Leadership & Council
Melbourne Girls Grammar is a progressive, contemporary and independent school which has delivered an exceptional education for girls from Early Learning to Year 12 for 125 Years.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
The Leadership Team at Melbourne Girls Grammar has oversight for all aspects of the School’s operations.
Deputy Principal of Program Design and Development
Deputy Principal of Staffing and Operations
Director of Senior Years
Director of Middle Years
Director of Early Learning and Junior Years
Chief Digital Officer
Director of Business Services
Director of Marketing and Communications
Council
Melbourne Girls Grammar is fortunate to be governed by a dedicated and committed group of volunteers who have fiduciary responsibility for the School.
Chairman of Council
Read moreMBBS (Hons), BMedSC (Hons), FRACP, PhD, FAHMS
Professor Katrina (Katie) Allen is a paediatrician and medical researcher, with more than 25 years of experience in research and clinical care relating to the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents.
She is the Director of the Population Health Research Theme at the Murdoch Childrens Hospital, Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne and Paediatrician at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Katie is a Board Member of the Raising Children’s Network, the Australian Food Allergy Association and Cabrini Health. She also holds a Professorial Chair in Food Allergy at the University of Manchester, UK.
Katie’s family has been associated with Melbourne Girls Grammar for almost 100 years. She graduated in 1983.
Deputy Chairman of Council and Chairman of Endowment Committee
Read moreB. Comm. (Hons), Uni. Melb.
Mark is currently a board member of several investment management companies, the Northern Territory Infrastructure Fund and a large industry superannuation fund and is advisor to international sovereign wealth funds and global investors. He also chairs a charity mentoring and sponsoring state school students during their tertiary education
He was previously Managing Director of the Future Fund in Melbourne and has an extensive international career including as Executive Vice Chairman at Credit Suisse in London and has worked in New York, London and Australia.
Chairman of the Development & Engagement Committee
Read moreBA (Hons)
Tania Brougham has worked as journalist for more than 30 years. She works on a freelance basis as a Melbourne-based food and restaurant critic and contributes general feature articles to newspapers and magazines.
She is trustee of the Brougham Family Foundation as well as a director of several family-owned entities.
Tania is an executive director of the National Gallery of Victoria Women’s Association (NGVWA).
Chairman of Governance Committee
Read moreBA LLB (Hons), LLM
Carolyn Clark has worked as a solicitor at Mallesons Stephen Jaques, the Australian Securities Commission, and at Telstra as corporate legal counsel.
She is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has sat on the Boards of other not for profit and listed companies as both a director and as a legal advisor.
Prior to her current role, Carolyn served as the president of the MGGS Parents Association for two years.
Chairman of Audit and Risk Management Committee
Read moreB Juris, LLB (Hons) (Monash), LLM (Cantab)
Wendy Peter is currently the General Counsel of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
She was previously a partner of the commercial law firm, Allens Arthur Robinson for 21 years, specialising in competition and regulatory work. Wendy was previously a member of the Council of Monash University and is currently Chairman of the Penguin Foundation, a member of the Monash Law Faculty’s External Advisory Committee and the LLM by Coursework Advisory Committee and a director of the Parent Infant Research Institute.
Chairman of Finance Committee
Read moreB. Com (Hons), LLB (Hons), Grad. Dip. App. Fin. MAICD
Hayden Stockdale is currently CFO of SXiQ, a privately owned cloud and IT services company.
Prior to this he held CFO and CEO roles in the petroleum, IT and mining sectors, following an 18 year career in investment banking, living and working across Australia, Asia and Europe.
Chairman of Marketing Committee
Read moreBEc (Monash), CA, GAICD
Kate Temby is a Partner at Affirmative Investment Management and has over 25 years of experience in the financial services sector. She was previously co-head of Institutional Sales (Asia ex Japan) for Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
During her career, Kate has lived in New York with Goldman Sachs and in Toronto with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Kate also works in a voluntary capacity as a mentor with St Albans Secondary College leadership team.
She is a Chartered Accountant and a Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Chairman of Property Committee
Read moreBArch (Honours) RMIT
Neil is a Director at Lyons, a Melbourne based architectural practice which specialises in the design of complex public-sector buildings around Australia. Neil has over 30 years’ experience in the design of innovative educational and research facilities and worked with many of Australia’s leading universities.
Neil has taught design in the School of Architecture at RMIT for over 25 years and is currently the Chair of the RMIT Architecture Programme Advisory Committee. Neil is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) and from 2007 -2015 has served as Chair of numerous award jury panels.
