Dr Graeme Blackman AO
Independent Chairman
Dr Graeme L Blackman AO FTSE FAICD is an experienced company director and trustee. Prior to the establishment of ACCPA, Dr Blackman was Chairman of Leading Age Services Australia since 2014. Dr Blackman is currently the Chancellor of the University of Divinity, Chairman of the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia and President of the Victorian Council of Churches. Dr Blackman is a Trustee of numerous trusts including Chairman of the Anglicare Victoria Community Services Trust, Chairman of Trustees of the Journal of Anglican Studies Trust and a trustee of the Leith Trust and the Johnston Collection of Fine and Decorative Arts.
A former Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry in the Victorian College of Pharmacy, Dr Blackman has served on the boards of several publicly listed technology companies. He was a member of the Board of Stem Cells Australia, the Chairman of the National Trust of Australia (Victoria), Chairman of the Australian Council of National Trusts and Chairman of Victoria’s Heritage Restoration Fund. He was previously the Deputy Chairman of the Australian Youth Orchestra, the Chairman of Anglicare Victoria, a Director of Benetas aged care, a member of the Council and Board of Trinity College at the University of Melbourne, Chairman of the Trinity College Foundation, a Director of the Melbourne Anglican Diocesan Corporation and a member of the Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral Melbourne. He was for several years a member of Archbishop in Council of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne. Dr Blackman is an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to the pharmaceutical industry, to scientific research and policy development, to theological education and the Anglican Church of Australia, and to aged care.
Dr Graeme Blackman AO
Independent Chairman
Dr Graeme L Blackman AO FTSE FAICD is an experienced company director and trustee. Prior to the establishment of ACCPA, Dr Blackman was Chairman of Leading Age Services Australia since 2014. Dr Blackman is currently the Chancellor of the University of Divinity, Chairman of the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia and President of the Victorian Council of Churches. Dr Blackman is a Trustee of numerous trusts including Chairman of the Anglicare Victoria Community Services Trust, Chairman of Trustees of the Journal of Anglican Studies Trust and a trustee of the Leith Trust and the Johnston Collection of Fine and Decorative Arts.
A former Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry in the Victorian College of Pharmacy, Dr Blackman has served on the boards of several publicly listed technology companies. He was a member of the Board of Stem Cells Australia, the Chairman of the National Trust of Australia (Victoria), Chairman of the Australian Council of National Trusts and Chairman of Victoria’s Heritage Restoration Fund. He was previously the Deputy Chairman of the Australian Youth Orchestra, the Chairman of Anglicare Victoria, a Director of Benetas aged care, a member of the Council and Board of Trinity College at the University of Melbourne, Chairman of the Trinity College Foundation, a Director of the Melbourne Anglican Diocesan Corporation and a member of the Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral Melbourne. He was for several years a member of Archbishop in Council of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne. Dr Blackman is an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to the pharmaceutical industry, to scientific research and policy development, to theological education and the Anglican Church of Australia, and to aged care.
Geraldine Lannon
Deputy Chairperson
Joining the ACCPA Board in March 2023, Geraldine is the Chief Executive officer of Baptcare. She has more than 25 years of executive leadership experience, predominantly across metropolitan and rural Western Australian public health and community services.
Geraldine holds clinical, management and governance qualifications including a Master of Business Administration and has been a finalist in the Telstra Women’s Business Awards. She is a Director of the Health Round Table. Geraldine is committed to empowering staff to achieve excellence in caring for Baptcare customers.
Geraldine Lannon
Deputy Chairperson
Joining the ACCPA Board in March 2023, Geraldine is the Chief Executive officer of Baptcare. She has more than 25 years of executive leadership experience, predominantly across metropolitan and rural Western Australian public health and community services.
Geraldine holds clinical, management and governance qualifications including a Master of Business Administration and has been a finalist in the Telstra Women’s Business Awards. She is a Director of the Health Round Table. Geraldine is committed to empowering staff to achieve excellence in caring for Baptcare customers.
Dr Saranne Cooke
Independent Director
Dr Saranne Cooke is a professional director and chair with experience on a variety of boards across the research and education, health, sport, financial and not-for-profit sectors. Saranne is the Deputy Chancellor of Charles Sturt University, Chair of the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians, Chair of Racing NSW, Chair of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (South Eastern), a director of Australian Meat Processing Corporation, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and HESTA Superannuation. Dr Cooke chairs ACCPA’s Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee and was formerly a director of Leading Age Services Australia from 2016 to 2023.
