Who we are
Adam Lees (he/him)
Board, Board Committees
Non-Executive Director; Member of the People, Remuneration & Nominations Committee BA (Griffith University, Grad Dip (Monash University) Adam Lees was appointed as Rio Tinto’s Chief…
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 Staite (he/him)
Board, Management Team
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer BA & LLB (The University of Melbourne) Andrew is managing director and chief executive officer of The Pinnacle Foundation….
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…
Ben Henry (he/him)
Management Team
Volunteer Company Secretary Ben is a Senior Analyst within Deloitte’s Risk & Regulatory practice, specialising in financial services risk advisory. Prior to joining Deloitte, Ben…
Benjamin Law
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…
Bob Brown & Paul Thomas
Ambassadors
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
Ambassadors
Brenda retired in 2009 after 35 years working in the corporate sector and is heavily involved volunteering with a wide range of community groups, including…
Courtney Dolphin (she/they)
State & Territory Committees
South Australian Committee Chair Originating from the rural towns of Roxby Downs and Port Augusta, Courtney understands the importance and value of higher education, and…
Dan Bourchier
Ambassadors
Dan Bourchier is an award-winning multi-platform broadcaster with the ABC, accomplished company director and non-executive director, and in-demand public speaker and event MC and facilitator. …
Daniel Kowalski OAM
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…
David Walsh (he/him)
Management Team
Volunteer Psychologist – Scholarship Selection David is a registered psychologist and has worked as a research psychologist in the School of Community Medicine at the…
Dominique van den Berg
Board, Board Committees
Non-Executive Director; Member of the Investment Committee BCom (University of South Africa), MBA (Warwick university), GAICD Dominique has been in the energy sector for more…
Dr Craig White (he/him)
Board, Board Committees
Non-Executive Director; Member of the People, Remuneration & Nominations Committee MBBS (The University of Melbourne), MBus (Swinburne University), GAICD Craig personally experienced the uplifting experience…
Elizabeth (Beth) Kerrison (she/her)
State & Territory Committees
Australian Capital Territory Committee Chair Beth has worked in enterprise risk management, performance audit, corporate and academic governance for the past 15 years. She is…
Gavin Cao (he/him)
Management Team
Volunteer Chief Financial Officer Gavin has extensive experience in leading commercial and enterprise planning, budgeting, reporting and analysis. This includes the provision of strategic advice…
Georgie Stone OAM
Ambassadors
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,…
Greg Livingstone (he/him)
Board, Board Committees
Non-Executive Chair of the Board of Directors, Member of the Audit and Risk Committee; Member of the People, Remuneration & Nominations Committee BCom & MCom…
Han Worsley (they/them)
Management Team
Volunteer Alumni Program Lead Han Worsley is a passionate educator, gender equality and LGBTIQA+ advocate, and public speaker. Growing up on the family farm north…
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…
Jerome Tse (he/him)
Board, Board Committees
Non-Executive Director; Chair of the Investment Committee LLB, BCom and LLM (The University of Melbourne) Jerome is a partner in the tax group at King…
Judge Charlotte Kelly
Ambassadors
Judge of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Charlotte connected with The Pinnacle Foundation in 2014 as mentor to Caitlyn Georgeson, a Law/Arts…
Karen Brown (she/her)
Board, Board Committees
Non-Executive Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors; Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee BA & Dip Ed (The University of Western Australia), GAICD…
Ken Greenblatt
Board Committees
Member, Partnerships Committee Ken is a fairly new transplant to Melbourne Australia after having spent most of his career as a talent agent in Los…
Kevin Brown (he/him)
State & Territory Committees
Tasmanian Committee Chair Kevin has had a broad career spanning the advertising, marketing, medical and health industries. He has founded or co-founded several businesses, the…
Laura Cripps (she/they)
Management Team
Scholar and Mentor Manager Laura Cripps joined The Pinnacle Foundation as a scholar in 2018 during her final year of a Bachelor of Laws (Honours)…
Liam Buckley (he/him)
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…
Madeline Richardson (she/her)
Board, Board Committees
Non-Executive Director; Chair of the People, Remuneration & Nominations Committee LLB (The University of Adelaide) & MPA (Flinders University) Madeline is an experienced senior executive…
Mark Stewart (he/him)
Board, Board Committees
Non-Executive Director; Member of the Audit & Risk Committee BCom (Deakin University), GAICD Mark has spent the past 20 years working in the not-for-profit sector…
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
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…
Nic Bills (he/him)
State & Territory Committees
Victorian Committee Chair Nic has volunteered with The Pinnacle Foundation since 2019 as a member of the Victorian Committee where he has held the roles…
Ola Radka (she/her)
Management Team
Partnerships & Events Manager Ola has almost 20 years of experience across a wide variety of professional roles helping people discover their full potential, all…
Patricia Karvelas
Ambassadors
Patricia Karvelas is a prominent and highly respected Australian journalist, television and radio host, podcaster, political journalist, and commentator. Patricia began her professional career at…
Paul Clark (he/him)
Founders
Co-Founder 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…
Paul Ward (he/him)
State & Territory Committees
Western Australian Committee Chair Paul Ward is a technology expert with more than 25 years’ experience. He specialises in business intelligence, data engineering and training…
Paul Zahra
Founders
Founding Chair Paul Zahra served as chair of the board of directors of The Pinnacle Foundation from February 2016 until October 2021, after joining the…
Paula Corvalan (she/her)
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 (he/him)
Founders
Co-Founder Philip is the partner of Sean Linkson, and the youngest in a family of four children born in Canberra in 1959. Philip was lucky…
Sam Jacob (they/them)
Management Team
Volunteer Chair Scholarship Selection Committee Sam Jacob brings more than 25 years’ experience in higher education in the UK and Australia, including senior roles at Laureate…
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 OAM (he/him)
Founders
Founding Patron 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…
Sophie Ellul (she/her)
Management Team
Financial Accountant Sophie is a qualified accountant (CPA) with substantial experience encompassing both industry and business services roles. Sophie has nearly 20 years of experience…
Susan Brooks (she/her)
Founders
Co-Founder Susan has extensive experience in managing regulatory risks and consumer issues from within executive government, statutory administrative bodies and the financial services sector. She…
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…
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,…
Tim Lai (he/him)
Management Team
Marketing Manager Tim has over 25 years of experience working in the retail technology and professional services space. Tim was appointed The Pinnacle Foundation’s Marketing…
Tom Barham (he/him)
State & Territory Committees
Queensland Committee Chair Tom has several years’ experience in professional services, delivering risk, compliance, and learning solutions to a range of clients throughout Australia and…