DCA has a prestigious Board of Directors representing diversity leaders in Australian business with extensive experience in the fields of business, HR, law, management and accounting. Our directors are:
- Dr Jacqui Abbott, head of Flexibility and Diversity at Allens
- Dianne Banks, Partner Litigation & IP, Gilbert + Tobin
- Alec Bashinsky, National Partner, People & Performance, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
- Sophie Crawford-Jones, Australian Human Capital Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Catherine Fitzpatrick, Executive General Manager, Corporate Affairs, John Holland Group
- Mark Hand, ANZ, Managing Director, Retail Distribution
- Chris Lamb, Head of Human Resources, Australia and Global Head of Diversity at Lend Lease
- Kate McCormack, Director People, Learning & Culture, Mercy Health
- Anna McPhee
- Sam Mostyn
- Robert Orth, Director of Human Resources for IBM Australia/New Zealand
Dr Jacqui Abbott, head of Flexibility and Diversity at Allens
In addition to her role as a director with Diversity Council Australia, Dr Jacqui Abbott is head of Flexibility and Diversity at Allens. She is responsible for developing and implementing the diversity strategy across the firm. Since joining the firm in 2008 Jacqui has established programs, policy and structure that support a flexible working environment. In 2010 Allens won the AHRI Sir Ken Robinson award for workplace flexibility. She has introduced a broader diversity program for the firm, including gender, family, LGBT, disability, and cultural diversity. Establishing a Diversity Advisory Board in 2011 consisting of predominately external experts. The Board provides diversity thought leadership for the firm.
Jacqui has worked across a broad range of industries including professional services, energy, resources, manufacturing, retail and education. Prior to Allens Jacqui has worked as Workplace Diversity and Flexibility Manager at Orica; Workplace Culture Manager at Shell Australia; and People Strategy Manager at Ernst & Young/Arthur Andersen.
Jacqui's PhD explored the latest thinking related to management and employee perspectives of work/life benefits in large multinationals. She is an experienced coach providing individual coaching within the firm and to external organisations specific to the needs of high potential employees at any stage of their career.
Dianne Banks, Partner Litigation & IP, Gilbert + Tobin
Dianne Banks joined Gilbert + Tobin in 1995 and is a partner in the firm’s Litigation Group. Dianne provides legal advice on a broad range of employment law and industrial relations issues from the commencement of the employment relationship to termination. Her work includes:
- Drafting executive service agreements, employment contracts, workplace agreements, company policies, consultancy agreements, proprietary information and inventions agreements, secondment agreements.
- Assisting clients to performance manage and terminate staff (particularly in relation to executive terminations) without legal consequence, including the management/resolution of workplace performance, grievances and disputes and conducting workplace investigations.
- Conducting investigations on behalf of employers into allegations of discrimination, sexual harassment and bullying and advising employers on the content and implementation of policies impacting on diversity including discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying and employee grievance.
- Acting in all forms of employment litigation, including wrongful dismissal and other breach of contract claims, unfair dismissal, discrimination and sexual harassment, occupational health and safety, small claims, enforcement of restrictive covenants and post-employment obligations.
- Advising on all employment and industrial issues arising from mergers and acquisitions, including advising on transmission of business issues, strategic industrial relations advice, conducting due diligence and drafting necessary documentation.
- Advising on the employment issues arising in outsourcing and privatisation.
Dianne's approach to employment and industrial law is to achieve practical and commercially sound solutions for clients in the many and varied issues which confront employers in the Australian workplace. She was a 2009 finalist for the NSW Women Lawyers Association Achievement Award for private practice. She was recently named as one of 20 leading practitioners in employment law across Australia and New Zealand in the Australian Legal Business (ALB)’s Guide to Employment Law 2009. She is also recognised as a leading lawyer in employment by PLC White Lawyer in 2009/2010 and Asialaw profiles 2010. She has qualifications in law and arts from the University of Sydney.
Gilbert + Tobin was recognised by Corporate INTL Magazine as Best Law Firm in Australia for Employment Law Work in 2009.
Dianne is DCA's Company Secretary.