Prior to her career as a professional director, Dr Cooke also held a number of senior roles within energy, banking and manufacturing industries. She holds a PhD in Board Governance, a Master of Business (Marketing), a Master of Commercial Law and a Bachelor of Commerce. Dr Cooke is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow Certified Practising Accountant, and a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute.
Sue Cooke
QLD Elected Director
CEO, Anglicare Southern Queensland
Sue is an experienced aged, health and education executive with current responsibility for the leadership and stewardship of the delivery of aged, community and social services to more than 45,000 Queenslanders annually.
She has held the position of CEO, Anglicare Southern Queensland for two years since 2021, having held the position of Director of Services for Anglicare SQ since 2012 with accountability for the overall operational management of Anglicare’s diverse services and programs including eight aged care facilities, 30,000 in-home care clients, 1,200 young people in out-of-home care, homelessness services and multiple human service programs.
Prior to joining Anglicare, Sue held the position of Director of the Australian Institute for Care Development, the RTO of Aged Care Qld Inc. In this role, she held advocacy and representative positions on aged care workforce issues and priorities. Prior to this, she held education and health care management roles in both the aged care and acute care sectors.
As a registered nurse, Sue carries a deep understanding of the client journey which informs her leadership and advocacy roles and influences positive outcomes for those she serves.
Sue is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and amongst her other qualifications, Sue holds an MBA, a Masters of Education (Honours) and a Bachelor of Nursing.
Jackie Howard
TAS Elected Director
Director for The District Nurses (TAS), Resthaven (SA) and Uniting (NSW)
Jackie is an experienced health and aged care executive, having worked in human services for over 35 years, formerly in the role of CEO Masonic Care Tasmania.
Prior to joining MCT, Jackie held several senior executive roles in the public and private health sectors and the not-for- profit aged and disability sectors in the UK, Germany and Australia, including Anglicare SA, South Australia Health and Guys & St Thomas’ NHS Trust London.
Jackie is committed to, and driven by, getting better outcomes for customers, and helping organisations deliver exceptional care, while achieving sustainable change through focusing on continuous improvement.
Jackie currently serves on the Boards of the Aged & Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA), The District Nurses (Tasmania), Resthaven Inc. (South Australia) South Eastern Community Care (Tasmania), and Uniting NSW/ACT.
Jackie is a Nurse by background, holds an MBA and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Dr Linda Mellors
Multi State Director
CEO,
Regis Aged Care
Dr Linda Mellors is Managing Director and CEO of Regis Aged Care Pty Ltd, one of Australia’s largest providers of aged care services.
With more than 20 years of executive experience in health and aged care, including chief executive of a group of hospitals and health services, and operating a national aged care service, Dr Mellors is committed to person-centred care models, workforce support, and a philosophy of continuous improvement.
Dr Mellors is a Director of Regis Healthcare Ltd and Mackillop Family Services. She was the inaugural Chair of the Aged Care Reform Network, formerly Chair of the Aged Care Guild, Co-Chair of the Victorian Metropolitan Hospital Chief Executive group, Chair of the North Eastern Metropolitan Integrated Cancer Service, Board Member of the Parent Infant Research Institute and Board Director of the South West Melbourne Medicare Local.
Dr Mellors holds a PhD in cardiac physiology, Bachelor of Science with first class Honours, Bachelor of Arts and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is also a graduate of the Williamson Community Leadership Program, operated by Leadership Victoria.
Stephen Muggleton
Multi State Director
Group CEO,
Bolton Clarke
Stephen is Group Chief Executive Officer of Bolton Clarke, a not-for-profit aged care company with nursing homes, retirement village and home care services in every Australian state, and subsidiary operations in New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK.
He is currently the Australasian Services Care Network representative on the National Aged Care Alliance, Co-Chair of Trade Investment Queensland’s Health Export Advisory Committee, and a member of the Ageing Asia Global Advisory Board.
His contributions to health and aged care have been recognised with an Adjunct Professor title from The University of Queensland, a Queensland Reconciliation Award, a Prime Minister’s Award, and an Institute of Management Award for not-for-profit Manager of the Year.
In 2019, he was named a Global Ageing Influencer.
