Who we are
Alan Joyce AC
Patrons
Alan Joyce has been Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the Qantas Group since November 2008. In his time as CEO, he has overseen…
Andrew Housden
Board Committees
Member, Investment Committee Andrew joined The Pinnacle Foundation in March 2018 as the Chief Financial Officer and at the beginning of 2020 became the NSW…
Andrew Staite
Board, Management Team
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Andrew is Managing Director and CEO of The Pinnacle Foundation. He is also Non-Executive Chair of search and outplacement…
Anne Nixon
State & Territory Committees
South Australian Committee Chair Anne has many years of experience managing services, projects, programs and people and in the development and implementation of health and…
Annette Mullen
Board Committees
Member, Investment Committee Annette Mullen was appointed as a member of the Investment Committee in April 2017. Annette is an Adjunct Professor with the Discipline…
Annie Johnston
State & Territory Committees
Western Australian Committee Chair Annie has an extensive background in the banking and finance sector, having worked in the industry for the past 25 years….
Benjamin Law Australian Writer and Broadcaster
Ambassadors
Benjamin Law is the author of the memoir The Family Law (2010), the travel book Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East (2012) and the Quarterly…
Robert James “Bob” Brown is an Australian former politician, medical doctor, and environmentalist who is a former Senator, and former Parliamentary Leader of the Australian…
Brenda Appleton OAM
Board, Board Committees
Non-Executive Director; Chair Audit & Risk Committee Brenda retired in 2009 after 35 years working in the corporate sector and is now heavily involved volunteering…
Caitlyn Georgeson
Management Team
Alumni Manager Caitlyn joined The Pinnacle Foundation in January 2020 as the national Alumni Manager. As a former Pinnacle Scholar, Caitlyn feels strongly about giving…
Claire Spencer AM
Board, Board Committees
Non-Executive Director; Chair People, Remuneration & Nominations Committee Claire is CEO of Arts Centre Melbourne and since her appointment in November 2014 has steered the…
Daniel Kowalski OAM Retired Olympic Swimmer
Ambassadors
Daniel Kowalski is an Australian former middle and long-distance swimmer specialising in freestyle events. He competed in the Olympic Games in 200-, 400- and 1,500-metre…
Darren Donnelly
Management Team
Chief Information Officer Darren has been creating innovative technologies and managing software development teams in the digital space for the last two decades; working for…
David Spree
Board Committees
Member, Partnerships Committee David is a senior corporate affairs leader specialising in global energy and resources development and management. He has led teams spanning government…
Dr Cassandra Goldie
Board, Board Committees
Non-Executive Director; Member Investment Committee Dr Cassandra Goldie is CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service, the national peak body for the community sector,…
Dr Craig White
Board, Board Committees
Non-Executive Director; Member People, Remuneration & Nominations Committee Craig personally experienced the uplifting experience of education. As a teenager, growing up in a small country…
Dr Shirleene Robinson
State & Territory Committees
Australian Capital Territory Committee Chair Dr Shirleene Robinson is a historian, author and curator. She has volunteered with Australian Marriage Equality since 2012, serving as…
Dr. Jim Sait
Management Team
Mentor Manager Dr Jim Sait worked in the higher education sector for 35 years. He has taught at universities in the UK, Canada and Australia…
Georgie Stone is one of the most visible transgender individuals in Australia. In 2011 she was the youngest person to receive puberty blockers in Australia,…
Ginna Webster
State & Territory Committees
Tasmanian Committee Chair Ginna is a long-term and passionate public servant having worked in both the Commonwealth and Tasmanian State Service all of her career….