Alec Bashinsky, National Partner, People & Performance, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
Alec Bashinsky has been with Deloitte Australia for over six years, achieving promotion to National Partner of People & Performance for Deloitte for Australia after only eight months with the firm. In his role Alec is responsible for approx 5,500 employees and a team of over 100 people. His mandate is to drive a performance culture and build leadership capability through establishing leadership development, talent assessment, employee engagement and overall reengineer the people strategy for Deloitte.
He has significantly realigned the Deloitte HR offering including a focus on the strategic business partnering and growth of the firm and has brought in many business focused HR practitioners into Deloitte to build a new and dynamic national team.
He has initiated a number of successful people strategies for Deloitte such as Inspiring Women, D. Academy (for Graduates), Cultural Diversity, Wisdom Workers, “Find Mind Like Minds" employee referral program as well as building Excellence Centres and defining Career Roadmaps for the firm. In March 2006, Alec was awarded the “Human Resources Leader of the Year” at the National Human Capital Leadership awards. In September, 2006 Alec was also awarded the Best HR Director of the Year in the prestigious Australian HR Awards.
Alec’s previous role was as Senior Director Human Resources – Japan & Asia Pacific for Peoplesoft inc. He was recruited into the role to implement the smooth acquisition of the JD Edwards Organisation which made Peoplesoft the second largest software solutions provider in the world.
Prior to this, Alec was the Group Manager - Human Resources for Cisco Systems for Australia /New Zealand for 3.5yrs and during his time at Cisco, Alec has also achieved unique back to back Hewitt Best Employer status in 2002 and 2003 along with the ‘Outstanding Contribution to HR’ award again at the Australian HR Awards.
Prior to this Alec was the Asia Pacific HR Manager for 3Com and amongst his other achievements saw him tackle unique challenge of being the HR Director for the market entry of Toys R Us into Australia.
Sophie Crawford-Jones, Australian Human Capital Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Sophie Crawford-Jones holds a BA Hons degree in French with Business from Kings College, London. She has consulted in the HR arena in London, New York and Asia for number of years and joined PwC's Human Capital team in 2003 where she is currently the Australian Human Capital Leader.
As a member of the Australian Firm Executive, Sophie has helped to enable a truly business focussed approach to the people agenda. Sophie has been recognised for her strong business acumen and her outstanding ability to develop extensive, trust based relationships with her clients and teams. These attributes have seen her become a sought after business partner.
Catherine Fitzpatrick, Executive General Manaber, Corporate Affairs, John Holland Group
Catherine joined John Holland in January 2012 as Executive General Manager, Corporate Affairs. In this role she has responsibility for developing strategies, programs and initiatives that underpin John Holland’s strategic objectives and engage key internal and external stakeholder groups. The Corporate Affairs portfolio encompasses brand and market positioning, sustainability, external affairs, internal communications, online communications and publications.
Prior to joining John Holland, Catherine worked for Leighton Holdings Limited from 2006-2011 as Group Manager, Sustainability and previously in government relations, external affairs and as a crisis management consultant. A key focus during that period was developing an integrated environmental, social and governance strategy for the Leighton Group, establishing a Group-wide workforce diversity policy and preparing the business for an Australian carbon price.
Previously, she held positions as a communications consultant to UNICEF Australia from 2004-2006, media adviser to two Commonwealth Cabinet Ministers from 1999-2004 and as a journalist at the West Australian Newspaper and its subsidiaries from 1992-1999.
Catherine is a member of the New South Wales advisory council of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia.
Mark Hand, ANZ, Managing Director, Retail Distribution
Mark is currently Managing Director, Retail Distribution at ANZ. He is responsible for many of the more visible aspects of the bank including branches, the call centre and ATMs, servicing around 5 million customers.
Mark has been with ANZ more than 23 years, joining Group Audit in 1988. This included four years as the Head of Audit for Middle East and South Asia, based in Mumbai, India. In this role he was responsible for monitoring and reporting on risk exposures across the ANZ portfolio of 15 countries. On returning to Australia in 2000, Mark was appointed Head of Credit and Operating Risk for SME Banking. He subsequently moved to the frontline as District Manager, Melbourne CBD in Business Banking, and then became State Manager, Business Banking for Victoria and Tasmania, before becoming General Manager of the Business Banking Manager segment.
