Martin is a former senior executive who held various leadership roles at Shell between 1987 and 2021. She has extensive operational and business experience in complex industrial environments including refining and trading. Sally has deep working knowledge of stimulating and leading transformational change, and strong ESG credentials, including in energy transition strategy development as Vice President Health, Safety, Security, Environment & Social Performance when at Shell.

Sally is the Senior Independent Non-Executive Director of Porvair Plc. (LON: PRV), a specialist filtration and environmental technology company listed on the London Stock Exchange. She leads Porvair’s employee engagement processes, chairs the Group’s Remuneration Committee and is a member of the Audit and Nominations Committees. She is a Board Member of Sandfire Resources (ASX: SFR), a copper mining company registered in Western Australia, where she sits on the People & Performance, Risk & Sustainability and Nominations Committees. She is also on the Board of Beach Energy (ASX: BPT), where she is a member of the Remuneration & Nomination and Technical Committees.

She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from University College, Cork in Ireland, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

sally-martin

Susan Massasso GAICD

Susan is a non-executive director and senior advisor with a strong track record in scale-up growth and business transformation, strategy development and international market development. In addition, Susan has contemporary customer, brand and multi-channel retail experience including executing within digital ecosystems and marketplaces.

Susan has extensive experience working with diverse management teams and boards (including founders) across both established and early-stage high growth companies, in public (ASX, NZX) and private companies. Susan currently is a Non-Executive Director for CAR Group Ltd (formerly carsales.com Ltd, ASX:CAR), TPG Capital-owned MADE Group, Strategy Advisor for SunRice Group (ASX:SGL) and Senior Advisor for TPG Capital (US-based Nasdaq listed PE firm).

Key executive achievements included being the Chief Growth and Brand Officer for The a2 Milk Company (ASX:A2M) from 2013 to 2020. Susan was an integral member of a lean leadership team transforming A2M from a ~NZ$62MM innovative challenger (FY13) into a ~NZ$1.7BN ASX100 global nutritional business (FY20). Susan’s 25+ year executive career also included long term roles at Arnott’s Group, Unilever and PwC.

Susan is a wife and mother to 3 spirited teenage boys and a super happy dog Harper.

susan-massasso

Nicole Noye GAICD

Nicole is a highly accomplished Chief Executive Officer and non-executive director with over 25 years of experience at the C-suite and board level. She has worked across various industries in business-to-consumer (B2C) sectors and multi-site operations, including retail, hospitality, leisure, entertainment, fitness, professional services, car-sharing, franchising, and executive coaching.

Nicole’s board experience includes serving as a Non-Executive Director and committee member for Crown Sydney, Non-Executive Director for GoGet, and board and committee member for Collective Wellness Group. She was Chair of the Compono Executive Leadership program and a board member for several industry associations.

Nicole has held CEO roles at Collective Wellness Group (Master franchisee for Anytime Fitness), The Ardent Bowling & Entertainment Division, BrasNThings, Diva, and was General Manager for Angus & Coote and Goldmark.

nicole-noye

Dr Lisa O’Brien AM GAICD

Dr O’Brien is an experienced health professional, NED and Chair. She is a former CEO with 30 years’ leadership experience across the health, education, technology, community, and biotechnology sectors. Lisa brings experience in large scale health service delivery and planning as well as in technology and biomedical startups. 

Dr O’Brien has recently stepped down after nine years as a NED and clinical governance committee chair for Bupa ANZ. She is currently Chair of the Australian Education Research Organisation, a Commonwealth/State funded government agency focused on achieving excellence and equity in educational outcomes for Australian children through effective use of evidence. She is a Council member and Pro Chancellor of the University of Technology Sydney. In 2023, Lisa was Chair of the Expert Panel appointed by Education Ministers to report on reforms to be embedded in the 2025 National School Funding Agreement. 

Prior to her NED career she was Chief Executive Officer of The Smith Family for 10 years, and responsible for driving organisational transformation including significant revenue and services growth, greater brand recognition, and a strong performance culture.   

Lisa is a registered medical practitioner and a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators. She also holds a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Human Resource Management and Coaching, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of Chief Executive Women.

lisa-obrien

Karen Orvad GAICD

Karen is a professional non-executive director, board chair and experienced Audit and Risk Committee Chair. She has a portfolio of board positions across the human services and living sectors including property, housing, aged care, education and disability. She is currently the Chair of the Board of St George Community Housing (SGCH), a Non-Executive Director of Bolton Clarke and a Non-Executive Director of Autism Spectrum Australia (ASPECT). Karen is an independent member of a number of NSW Government Audit and Risk Committees including NSW Treasury and EnergyCo.

As a former KPMG Partner she brings over 25 years’ experience advising on and transforming board governance, culture, risk and audit programs with ASX listed and global companies. She brings a rare and unique insight into both the cultural and structural elements needed for transformation and governance. Karen’s executive experience was gained within ASX listed financial services and aviation organisations. Karen is a Chartered Accountant (CA ANZ), holds an MBA (Exec) AGSM, and is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

karen-orvad

Dr Christine Yates GAICD

Christine is an experienced company CEO and executive transitioning to a career as a non-executive director. She has 35 years of executive experience in banking, insurances, investments, debt markets and wealth management and over a decade of board and governance experience in the financial services, education and NFP sectors. She is currently a Non-Executive Director of FINSIA.

Prior to commencing her non-executive career, Chris was a financial services executive leading large, regulated businesses; most recently at Australian Unity as CEO Retail (2020-2024), with executive accountabilities for the Private Health fund and Australian Unity Bank. Chris’ career has always anchored on roles with P&L accountability. She is a strategic leader, adept at leading large teams through complex changes. She has deep commercial experience in highly complex regulated environments and is a firm believer in the criticality of driving performance through culture and connectivity with changing customer and market conditions.  

Chris holds a Doctor Business Administration in Transformational Leadership, a Master Human Resource Management, and a Bachelor Economics (Accounting/Economics; Syd). She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Chartered Accountant (CA ANZ), a Senior Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, and a member of Chief Executive Women.  

christine-yates
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