Neil joined the MGGS Property Committee in 2012, and has enjoyed working with his committee colleagues and the school’s leadership team to deliver the new Artemis Centre.
Council Member
Read moreRev Canon Patacca holds a BA in Music and Australian History from the University of Melbourne and an M.Div. from the Australian College of Theology.
Before her ordination at St Paul’s Cathedral, she worked as a music educator, a pastoral worker at St Jude’s Carlton and a ministry worker at St James’ Ivanhoe.
She served her curacy in the parish of Banyule and has been in her present appointment since 2009.
Since 2013 Rev Canon Patacca has been The Precentor for St Paul’s Cathedral.
Council Member
Read morePhD (Monash), MEdStudies (Monash), Dip Ed (Deakin), BA(Hons) (Monash)
Dr. Julie Faulkner is an Old Grammarian and now a senior lecturer in Education at Monash University.
She has taught in secondary, primary and TAFE sectors as an English, History and Drama teacher. Her research in literacy and popular culture led to a lectureship in literacy at RMIT, where she worked closely with a wide range of government, Catholic and independent schools. Since moving to Monash, she has taken pre-service teachers to teach in Kuala Lumpur and Johannesburg schools as part of their professional experience.
Continuing her partnerships with schools and professional learning, she has written and edited books on learning and teaching. Her research interests include multi-literacies, culture, identity and 21st century learning, intercultural communication and digital games as curriculum.
Council Member
Read moreB.Th. Dip Ed, Dip Training & Development, Dip Divinity and Mission.
GAICD.
Reverend Tracy Lauersen is an Anglican Priest at St Hilary’s Church in Kew, where she is the Senior Associate Vicar of the St Hilary’s Network, overseeing five congregations at their North Balwyn site.
Tracy is also involved in the broader life of the Anglican Church as Area Dean for Camberwell and as an elected member of the Melbourne Archbishops Council, the Board Appointments Reference Group and the General Synod of Australia.
She is a recipient of the Premier of Victoria’s Awards for excellence in Multicultural Affairs and previously worked as an Anglican School Chaplain before entering Parish ministry.
Council Member
Read moreBA (Melb)
Anna began her career in Retail Management with David Jones. She has more than 20 years of experience in fast moving consumer goods marketing with Unilever, McCormick Foods and Cadbury Schweppes.
In her management capacity she was responsible for marketing strategy, new product development, project management, brand management and communications and market research for a wide variety of brands.
Anna and her family are proud to have been associated with Melbourne Girls Grammar for almost 100 years.
Council Member
Read moreSarah has extensive experience in the finance industry. Her previous executive roles included 16 years with independent corporate advisory firm Grant Samuel. Sarah is currently a non-executive Director of Hansen Technologies Limited, Future Generation Global Investment Limited and Adslot Limited. Sarah is also a non-executive director of the National Gallery of Victoria Foundation and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Sarah currently has two daughters at Melbourne Girls Grammar.
Company Secretary, Ex-Officio
Read moreB. Com, LLB, CA
Christian Lawless is a member of the Executive Management Team at Melbourne Girls Grammar as the Director of Business Services.
Christian commenced his career as an auditor in a professional services firm where he was manager in charge of a variety of clients in the not-for-profit sector, ASX listed entities, friendly societies and large private companies.
He has also worked in Europe as a consultant to large multinationals, advising them on methods of obtaining economic efficiencies.
Christian is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
Committee members
Committee Membership: Marketing Committee
Read moreBCom/LLB (Hons), GDLP, MCL (Hons)
Olivia is a Corporate lawyer who started her career in the Corporate team at Australian law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth before transition to become in-house Corporate Counsel at ASX top 20 company, Transurban Limited. She received her Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Laws (Hons) degree from The University of Melbourne and was a student in the inaugural year of The University of Cambridge’s Masters Degree in Corporate Law (MCL).
Olivia graduated from the MCL in June 2013 after finishing third overall in her cohort.
In her role as Corporate Counsel at Transurban, Olivia predominantly works in the fields of banking and finance law, construction law and general corporate law. She also has significant experience in technology law, as well as consumer and trade practices matters.
Olivia attended Melbourne Girls Grammar over a 13 year period, as did both of her sisters. Olivia graduated from the School in 2004.
Committee Membership: Finance Committee / Endowment Committee/ Director – Merton Hall Foundation
Read moreLLB (Hons)
Don Clarke is a lawyer and company director. He was a corporate partner of the major Australian law firm, MinterEllison, for 27 years until retiring from that role in June 2015. He has extensive commercial law and business experience from over 35 years advising ASX listed and private companies across a broad range of industries sectors.
