Board Members

Board Members

Professor Michael Drew 
Chair
Michael E. Drew is a Director at Drew, Walk & Co. and a Professor of Finance at Griffith University. He is a financial economist specialising in the areas of investment governance, pension plan design, and outcome-oriented investing.

Professor Drew’s research has been published in leading practitioner journals, including the Financial Analytics Journal, and the Journal of Portfolio Management. With his colleague Dr Adam Walk, Professor Drew co-authored the monograph Investment Governance for Fiduciaries that was released by the CFA Institute Research Foundation in April 2019. He has been invited to make submissions and to testify before numerous committees, including the US Department of Labor and the SEC joint hearing on target-date funds.

Professor Drew serves as a trustee director and member of the Investment Committee at QSuper, a member of the Investment Advisory Board of the Petroleum Fund of Timor-Leste (East Timor), and a trustee of Mary Aikenhead Ministries.

He received his PhD in economics from the University of Queensland, is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst®, and is a Life Member of FINSIA, the Financial Services Institute of Australasia.

Kim Hughes
Deputy Chair
Kim has over 25 years’ Executive, Board, and Board advisory experience in the public, private, profit-for-purpose, and government sectors across a range of industries including superannuation, life insurance, funds management, financial planning, health, and arts. She has proven success in business strategy and transformation with expertise in customer-centred solutions, people and culture, performance monitoring and continuous improvement, governance and risk management, and commercial acumen.

In addition to her Board role with Volunteering Australia, Kim is a current Board member of Metro Arts, and has extensive Board advisory experience providing trusted advice to the Boards and Sub-Committees of the complex, highly regulated businesses of QSuper, QInsure, QInvest, Suncorp Superannuation, Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), Queensland Treasury Corporation (QTC), and Energy Super.  

Kim holds a Business Degree, Diplomas in Superannuation, and is a Graduate of the AICD Company Directors Course. 

Kerry Harris
Treasurer
Kerry is an experienced Board Director whose resume includes national and state sporting Boards, a social enterprise Board, and chairing a Finance and Audit Committee. Recently Kerry was elected to the Victorian Divisional Council of CPA Australia on a platform of promoting women in leadership and maximising member engagement.

Kerry has held many senior executive positions in the sporting sector. Through her work and own volunteering, she is intimately familiar with the needs of and issues facing volunteers, and the volunteering infrastructure in Australia.

Kerry possesses a Commerce degree, is a Fellow of CPA Australia and Member of the AICD.

Esme Bowen
Secretary
Esme Bowen was elected to the Board of Volunteering Australia in November 2018. She is very involved in her family’s surf retail business and has a background in nursing and disability services. She also has a background in community volunteering and road safety advocacy, which has involved the RAC Council WA (2005 – 2012), Wheelchair Sports WA, Wheelchair Sports Australia, and the Australian Automobile Association. Esme is currently the Chair of the Ministers Carers Advisory Council, a director of the Paraplegic Benefit Fund, and on the board of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA. She also serves on the WA Minister’s Volunteer Community Reference Group and sits on the minister’s single-use plastics committee and the Disability Assembly WA.

Dr Claudine Lombard
Claudine Lombard has 25 years’ experience in financial markets across all asset classes including socially responsible investments (SRI) and sustainable finance alternatives. Currently Senior manager with a major superannuation fund, Claudine has deep experience in presenting strategy and investment performance and risk to stakeholders and c-suite leadership. With in-depth experience and strong record of delivering project outcomes, Claudine also has mature experience in cross-divisional project management, data, analytics and information technology.

In terms of Board experience, Claudine has both reported to Board’s and Sub Committees including development of papers to facilitate decision making, and, has been a director and treasurer on local community organisations in a volunteer capacity in the disability sector (Riding for the Disabled, Queensland). Claudine has worked for Queensland Treasury, PwC, Deloitte as a Quantitative Analyst and Trader at multiple banks in South Africa. In addition to understanding the strategic risk settings for significant IT projects, Claudine has a reputation as a strategic thought leader with collaborative approach to teamwork and stakeholder engagement.

To this day, Claudine maintains an active civic life through volunteering where her work has included supporting organisations who provide services to children with disabilities and, also, has provided her skills as a volunteer teacher and teenage support councillor through youth prison outreach services.

Qualifications:

• PhD Finance (University of Queensland Business School)

Amy Williams
Amy Williams has been employed as a lawyer since 2015 and for the last 5 years, has worked at the Not-for-Profit Law team at Justice Connect, where the core part of her role as Principal Lawyer is to provide legal assistance to community organisations and social enterprises. A key part of the advice that she provides at Justice Connect supports NFP’s to meet directors’ duties, ensure compliance with regulation and legislation (including fundraising and OH&S) and fulfilling obligations as registered charity with DGR status. In addition to this, Amy has supported charities in their advocacy, relationships with the member law firms and regulators.

Amy has deep understanding of the needs of community organisation’s particularly around governance obligations and is very familiar to the Australian volunteering sector. In 2018 Amy presented at the National Volunteering Australia Conference, in 2018 and 2019 at Volunteering Tasmania Conference and in 2019 she also presented at the NSW Centre for Volunteering Conference.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Amy is trained as a social worker and was employed as a policy and research officer for two community sector peak bodies – Western Sydney Community Forum and the NSW Council of Social Service. A core part of her role at these peak body organisations was to build a broad understanding of the issues faced by the sector and to identify ways to best support the sector. In addition to this, Amy was the National Liaison Officer for UNSW Social Justice Project, a role that saw her liaise with community groups and state chairs across Australia to promote involvement in national anti-poverty campaign.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Social Work (University of Western Sydney) 2009
• Juris Doctor (University of NSW) 2015
• Admission as Solicitor (Supreme Court of NSW) December 2015

Brianna Casey

Brianna is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Foodbank Australia and is Australia’s representative for the Global Foodbanking Network. Brianna joined Foodbank Australia in 2016, following her successful term as CEO of Australian Childcare Alliance NSW. Prior to that, she spent 14 years in agri-politics, as CEO of Qld Farmers’ Federation and a Policy Director at NSW Farmers.

Brianna’s career has centred on her love of social policy and advocacy, and her passion for powerful story-telling. Brianna serves on a number of government committees across the portfolios of Social Services and Home Affairs, as well as the National Emergency Management Agency. She also played a key role in the development of the Australian Government’s first ever National Food Waste Strategy, as well as the successful bid committee for the Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre.

Brianna was recently appointed to the Volunteering Australia Board in light of her volunteering experience and expertise both professionally and personally. Brianna is passionate about volunteering in her local community, managing an under-18s National Premier League soccer team. She is a proud member of Chief Executive Women, has a Bachelor of Science in Australian Environmental Studies, is a graduate of the iconic Australian Rural Leadership Program and a past recipient of the Pro Bono Australia Impact 25 Award.