Board Members
HeartKids Australia Inc is governed by a board made up of State representatives along with various skill-based appointments.
The current Board comprises of:
- Chairman: Brian E Pereira
- Vice Chair: Dr Anne Fletcher
- Treasurer: Matt Tognini
- Directors: Matt Turner, Jayne Blake, Lee Morgan, Terry Barnes, John Hollamby
Brian E Pereira – Chair
Mr Pereira brings an incredible wealth of knowledge and wisdom to HeartKids Australia. With a number of board position over the past years, Brian is a commercially astute entrepreneur with the experience to lead our charity into a new phase of growth and development. Brian is passionate about allowing children to be children regardless of their social background or physical situation. Brian takes the reins from outgoing Chair, Mr. Stephen Sheppard who has built a strong foundation and governance process over the last three years for the fledgling Charity.
Dr Anne Fletcher – Vice Chair BSc, MSc, PhD, FAICD, FAIMS
Anne Fletcher is a non-executive director, currently serving on the boards of the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry and HeartKids Australia. Anne is a member of the Therapeutic Goods Authority Advisory Committee on Biologicals. From 2005 to December 2012 Anne was on the board of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, where she chaired the Major Buildings Committee of the Blood Service board which oversaw the development and construction of the three principal operating centres for the service in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
In her early career Anne worked as a scientist in charge of diagnostic laboratories. Later after undertaking postgraduate study she pursued a career in medical research at the University of Sydney and the Australian Red Cross Blood Service and was effective in building productive research collaborations. Later Anne managed the Australian research program of the newly formed national blood service where she acquired senior executive experience. In 2002 Anne established a health consultancy (Growing your Knowledge) which provided consultancy advice to the biotechnology, health and medical research sectors. During the course of her career Anne has been instrumental in establishing and managing several research funding schemes, including a medical research fund for the Australian and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion. From 2005 to 2007 Anne served on the inaugural Consultative Council for the Victorian Cancer Agency, a Victorian government-funded initiative to provide translational research funding to the Victorian cancer research and cancer health care services. Anne joined the HeartKids board in August 2010 and established the Research Advisory Committee soon afterwards.
Matthew Tognini – Treasurer
A Partner of Keady Humble Tognini Chartered Accountants, Perth, Matthew is a registered member of the Institute Chartered Accountants since 1988. Matthew graduated from ECU with a Bachelor of Business, Major in Accounting. His extensive business experience is a valuable asset to HeartKids Australia. Matthew is the parent of a heart kid and has been on the Board of HeartKids WA since June 2007.
Matt Turner – Director BEng, MIE Aust, CPEng
Matt is the SA representative on the Board. He has previously held the posts of Director (2006-2007), Chairman (2007 – 2010) and Vice Chair (2010 – present) of HeartKids SA. Matt is a chartered professional engineer with over 13 years of management experience in the technology sector. He is a passionate leader with a strategic focus who has a track record of delivering on the goals of an organization. As a manager Matt is charged with the leadership of a multidisciplinary team to deliver unique technology solutions to market – on time and on budget. His broad experience in a range of industries that span not-for-profit, defence, hydrographic surveying, multimedia and construction equipment enable him to easily adapt his analytical skills to any situation or problem.
Matt’s strengths lie in his ability to work across multiple business functions and focus on solutions that meet the strategic needs of an organization. By utilizing his engineering background he is able to quickly understand and analyze complex business problems and formulate strategies and solutions that meet the needs of the business.
Lee Morgan – Director
Lee Morgan is the manager of the Special Infrastructure Projects within the Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation Division of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet for the State Government of South Australia. Lee has a Professional Certificate in Business Management; Graduate School of Management from Adelaide University; Associate Diploma in Applied Science; Conservation and Park Management from University of South Australia and a Technicians Certificate in Surveying.
Lee has served in a range of managerial positions for SA Water Corporation and the Environment Protection Agency. Lee is married and has a son who is a heart kid.
Jayne Blake – Director
An experienced Company Director with broad cross-functional expertise including key Executive roles in Finance, Sales, Commercial and Customer Relations. Inspirational leader with a track record of developing and executing strategy to drive rapid business development and growth. In her corporate career Jayne worked for Vodafone Group in various General Manager roles in both the UK and Australia, in Finance, Commercial and Customer Service functions, until becoming Sales Director in 2004. Bringing all this experience together Jayne established JBC International in 2009 specialising in assisting other organisations to effectively plan for and drive business growth. Through JBC, Jayne has achieved success in coaching and consulting assignments in the Corporate, SME and Not-For-Profit segments.
John Hollamby – Director
John retired in September 2009 after 40 years in the banking and finance industry. His last position was Interim Head of Property Finance at Lloyds International Australia, a subsidiary of the UK based Lloyds Banking Group Limited. He also spent long periods with Commonwealth Bank and ANZ, prior to joining what became Lloyds International.
John has been President of HeartKids Qld Inc (HKQ) since February 2011 and was previously appointed as an adviser to the HKQ Board in July 2010. He is Vice Chair of another Not-for-Profit entity, Graduate Careers Australia Limited, and a member of the Corporate Advisory Board of Aizer Group Pty Ltd, a Gold Coast based building company. John is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia.
Natalie Palmer – Director
Natalie has a strong corporate background in consulting roles over the past fourteen years with NAB, Woodbine Associates, Coles Myer, and family businesses, in the areas of IT, HR, and Management, and working within national retail, banking and finance, higher education, and IT sectors. She has managed small teams and large contractor bases, and coordinated several large scale corporate events. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Education), with a Post Graduate in Psychology, and her early career was in Family Services for Early Childhood Education, working with disadvantaged families. Natalie is mum to Heartkid Ben and has sat on the HeartKids Victoria Board since 2010, and held the role of Vice Chair HeartKids Victoria since 2011.
