Dan Simmonds

Chair of the Barwon Health Foundation

Accredited by the Law Institute of Victoria as a Commercial Law Specialist, Dan established Mast Lawyers at Federal Mills.

He has undertaken the Family Business Institute course in family business advising and works with business owners to achieve their commercial and personal objectives including growth, acquisitions and succession.

Dan is director or business advisory board member of companies in a diverse range of industries. This means he is directly involved in strategic and business planning processes which gives him greater insights when engaged as a lawyer for a business.

Dan has acted for many start-ups, not for profits and businesses involved in new technologies.

In 2010, Dan was awarded the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) President's General Award in recognition of excellence and outstanding contribution within the legal profession.

A Dad to three daughters and five grandchildren, Dan is the Chair of the Barwon Health Foundation and amongst a range of other appointments is a member of the Deakin University School of Law Academic Advisory Board, a Director of Kardinia Health Limited and ACE Radio Broadcasters, and a member of the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust board.

Raymond Frost

Director

Ray was the inaugural Chair of the Barwon Health Foundation Future Fund.

He was the founder of the Ray’s Outdoors business which started with one retail store in Geelong, with a single staff member, to a network of 40 retail stores Australia wide, employing around 800 staff. 

Since selling the business in 2010, Ray has concentrated on expanding his property and investing portfolios. He was also a judge in the Geelong Business Excellence Awards in 2013 & 2014 and has provided mentoring and advice to a number of Geelong businesses.

In addition to his role as Foundation Director, Ray also serves on the Special Projects Committee and Finance, Risk, Audit, Investment & Nominations (FRAIN) Committee.

John Miles

Chair - FRAIN Committee

John Miles had a distinguished career at Marcus Oldham College spanning 30 years. His roles included Company Secretary and Deputy Principal Business and Development for the College. John studied accounting at the Gordon Institute and is a member of the Australian Society of Accountants and is a Certified Practising Accountant.

John was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship in 1997 and joined the Geelong Community Foundation Board in 2011.

In addition to his role as a Future Fund Director, John also serves as Chair of the Finance, Risk, Audit, and Investment & Nominations (FRAIN) Committee.

Kylie Steel

Chair - Grants Committee

Kylie is a Surf Coast resident with a professional specialisation in environmental science and climate change risk. Kylie runs a niche risk management consultancy based in Torquay and provides professional services Australia wide.  Kylie has a research background and  over 20 years’ experience as a business owner and director. 

Kylie is an experienced board director completing the graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2014.  Kylie holds positions as a non-executive director at Southern Rural Water and is the deputy chair of the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee.

As a professional working mother, Kylie aspires to be a good global citizen, someone who cares about making a difference and steps up to the responsibilities of ensuring sustainable outcomes that meet the challenges and opportunities of the future.

In addition to her role of Barwon Health Foundation Board Member, Kylie also serves as a Chair of the Grants Committee.

Rory Costelloe

Director

A long-time Geelong resident, Rory is an active and passionate advocate for business and the broader community as well as a tireless champion of the region's potential as a major centre.

Rory is Executive Director of Villawood Properties, a company he founded in 1989. In that time the company has grown to become one of Australia's largest privately-owned property developers.

Rory’s involvement in the Greater Geelong community is characterised by his enthusiasm, ideas, creativity and broader perspective. In addition to his role as Foundation Director, Rory also serves on the Special Projects Committee. 

He also serves on the Geelong Authority board and as a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee for Affordability, RMIT Planning Advisory and Melbourne Water Future Liveability Advisory Panel. He is an ambassador for Active Geelong and member of the Geelong Cats Captains Club.

In addition to his role as Foundation Director, Rory also serves on the Special Projects Committee.

Ken Harrison AM

Chair - Leadership Circle

Mr Harrison is chairman of his Private Equity company which funds the development of shopping centres, land subdivision and company floats. He is also Director, an agricultural and pastoral entity operating throughout Australia.

Following a long career in business, Ken now focuses much of his time in the philanthropic space as Patron and Ambassador for the Prince’s Trust Australia, Chairman of the Northern Bay College Challenge, Director Royal Botanic Gardens Foundation, Ambassador of the Royal Children’s Hospital Leadership Circle, Director of Melbourne Opera, Chairman of Australian College of Aenethetists Leadership Circle, Director of the National Trust of Victoria Foundation, Director of Australian Dental Association Evident Foundation, Trustee of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria Foundation and several other not for profit entities.

Ken Joined the Barwon Health Foundation board in February 2019 and serves on the Trusts, Foundations and Major Philanthropy Committee.

Ken was honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia, AM, in the Queens Birthday awards in June 2016,  and bestowed as a Knight of Honour, KSJ, by the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem in June 2019 for services to the poor.