Amongst his qualifications, Stephen holds a Bachelor of Applied Science, Master of Health Administration, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Robert Orie
NSW/ACT Elected Director
CEO,
Montefiore
Robert has been associated with the aged care sector in a senior management capacity for more than 35 years and, during that time, has developed a broad insight and knowledge of the aged care industry, both at an operational and policy level. His career has spanned both the private and not-for-profit sectors.
Robert is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Montefiore, a Sydney based provider of residential aged care, home care, retirement living and outreach services. Robert served as Deputy Chair of Leading Age Services Australia Ltd (LASA) for many years. As a Director on the ACCPA Board, Robert strongly advocates on behalf of the industry to ensure providers have access to adequate income streams in order to support quality outcomes for residents and the financial sustainability of the industry. Robert is committed to ensuring the long term financial viability of the industry and greater efficiency through reduced paperwork and a sensible approach to regulatory compliance.
Sue Peden AM
Independent Director
Sue’s executive career has focused on brand strategy development and advertising – both traditional and digital. She worked for some of the country’s most respected agencies on many iconic brands for almost 25 years before co-founding her own business, which was sold five years later. She currently consults for clients ranging from large multinationals to start-ups.
Sue is Chair of Carers Victoria and is also a Board Member of the Ballarat General Cemeteries Trust, appointed by the Victorian Government. She also serves as Deputy Chair of Unlabelled. Sue was Director of Leading Age Services Australia from 2019 to 2023. Sue also chairs ACCPA’s Consumer Advisory Committee.
Sue has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne, is a Fellow and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, as well as a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia. She is a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), awarded for Significant Service to Community.
Jane Pickering
SA/NT Elected Director
Chief Executive,
Eldercare Australia Ltd
Jane has been the Chief Executive of Eldercare Australia Ltd since 2013 and has held several Executive and Chief Executive positions in the health and aged care sectors prior to her appointment there.
She has undergraduate and post graduate qualifications in Nursing, Education, Leadership and Business and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Services Management, and a Justice of the Peace for SA.
Jane has held several Board positions in the community housing and health sectors and is a member of industry advisory Boards for both Flinders University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide. She was the private sector representative on the Workplace Equality and Respect Project Governance Group for the SA Government and is a member of the SA Gender Pay Gap Task Force. Jane is also the Chair of SA Leaders for Gender Equity. This group of Executives aims to increase women’s representation in leadership roles in business and addressing the gender pay gap in business.
Mark Sewell
NSW/ACT Elected Director
Director, Wesley Mission
Community Services Ltd
Mark was formerly CEO and Company Secretary of Warrigal, a provider with 14 locations across south eastern NSW and ACT, retiring in October 2022 after 20 years in the role. Prior to that Mark worked for NSW government departments in the areas of child protection and disability services including regional and state management.
His board and committee experience includes Regional Councillor of the Illawarra Business Chamber, member of the NSW Ministerial Advisory Council for Minister for the Illawarra, Aged Care Qualifications Industry Reference Council, ACSA Board member, NSW Divisional Councillor and Illawarra Regional Chair; till becoming an inaugural director on the ACCPA board as the NSW/ACT rep. He is also the former Board Chair of Lighthouse Church and Community Care; and Chair of Cedars Christian College.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Sociology), a Master of Business Administration (Business Law) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Shane Yensch
WA Elected Director
Executive Director,
Alinea Inc
Shane is currently Executive Director at Alinea Inc. where he has worked for the past 34 years. Alinea is a provider of residential aged care and operates a small retirement village. Alinea provides employment services to people with a disability through ParaQuad Industries along with recreational services and Home Care for spinal injured people.
As part of the role at Alinea, Shane was also the CEO of the Quadriplegic Centre, a 100 bed Stat Health Facility for the sub-acute care of High level spinal cord injured people providing long term rehabilitation. Shane also worked at the State Health Department, in a Chartered Accounting practice and private investment business.
Shane is a past State President of CPA Australia and has also chaired the CPA Western Australian Divisional Council which services 10,000 WA members. He was elected to the ACSA WA Divisional Council in 2017 and served as ACSWA Treasurer until his election to the Chair of the ACSA WA Divisional Council in November 2021.
Shane holds Bachelor of Business degree, a Master of Business Administration, is a Fellow Certified Practising Accountant and a member of the Institute of Company Directors.