His prior role was General Manager, Regional Commercial Banking, where he achieved significant profit growth and led the acquisition of Landmark Financial Services which took ANZ to number two in the agribusiness farm gate market. He also extended the small business banking proposition to regional Australia while in this role.
Mark is a CPA and holds a Bachelor of Business and a Masters of Business Administration from Deakin University. An alumni of the Williamson Community Leadership Program, Mark is a strong advocate and supporter of ANZ mentoring and development programs and regularly provides guidance to many young and talented ANZ staff. Mark chairs the ANZ Staff Foundation, Australia Division Diversity Council and is a member of the ANZ Diversity Council.
Chris Lamb, Head of Human Resources, Australia and Global Head of Diversity at Lend Lease
Chris Lamb is Human Resources Director for Lend Lease in Australia and leads the Diversity initiatives for its business. He has been with Lend Lease for more than four years and is responsible for 13,000 employees across 12 operating businesses. In 2009 Chris established Lend Lease's Australian Diversity Council with a goal to lead the Property & Construction industries in Diversity practice with particular focus in the areas of gender equity, reconciliation and LGBTI. In 2009 Lend Lease became foundation members of Pride in Diversity with Chris joining the PiD Advisory Board and in 2010 he Chaired the inaugural Pride in Practice national conference. Chris has been a member of the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) for over 15 years. In 2009, he became a Fellow (FAHRI) and member of the AHRI National President's Forum.
Prior to Lend Lease, he spent seven years working for American Express, the last three of which were in London with responsibility for the UK, Ireland & Eastern Europe. During his time in the UK he established American Express' first Diversity Council outside the US as well as the first Employee Network groups for LGB and Women in the Workplace. He also worked closely with Stonewall UK, giving American Express the opportunity to participate in the Workplace Equality Index for the first time. One of his final acts in the UK before returning to Australia was to implement paid parental leave for the first time for American Express UK employees - positioning the company as a leader in the Financial Services Industry.
Chris spent the first 10 years of his career at Westpac, initially in Retail Banking and then in increasingly senior Human Resources and Corporate roles.
He is a graduate of Cornell University's Centre for Advanced Human Resources Studies (CAHRS) and completed postgraduate studies in Business at the University of Technology Sydney in 1999.
Kate McCormack, Director People, Learning & Culture, Mercy Health
Kate McCormack has over 20 years experience in Human Resources across retail, logistics and health. She provides strategic advice to the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Officers and Executive. She is responsible for the development and implementation of the overall Group Human Resources Strategy. Her work involves driving initiatives such as Performance Management, Recruitment and Retention, Health and Wellbeing and Diversity across the organisation to engage employees and connect our mission, vision and strategic direction. Kate’s career achievements include:
- Achieved Employer of Choice for Women citation 2008, 2009 and 2010
- Developed the Attraction and Retention Strategy for Mercy Health to ensure we remain sustainable
- Unplanned Absence Management Program to assist in reducing absenteeism
- Introduced assessment centres for graduate recruitment
- Finalist Employment and Inclusion (Work/Life Balance) - Diversity@Work Awards 2008
- Winner Diversity and Inclusion Champion (Large Organisation) - Diversity@Work Awards 2009
- Winner Best Workplace Diversity Strategy - HR Leadership Awards 2009
- Winner Leading Organisation for the Advancement of Women (800+ employees) - EOWA Business Achievement Awards 2009
- Winner Fair and Flexible Employer Recognition Award 2010
- Winner Diversity Leader for the Advancement of Women - EOWA Business Achievement Awards 2010.
Kate's education includes:
- Human Resource Strategy in Transforming Organisations – London Business School
- Masters of Business (Industrial Relations/Human Resource Management) RMIT University/Grenoble Ecole de Management France
- Graduate Diploma (Industrial Relations/Human Resources Management) RMIT University.
Anna McPhee
Anna McPhee has experience as a senior executive in both the public and private sectors. She has been an advocate on business issues across industry, and is best known for her advocacy on diversity and equal opportunity. She is currently working with Futurestep, a Korn/Ferry International company.