Assoc. Professor Donald Robertson

Director

With more than 35 years as a Consultant Radiologist both in the private and public sectors, Dr Robertson recently retired as the Director of Interventional Radiology at University Hospital Geelong and a Clinical Associate Professor of the Deakin University Medical School. Donald has over 30 years’ experience in minimally invasive vascular intervention, and is credentialed in CT Coronary Angiography (Cardiac CT).

For his service to the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR), as chairman of the Victorian Branch, a Federal Councillor and chairman of the committee that rewrote the memorandum and articles of association of the College, he was awarded Life Membership in 2009. Donald joined that Barwon Health Foundation Board in April, 2019 and serves as a member of the Grants Committee.

Roxie Bennett

Director

Roxie Bennett runs a boutique PR and Marketing agency along with hosting ‘The Catch Up’ most afternoons on Bay 93.9. She is also a life coach, keynote speaker, MC, entrepreneur, influencer and life changer.

Her positivity is infectious, her smile lights up a room and her determination to see her clients succeed gives them the confidence and courage to become the very best person, team, business or organisation they can be. Roxie’s superpower is helping others find theirs!

She's a high level communicator and relationship builder. She loves evoking emotion with all she does and doing it with authenticity.

Connecting the right people to the right people is a particular skill of Roxie's and she loves it when everyone wins from the relationship. She believes in paying it forward and helping when and where she can. Her personal 'happy place' is with a paint brush in front of a canvas. Roxie joined the Barwon Health Foundation Board in June, 2019 and serves as a member of the Fundraising Committee.

Theresa Best

Director

Theresa Best is an experienced director with a career spanning the manufacturing, education, for-purpose and sport sectors. As a marketing, communications and brand specialist, Theresa has skills in governance, board management, public relations, strategic planning, stakeholder relations and philanthropic and capital fundraising.

For the past 12 years Theresa has been Group Marketing Manager of Southern Star Group - an Australian-owned, leading manufacturer of windows and doors in the domestic housing industry. She is also the Principal of consultancies Best Solutions and Best Ever Events, a director of the Australasian Birth Trauma Association and a member of the Rotary Club of Geelong West.

A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, she spent three years on the board of Cricket Victoria and has held previous roles at The Geelong College, Geelong Cats Foundation and Strathcona Baptist Girls’ Grammar School.

Theresa has an active interest in and membership of a variety of community-based organisations, committees and boards with a commitment to building strong, resilient and thriving communities.

Clare Amies

Director

Clare Amies was appointed to the Barwon Health Board in July 2021. Clare Amies was appointed Chief Executive Officer of genU in June 2020. Previously, she was Chief Executive of WorkSafe Victoria, Executive Director of Insurance at WorkSafe and held a joint executive position with the Transport Accident Commission and WorkSafe in Health Strategy. From 2002 until 2009, she was the CEO of Western Region Health Centre.

In 2013, Clare studied at Harvard Business School, where she completed the Advanced Management Program. She completed her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Work at Monash. Clare also has a Master of Social Work and a graduate certificate in Public Policy and Management from Monash.

She worked as a social worker for more than 15 years across juvenile justice, homelessness, mental health, and primary health sectors. Clare has sat on numerous boards and government advisory committees advocating for some of the most vulnerable people in the community.
Clare is a Graduate of the Australia Institute of Company Directors, sits on a number of Boards including Leadership Victoria, Kardinia Park Stadium Trust and the Institute of Public Administration Association Victoria.

Ian Broadway

Director

Ian was appointed to the Board of the Barwon Health Foundation in August 2023 and is one of two Board members who also sit on the Barwon Health Board.

Ian is a highly experienced finance executive and currently Chief Financial Officer of St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, a role he commenced in February 2017. Prior to this, he was Chief Financial Officer at Austin Health from 2005 - 2017.

Before joining Austin Health, Ian was Chief Financial Officer at the Victorian Workcover Authority and Chief of Finance at Melbourne Health, North Western Health and Western Healthcare Network. 

Ian’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Commerce and post-graduate qualifications in accounting and he is a Fellow of the Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants.

In addition to his role as Foundation Director, Ian also serves on the Finance, Risk, Audit, Investment & Nominations (FRAIN) Committee.

Robert Costa

Life Governor

In June 2022, the Barwon Health Foundation Board of Directors honoured outgoing board member, Robert Costa, as the inaugural Life Governor of the Foundation.

Robert’s directorships are many and varied and include Costa Asset Management Pty.Ltd, Unigrain Pty.Ltd, Idyll Wine Company Pty.Ltd, Costa Fox Developments Pty.Ltd, goFARM Australia Pty.Ltd, and Semper Asset Management.

His Life Governor status is recognition of Robert’s exceptional leadership in the establishment of the independent Barwon Health Foundation charity and his contribution in the years since.

In addition to his role as a Foundation Director, he also served as a member of the Finance, Risk, Audit, and Investment & Nominations (FRAIN) Committee.

His passion for the future of a Greater Geelong has been evident in all that he has done to advance the health of our community.