The Board approves strategic directions, organisation structure, policies and implementation processes. Directors observe corporate governance principles and a code of conduct in keeping with the Corporations Act and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission governance standards.
All other Board committees support and report to the Board. It meets regularly and reports to the Members of the Company on whose behalf it makes decisions. The CEO is appointed by and reports to the Board.
(See our glossary of medical and professional acronyms for details of qualifications).
Board Members
Professor Jeremy Millar
Chair
BMedSci, MBChB, FRANZCR, FACPMed
Specialist Radiation Oncologist at Alfred Health. Monash University and Alfred Health Director of Radiation Oncology Research. He is a Non-Executive Director of Cancer Council Australia, Council member of the Faculty of Radiation Oncology, RANZCR, and a Monash University Professor, working in cancer clinical quality registries, particularly in prostate cancer. Jeremy is a member and a past Chair of Cancer Council Victoria’s Clinical Network. He has also served as Director of the Southern Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service (2006-7). He was initially appointed to Cancer Council Victoria Board in 2013 and was appointed to the role of Chair on 31 October 2018.
Dr Mukesh Haikerwal AC
Deputy Chair
FRACGP
A General Medical Practitioner in Melbourne’s Western Suburbs where he has practised since 1990. He has held high offices in Victoria, nationally and internationally including a Professorial Fellow at Flinders University, on the Board of beyondblue, an AMA Gold Medalist, a Life Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Commissioner of the National Health & Hospitals Reform Commission. Past roles include chair of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the 19th Federal President of the AMA, its Federal Vice President, and prior to that AMA Victoria State President. Mukesh has been a Director since 2015.
Professor Joe Trapani
MBBS, FRACP, PhD, FFSc (RCPA), FAHMS
Executive Director Cancer Research and Head of the Cancer Immunology Program at the Peter Board of Directors MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. He is Head of the Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology at The University of Melbourne and has an adjunct professorial appointment in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Monash University. Joe was a Senior Principal Research Fellow of the National Health and Medical Research Council (2003-10) and leads an NHMRC Program grant in Cancer Immunotherapy (2003-2022). Appointed by the Medical and Scientific Committee as an Executive Committee member in 2007, since 1 October 2015 he has continued in the role of Director and Chair of the Medical and Scientific Committee.
Mr Andrew Dyer
BE (Hons); MBA; MAICD
A company director who serves on a number of boards in the government, commercial and not-for-profit sectors. He is also a Professorial Fellow at Monash University and the National Wind Farm Commissioner. Andrew’s commercial career covered a variety of industries in Australia, Asia and the Americas and was the Victorian Commissioner to the Americas. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Engineering with first class honors from Monash University and an MBA from Georgetown University. He has been a Director since 2015.
Mr David Gibbs
BCom (Melb), FCA, FAICD, TEP
A business strategist and adviser, David has over 35 years' experience in business, sharpening his passion for Corporate Governance and the identification and management of risk. He’s a committed supporter for a number of community-based and youth organisations, including a foundation director of the Melbourne Community Foundation. David also served as the Chairman of the Victorian State Council of Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand. Joining the Cancer Council Executive Committee in 2008, David continues in the role of Director and has been a member of the Company’s Finance, Risk & Audit Committee since 1 October 2015.
Mrs Fiona Green
BCompSc, GAICD
Fiona has had a 25+ years career in technology and the implementation of digital transformation strategies and initiatives. Fiona holds a number of Non-Executive Director roles, having held numerous executive roles including at DXC Technology and Telstra. Fiona is also the Chair of the Finance, Risk and Audit Committee (FRAC) having joined the FRAC in 2018.
Professor Jane Visvader
BSc (Hons) PhD Adelaide
A scientist specialising in breast cancer research who works for the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne. She is the joint head of the Breast Cancer Laboratory with Professor Geoff Lindeman. She was a joint recipient of the GSK Award for Research Excellence for outstanding contribution to breast cancer research. Jane's most recent award is the 2014 Royal Society of Victoria Research Medal for Scientific Excellence in Biomedical & Health Sciences. She has been a Director since 2015.
Michele Williams
BA (Hons)
Michele is a General Counsel with over 20 years’ experience, in two leading global law firms, in-house at an international management investment company and in-house at an Australian manufacturing business with global clients. She has a long history of involvement with Cancer Council Victoria, serving on the Tuxedo Junction Ball committee since 2001.
Professor Gail Risbridger
PhD
Professor Risbridger is an NH&MRC Senior Principal Research Fellow. She holds a PhD & has over 30 years’ experience as one of Australia's leading authorities in prostate cancer and Men’s Health. She leads Prostate Cancer Research at Monash University and at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) where her laboratory is an internationally recognised research team of scientists and clinicians working on prostate cancer and Andrology related projects. Her laboratories represent a commitment to leading & exemplifying excellence in research with a record of world class achievements in research, research translation, expertise, vision, supervision & mentoring. She has >256 publications that have made significant and highly original contributions of major importance, influence, and of significant benefit to health and medical research. She also holds the position of Deputy Dean, Special Projects, within the Faculty Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University.
Professor Ben Solomon
MBBS, PhD, FRACP
A medical oncologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, he is a Group Leader of the Molecular Therapeutics and Biomarkers Laboratory in the Research Division. He has an interest in translational lung cancer research and completed a PhD investigating the mechanisms by which EGFR inhibition enhance the effects of radiation, and undertook subsequent postdoctoral studies at the University of Colorado. Professor Solomon returned to Peter Mac in 2006, where he now practices as a medical oncologist with a research focus on clinical and translational research in lung cancer and head and neck cancer. His clinical trial work focuses on the identification of novel therapies for lung cancer.
All Directors and Board committee members receive no remuneration for their services. They may be reimbursed for reasonable costs and expenses incurred in connection with Board and Board committee activities.
Past Members
Stephanie Bansemer-Brown
Stephanie has over 23 years' experience in the media, sport and entertainment industry. She was Head of Marketing and Publicity for Network Ten in Melbourne for 13 years and since 2013 has consulted in strategic marketing and communications to a number of Australia's big entertainment organisations including the Australian Radio Network, Fremantle Media, and Essential Media. She is currently consulting to the AFL and Bowel Cancer Australia. Stephanie survived stage 3 bowel cancer in 2012 and has been a Director since 2015.