Whitlam Institute Board
The Whitlam Institute is established as a separate entity within the University of Western Sydney. Responsibility for the Whitlam Institute Trust resides with the Board of Directors. The Board is politically bi-partisan and includes leaders in academia, business and government organisations.
Board Members:
Chairman, Geoffrey Roberson is a solicitor, an Accredited Specialist in Commercial Litigation and Chairman of Champion Legal Pty Limited, a Sydney-based law firm. He chairs and serves on a number of company Boards.
Professor Janice Reid AM has been Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Sydney since 1998. She is a recipient of several awards and honours both in Australia and overseas, and has been a member of the Boards of public agencies at State and Federal levels in the areas of health information and research, welfare, schools, arts, higher education, energy and international relations. She is currently a member of the Unisuper Ltd Board, the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission Board, the Salvation Army Greater Western Sydney Advisory Board, and a Trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. In January 1998 Professor Reid was made a Member of the Order of Australia for services to cross-cultural public health research and the development of health services for socio-economically disadvantaged groups in the community, and in 2003 received the Centenary Medal for service to Australian society through health and university administration.
Patricia Amphlett OAM is the Federal President of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, a position she has held since 2002.
With a succession of hits and as a long standing member of the Bandstand Family, Patricia established herself as a prominent force in the Australian music industry. Her musical talents are credited with many industry awards including Best Female Singer, Most Popular Female Performer, TV Logie for Best Teenage Personality and a succession of Gold Records.
A definite 'all rounder' in the music and entertainment industry, Patricia’s talent spans a broad spectrum from writing, producing and performing shows for children, and hosting charity and corporate events. She maintains a high profile in the music industry, with many live performances at Festivals, Corporate Events, Clubs and Television shows.
Patricia has a strong commitment to music education. She is a consultant for the NSW Government’s Talent Development Project.
Senator the Hon. John Faulkner is a Labor Senator for New South Wales.
Dr Kerry Schott is Managing Director of Sydney Water. Dr Schott is a member of the Infrastructure Australia Board and Chairman of the Water Services Association of Australia and Chairperson of the State Contracts Control Board. She was previously Deputy Secretary, NSW Treasury, Office of Infrastructure Management. Kerry was a non-executive director of the Sydney Water Board from 1997 to 2001. She spent 15 years as an investment banker, including as Managing Director of Deutsche Bank and Executive Vice President of Bankers Trust Australia. She has worked as an economic policy adviser with the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Commonwealth Government and as an academic at University College London and at Oxford University.
Dr Schott was Chairman of the NSW Environment Protection Authority and the NSW Film and Television Office, a director of the Film Finance Corporation Limited and director of Australian Airlines Limited. She has been a member of the Corporations and Securities Panel and a Trade Practices Commissioner.
Gabrielle Trainor is Founding Partner at John Connolly & Partners.
John Wells is Chief Executive of Jackson Wells Pty Ltd. His career has embraced journalism at the most senior levels in Australia and overseas, senior media involvement in newspapers, television and radio, policy advice to Federal political leaders and public affairs consulting. His major interests are in government and media and the operational elements of strategic communication campaigns. He has worked for all of Jackson Wells' major clients in these and many other roles.
Nicholas Whitlam serves on the boards of the Lifetime Care & Support Authority (as chairman), Port Kembla Port Corporation (chairman), WorkCover NSW (deputy chairman), and the WorkCover Insurance Fund (deputy chairman).
In a career that has embraced most aspects of banking and finance, Mr Whitlam was President of the NRMA from 1996 to 2002 and, as chairman of NRMA Insurance Limited, he supervised its demutualization and the listing of IAG. He was Managing Director and CEO of the State Bank of New South Wales from 1981 to 1987, and was Managing Director and joint CEO of the investment bank, Whitlam Turnbull from 1987 to 1990.
Mr Whitlam was the inaugural Chairman of the Whitlam Institute between 2000 and 2002. He holds degrees from Harvard College (AB cum laude, 1967) and London Business School (MSc, 1969), and has been awarded an honorary doctorate (Hon DUniv) by The University of New South Wales.
Talal Yassine OAM is the Chief Commercial Officer of Better Place Australia. Better Place is the premier global provider of electric vehicle services, accelerating the transition to sustainable transportation. Talal commenced his career as a lawyer with national law firm, Dunhill Madden Butler, and later joined PricewaterhouseCoopers.
After 10 years at PwC as a Director and strategist, Talal joined investment firm, Babcock & Brown in the Corporate Finance Group and later in the Technical Real Estate Division. Talal has served on the Board of Macquarie University; and as the Deputy Chairman of the Casino, Liquor & Gaming Authority; and as Chairman of Platinum Sound Pty Limited. Talal holds a Master of Laws, a Master of Business Administration and is completing his Doctor of Business Administration degree with a focus on international business strategy.
Company Secretary, Sandra Stevenson is the Senior Program Manager at the Whitlam Institute.
Gail Connolly and Professor Wayne McKenna's Board terms ended in February 2010. Both Gail and Wayne have been long standing members of the Whitlam Institute Board, and as was recognised at their final Board meeting, they have made a substantial and valued contribution. The Whitlam Institute has benefited greatly from their guidance and expertise, and we thank them for their time and efforts over the years.
Gail Connolly is a senior public servant. Formerly she was Executive Director, Metropolitan Strategy and the Metropolitan Development Program. She is a member of several Ministerial and regional committees responsible for the development of release area planning strategies, State government policy development and organisational and financial frameworks.
Professor Wayne McKenna BA (Hons), PhD Leeds is Executive Dean, College of Arts at the University of Western Sydney. He has worked at the University of Western Sydney since September 2000. Previously, Professor McKenna has worked at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales; the University of Geneva, Switzerland; and the University of Toulouse, France.
Michael Antrum was Company Secretary until mid 2011. He is a lawyer whose career has spanned work in the non-government sector and in senior government positions. He was Director of the National Children's and Youth Law Centre, before becoming Legal Counsel for the University of Western Sydney. He is currently General Counsel to the NSW Police Force. He has served on a number of Boards including as President of the Lawyers Reform Association.
