Sector Discussion: Not For Profit Boards

Michael Traill
Michael joined SVA (Social ventures Australia) as founding CEO in 2002 after 15 years as a co-founder and Executive Director of Macquarie Bank's venture capital arm, Macquarie Direct Investment.

Michael is a director of the John Maclean Foundation and the Opera Australia Capital Fund, and he serves on the advisory board of Dimension Data Australia. He holds a BA (Hons) from Melbourne University and an MBA from Harvard University.

Michael was a joint winner of the 2005 Equity Trustees Not For Profit CEO Judge's Award and was nominated by the Australian Financial Review's BOSS magazine as one of 25 True Leaders in 2006.

Wendy McCarthy
Wendy McCarthy has been an educator, change agent in Australian public life and company director for the past 40 years. Her corporate advisory practice McCarthy Mentoring specialises in providing mentors to major corporations and the public sector and assisting these organisations with issues around diversity and women's leadership.

Her directorships include Vice-Chair Plan International, Chair McGrath Estate Agents, Chair NSW Sustainable Access Priority Taskforce, Member NSW Health Care Advisory Council, Chair Sydney Community Foundation and Chair Accreditation Advisory Board of the Advertising Federation

Carole Renouf
Carole has pursued a career in the non-profit sector for over 20 years. Initially trained as a teacher and writer, she spent a number of years in health promotion/education with NSW Health, in her own business and as a producer with Beyond 2000.

In the 1990s Carole joined the Australian Consumers Association (publishers of CHOICE magazine) where she initiated Australia’s first consensus conference on genetically modified food. She was recruited to lead Australia’s marketing and communications for the World Wildlife Fund, where she grew the supporter database up from 20,000 to 60,000

In 2005 Carole moved became the CEO of Garvan Research Foundation, where, in two years she has successfully doubled philanthropy and is now engaged, together with the Foundation Board, in an active process of Board renewal with an emphasis on fundraising. 

In 2007 Carole was selected to attend the pilot of Harvard Business School’s new course, ‘Governance as Leadership: Reframing the Work of Non-profit Boards’.

Ruth Medd
Ruth has been pursuing a career as a non-executive director since 2000. She is Chair of WOB Pty Ltd (Women on Boards) and Australian Ethical Superannuation Ltd, and a director of the National Foundation for Australian Women and The Infants Home Ashfield. She is a past member of the NSW Casino Control Authority.

Prior executive roles include the Executive Director of the Australian Association of National Advertisers and senior positions with Telstra, the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal and the Federal government.