Board

Fred Maddern
O.B.E., Justice of the Peace

Chairman
Fred was formerly Executive Officer of the Australian Vietnamese Services Resource Centre prior to retirement in December 2003; he has been a member of the board since the inception of the organisation as Westcare Linkages in 1994.

He is currently Chairman of the board a position previously held for several years.

Fred has also served on the board of a number of community organisations, currently Chairman of the Board of the WPC Group Skilling Australia, he was a mentor for the Victorian University NEIS program, former CEO Melbourne Western Region Commission, former member of the Western Institute Council and board member of the Footscray Society for the Aged.

Fred served as a Councillor, City of Footscray for 24 years Mayor for two terms; he is a Past President of the Australian Local Government Association and Municipal Association of Victoria, representing Local Government at three Australian Constitutional Conventions.

He was awarded the OBE in 1981 for services to the community and local government.

Special Responsibilities
Fred is Chair of the Performance Management Committee and a member of the Governance Committee.

Maureen Borghesi
Bachelor of Arts 
Bachelor of Social Work

Vice Chairperson
Maureen worked in the Community Services sector for over 20 years prior to her retirement from Maroondah Council in February 2001.  During that time she was involved in a wide range of areas with the Western Region Commission and Local Governments in the Western, Eastern and Central Regions.  Positions included management of Foster Care programs, Family & Children’s Services, Aged & Disability Services and General management. As a Manager of Aged & Disability Services with Maroondah Council, Maureen had a close working relationship with Care Connect staff and has been an active member of the Board since mid-1998.

Special Responsibilities
Maureen is a member of the Client Service Ethics committee, Performance Management committee & Governance committee. 

Michael Diamente
Certified Practising Accountant since 1994
Bachelor of Commerce, University of Melbourne, 1985
Certificate in Project Management, 2004

Director
Michael has been employed with the global AXA financial services group for the past 20 years in a variety of roles. Currently Finance & Operations Manager, Acquisition & Succession within AXA’s financial advice network, Michael has been responsible for the integration of mergers & acquisitions, served as senior project manager and business analyst in the areas of change management and business process re-engineering and held various operational finance roles throughout the organisation. As a qualified C.P.A. and experienced finance professional, Michael brings valuable commercial acumen to the board.

Special Responsibilities
Michael is Chairman of the Audit, Risk Management & Compliance Committee and a member of the Performance Management committee.

Dr. Lindsay McMillan
DHSc. (Deakin), M.Ed (Boston), B. Health Admin (UNSW), MACID, ACHSE

Dr. Lindsay McMillan has over 25 years experience leading complex multimillion dollar companies particularly in the healthcare, community and government service sectors. He understands the complexities of leading and managing multifaceted organisations, along with the desire to grow.

His highly regarded chief executive and consulting background and understanding of the current environment impacting health care and disability organisations in Australia, includes customer service, government policy directions, trends, social enterprises, financial and resource management, partnerships and in particular mergers and joint ventures. He has a highly recognised business (Third Sector: Futures) focusing on these interests.

His approach utilises a strong, strategic, analytical, financial, entrepreneurial, risk and review methodology based on sound governance. Along with a relevant academic background and a highly regarded network across government and corporate Australia he maintains an up to date approach and understanding of current practices and contextual implications.

His experience has also been recognised with a number of ministerial appointments including a 3 year appointment to the National Disability Advisory Council and more recently the Prime Ministers judging panel for the Employer of the Year. He has comprehensive experience in stakeholder management including boards and various levels of government.

Professional recognition also adds value to his performance through membership of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Australian College of Health Service Executives, and Harvard University Alumni.

His experience extends internationally through his professional journal publications, international presentations and the highly regarded innovative, International Summits on Non Profit Leadership in conjunction with Harvard and Stanford Universities.

Elizabeth Drozd
B.A. in Multicultural Studies, M.A. in Social Sciences (by research), Australian Competent Manager Program, Accredited Mediator, Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, Diploma of Business in Human Resources 

Elizabeth has more than 20 years professional Community Services experience in helping refugees and those among us with disabilities to live more fulfilling lives. Many of these years have been spent working with reputable charity organizations such as The Australian Polish Community Services and local government.

Her distinguished career includes community service development for refugees, management of support programs and implementation of access and equity principles.

Arriving in Australia as a wide-eyed immigrant herself when she was 21, she has a genuine understanding of how disoriented one can feel trying to survive in a new country with a different language and customs to contend with. But survive and succeed she did!

Marcia Griffin
BA. (Melbourne University), Dip Ed (monash University), B. Commerce (Melbourne University), MBA Preliminary Year (Melbourne University)

• As CEO of POLA Cosmetics Australia and New Zealand between 1982 and 1997, Marcia Griffin is believed to be one of the few Caucasian women in the world to have ever headed up a Japanese company. POLA Cosmetics, unheard of in Australia before 1982, is a $3bn corporation based in Tokyo. Marcia joined the Australian franchisee who started marketing POLA in 1982, as the solitary sales person, by December 1997 she had built the company to a multi-million dollar business, with approximately 4,700 POLA consultants across Australia and New Zealand. In December 1997,Marcia sold back her share of the Pola business to the parent company to take on other challenges.
• Marcia's educational qualifications are BA (Melbourne University), Dip. Ed (Monash University), B. Commerce (Melbourne University), MBA Preliminary Year (Melbourne University)
• In May 1995 Marcia won the first Telstra Victorian Business Woman of the Year Award. In November 1995 she was a keynote speaker in Chicago at the Arthur Andersen 1995 Enterprise Best Business Practices Symposium.
• In July 1998 Marcia published a book about her life and business -High Heeled Success and in that year she also chaired the panel for the 1998 Australian Arthur Anderson Business Practice Awards.
• Marcia has been on the board of a number of organizations including Tourism Victoria, the World Master Games, Melbourne Storm,  the Australian Direct Selling Association, National Pharmacies and PMP ,Australia’s largest printing company.
• Her current Board roles include private equity group-Holt Private Capital and Peninsula Hot Springs.
• Marcia was the first Australian female Chair with TEC.TEC (The Executive Connection) is an organization committed to enhancing the lives and increasing the effectiveness of CEOs.
• In addition to her Directorships Marcia is a motivational speaker and also works with a select group of entrepreneurs assisting them with their strategic and marketing planning.
• In the last two years Marcia and a business partner Yvonne Row have  developed a natural skincare range based on Australian plant extracts to take to the global market. The range was launched in October 2008 through 150 Target stores and has been a start-up success.

A full Curriculum Vitae for Marcia Griffin is available on request. Marcia_Griffin@msn.com.au

Robert Farmer

Rob has extensive experience in delivering team-based customer care and technological innovation to large scale service environments. Currently Rob is the CEO of RUN Corp Limited a property company managing over $10 billion of property assets.  During Rob's career he established and operated various businesses such as a leading service centre, warehousing and logistics operations, a technical field-services force and various advanced technology solutions. As Executive General Manager of Pracom's Outsourced Services Division, he was responsible for delivering solutions to some of Australia's largest companies such as Vodafone, Optus and the Victorian Government