Greg Livingstone
Board, Board Committees
Non-Executive Director; Chair Investment Committee Greg is a director of The Pinnacle Foundation and chairs Youturn Youth Support Limited – a Sunshine Coast based charity…
Patron-in-Chief We are honoured to welcome Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria as our Patron-in-Chief. On 1 July 2015, the Honourable…
Jennifer Westacott AO
Patrons
The Business Council of Australia is the nation’s premier business organisation, advocating for a stronger and fairer society through a more prosperous Australia.Jennifer Westacott AO…
Jessica Strutt – Journalist and Broadcaster
Ambassadors
Jessica Strutt is a journalist and broadcaster with ABC Radio Perth. She worked as a political reporter in WA for more than a decade and…
Jill Skromanis
Management Team, People, Remuneration & Nominations Committee
Chief People Officer Jill is an organisational development specialist, coach and mentor with twenty years of industry experience in the financial services sector in Australian,…
Julian De Bortoli
Management Team
Chief Marketing Officer After completing an MBA at an young age, Julian was inspired to bring a highly strategic approach to retail marketing and gained…
Karen Brown
Board, Board Committees
Non-Executive Director; Chair Partnerships Committee Karen is National Director at strategic communications firm Cannings Purple. A trusted advisor and expert communicator, she has worked at…
Liam Buckley
State & Territory Committees
New South Wales Committee Chair Liam has recently joined at NSW Committee Chair, having previously been a Pinnacle Mentor. Liam has had a broad career…
Libby O’Donovan is a “powerful and sassy performer” (SMH), renowned for her nuanced interpretations and extraordinary voice. She is a critically acclaimed Jazz and Cabaret…
Madeline Richardson
Board, Board Committees
Non-Executive Director; Member People, Remuneration & Nominations Committee Madeline is a senior executive in the South Australian public service. She holds a Master of Public…
Mark Sawyer
State & Territory Committees
Victorian Committee Chair Mark has 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, covering retail and commercial banking, payments, financial planning, foreign exchange and…
Mark Stewart
Board, Board Committees
Non-Executive Director; Member Partnerships Committee Mark has spent the past 20 years working in the not-for-profit sector in Australia, Europe and Asia as an executive…
Michael Winchester
Board Committees
Member, Investment Committee Michael is the Head of Investment Strategy at First State Super, one of Australia’s largest profit-for-members superannuation funds. He is responsible for…
Narelda Jacobs News Presenter
Ambassadors
Narelda Jacobs has been a journalist at Network 10 since 2000 and has presented 10 News First Perth for the last 11 years. She is…
Nicholas Steepe
Management Team
Scholar Manager Nic grew up in regional Australia and currently lives in Junee, New South Wales. After coming to terms with his sexuality at a…
Paul Clark
Founders
Paul is a Co-founder of Pinnacle Foundation. He was inspired by the vision of fellow founders Sean Linkson, Philip Comans and Susan Brooks to help…
Paul Zahra
Board, Board Committees
Chair of the Board of Directors and Member of the People, Remuneration and Nominations Committee Paul Zahra was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors…
Paula Corvalan
Management Team
Program Manager Paula Corvalan has over ten years’ experience working in communications, marketing and social services. Paula has worked in print and digital media, advertising…
Philip Comans
Founders
Philip is the partner of Sean Linkson, and the youngest in a family of four children born in Canberra in 1959. Philip was lucky enough…
Ro is Victoria’s first Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities. Ro has over 20 years’ experience in community services, governance, social justice, and LGBTIQ+ advocacy. Ro was…
Sarah Percy-Dove
Board Committees
Member, Investment Committee Sarah Percy-Dove, Managing Director, is Head of Asia Pacific Fixed Income Research within BlackRock’s Asia Pacific Active Investments Group. She holds a…
Sean Linkson
Founders
Sean is one of the four Co-founders of Pinnacle along with Philip Comans, his partner of 20+ years, Susan Brooks, and their long-term friend Paul…
Susan Brooks
Founders, Management Team
Co-Founder and Foundation Advisor Susan has extensive experience in managing regulatory risks and consumer issues from within executive government, statutory administrative bodies and the financial…
Susan Darroch
Board Committees
Member, Investment Committee Susan is an investment professional, her career spanning over 30 years in the financial markets, with the focus of the last 20…
The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG
Patrons
Michael Kirby was Australia’s longest serving judge before his retirement from the High Court in February 2009. He is a strong advocate of human rights,…
The Honourable Justice Thomas Bradley
Ambassadors
The Pinnacle Foundation’s first Queensland-based Ambassador, Justice Bradley was born in Cairns. He was educated at St Bernard’s School and Clairvaux College in Brisbane and,…
Timothy Stutt
Management Team
Company Secretary Tim is a senior associate in Herbert Smith Freehills’ head office advisory team (HOAT), where he advises publicly listed companies on corporations law,…
Wayne Porritt
State & Territory Committees
Queensland Committee Chair Wayne has been an avid supporter of the LGBTIQ+ community, through mentoring and leadership advocate positions. He previously chaired Standard Chartered Bank’s…