Don is currently a consultant to MinterEllison, director and the Deputy Chairman of Webjet Limited (one of Australia’s leading on-line travel companies), a director of two other ASX listed companies (Zoono Group Limited and Contango Income Generator Limited) and several other unlisted public and private companies.
Committee membership: Governance Committee / Director – Merton Hall Foundation
Read moreMichael Clough is a partner in our Melbourne office where he specialises in income tax issues which arise in the domestic and international capital and debt markets and M&A transactions. He has been closely involved in the development of financial instruments and capital market products.
Chambers Global has recognised Michael’s ‘leading tax disputes practices with significant experience in the Supreme, Federal and High Courts….acting for many of the largest corporations in Australia in high-profile cases’. Specifically, his work includes all aspects of tax audits and litigation such as negotiations and actions in relation to the collection of tax, access to premises, production of documents and tax appeals generally.
Michael has been recognised as a leading individual in the area of Tax by Chambers Global, PLC and APL 500. Michael was also recently voted Tax Partner of the Year 2016 by Lawyers Weekly.
Michael has presented papers to universities, legal colleges and professional bodies such as the Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants, the Taxation Institute of Australia and the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Michael has been a Visiting Fellow at the University of Melbourne lecturing in International Tax Law in the Masters of Laws programme.
Michael was a member of School Council for 9 years, retiring in 2016 and continues to be a Director of the Merton Hall Foundation.
Committee membership: Development & Engagement Committee / Endowment Committee / Chairman of the Merton Hall Foundation
Read moreFred Grimwade is a professional company director after a career as a lawyer at King & Wood Mallesons and senior executive at Goldman, Sachs & Co., WMC Ltd and Colonial Ltd. He is currently Chairman of CPT Global Ltd, and a non-executive director of Australian United Investment Company Ltd, Select Harvests Ltd and XRF Scientific Ltd. Fred is also a Board member of the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, the Australian Institute of Art History and The Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne.
Fred’s wife Alexandra is a teacher at Melbourne High School and their two daughters Mary (2012) and Olivia (2014) both attended Melbourne Girls Grammar School. They also have two sons Freddie (MGS 2009) and Russell (MGS 2017).
Committee membership: Finance Committee
Read moreB.Ec, MBA
Tom is currently the Group Managing Director, Finance / CFO at WorleyParsons a global professional services organization providing project delivery and consulting services to the resources and energy sectors. In this role Tom is accountable for finance, IT, assurance, strategic planning, M&A and investor relations.
Tom has over 15 years’ experience as the CFO of large Australian listed entities as part of almost 35 years’ experience in finance, strategic planning and general management roles in Australia and the USA.
Committee Membership: Audit & Risk Management Committee
Read moreBComm (Melb), CA, GAICD
Alistair is a globally experienced Chief Financial Officer and Finance Executive. He has lead diverse finance teams across multiple geographic regions.
Alistair was previously with BHP for over 20 years and prior to that with Andersen for 10 years. Most recently he was Head of Risk and Assurance for BHP. His experience includes finance, risk management, insurance, capital projects, joint ventures, supply chain management and international taxation. Alistair previously held directorships of Australian, UK, Canadian and South African companies.
He has lived and worked in Australia, UK and North America
Committee membership: Property Committee Member
Read moreBE (Mech)
Michael is a Director of Consulting Engineering company Norman Disney & Young (NDY), a Mechanical Engineer and has over 28 years of experience in the design, documentation & delivery of projects for high profile and respected clients across a broad range of markets.
Michael’s extensive experience base covers all aspects of building services in both consulting and contracting fields throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the UK. Michael is a current parent of a student attending the school, with two more daughters to come!
Company
Melbourne Girls Grammar is a public company limited by guarantee.
It has a membership of up to 41 people who are broadly representative of the School community.
Each of the various stakeholder groups in the School community has appointed members to that company. Those members receive the Annual Report and elect the Council Members or Directors at each Annual General Meeting, which convenes once a year.
The arrangements give the School autonomy and a solid structure for the future.
As Directors of the public company, Council Members will come under the extensive obligations of the Corporations Act 2001 and Council has established a Governance Committee to ensure that all appropriate good governance arrangements are in place.
ABN: 81 116 806 163
Statement of Commitment to Child Safety
Melbourne Girls Grammar:
- has zero tolerance for child abuse
- actively works to listen to and empower children
- has systems to protect children from abuse, and will take all allegations and concerns very seriously and responds to them consistently, in line with the organisation’s policies and procedures
- is committed to promoting physical, emotional and cultural safety for all children
- is committed to providing a safe environment for all children