Anna was the Director of the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency from 2004 to 2008. In 2005, Anna was a member of the Australian Government delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. In 2006, Anna guest lectured at Stanford University Graduate School of Business on women in the workplace. In February 2007, Anna was a member of the first Australian women's business delegation to Saudi Arabia.
In government, Anna has experience at the Federal and NSW parliamentary level having worked as a political and policy adviser to four Federal Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries across the industry, science, resources and foreign affairs portfolios including the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
In business, she has consulted privately, worked for Enhance Corporate, Ernst & Young, the NSW Business Chamber (Australian Business Limited) - the NSW based employer association - and as General Manager Corporate Affairs for Wesfarmers.
Anna holds a Bachelor of Arts (USyd) and a Master of Business Administration (AGSM). Anna is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Anna is Director of the Board of the North Shore Heart Research Foundation and a member of the NSW Government’s Council for Women’s Economic Opportunities.
Anna is DCA's Chair.
Sam Mostyn
Sam Mostyn is a Non-Executive Director and sustainability adviser and speaker. She serves on the boards of Virgin Australia, Transurban and Citibank Australia. Prior to this, she was the Director of the Institute for Sustainable Solutions at the University of Sydney. In this role she was responsible for building collaborative and cross disciplinary projects involving research excellence on a number of sustainability topics.
Before this, Sam was Group Executive, Culture & Reputation at Insurance Australia Group. Reporting to CEO Michael Hawker, she was responsible for the Human Resources, Corporate & Government Affairs, Internal Communications and Corporate Sustainability functions and served in this role for over six years.
In her time at IAG, Sam oversaw the development of a corporate, social and environmental sustainability plan for the company with particular focus on integrating the company's internal cultural issues and business planning with customer, corporate, community and environmental activities. In that time, IAG participated in the formation of the Australian Business in the Community Network, the launch of the Australian Business Roundtable on Climate Change, and the creation of the Business for Millennium Development board. The company also committed itself to carbon neutrality, and to creating a safe, diverse and flexible workforce.
Prior to joining IAG, Sam held senior executive positions with Optus Communications in Sydney and Cable & Wireless Plc in London, and between 1994 and 1996 she was a policy advisor to two Federal Communications Ministers before joining the office of the Prime Minister Paul Keating as a senior communications policy advisor.
In 2005, Sam was appointed as a Commissioner with the Australian Football League, the first woman to hold such a position.
Sam's other board and advisory roles continue to encompass a broad range of interests. She previously served as President of the Australian Museum and a board member of Reconciliation Australia. She currently serves on the boards of Australian Volunteers International, and the Sydney Theatre Company. She is a community interest representative on the Board of the Australia Council for the Arts and is the Chair of the Stakeholder Advisory Council of the CSIRO's Climate Adaptation Flagship, a member of the NSW Climate Change Council and serves of the advisory board of ClimateWorks Australia. In December 2011, Sam was appointed a Commissioner with the Federal Mental Health Commission.
Sam is DCA's Vice-Chair.
Robert Orth, Director of Human Resources for IBM Australia/New Zealand
Robert Orth joined DCA’s Board in 2006. He is the Director of Human Resources for IBM Australia/New Zealand. In this position he is responsible for the Human Resources functions across the business including: learning, professional and management development, leadership development, organisational culture and change, performance management, compensation and benefits, occupational health and safety, diversity, workforce management, recruiting, employee relations and industrial relations.
During Robert's tenure as A/NZ Human Resources Director, IBM Australia has been recognised for its leadership in diversity and corporate social responsibility including awards for: the First Prime Minister Employer of the Year Award; ACCI Gold National Work and Family Award; Government Award for Employer Champion for Mature Age Workers; EOWA Employer of Choice for Women – for ten years; ‘Gold’ rating in the Corporate Responsibility Index.
Over the past 28 years Robert has held various management positions in IBM; 16 years of these in line management positions in Sales and Marketing. Prior to joining IBM, he was a serving officer (Flight Lieutenant) in the Royal Australian Air Force. He holds a number of other Board directorships and he is a Fellow of the Australian Human Resources Institute. Robert's qualifications include:
- Bachelor of Science Degree, University of Sydney.
- Diploma of Education, University of Sydney.
