CHA Board

Jenny Parker was elected Chair of Catholic Health Australia in November 2023, having served as a Board Director since 2018.

Jenny brings more than 30 years of professional services experience to the role. She was a partner with EY for over 26 years most recently leading their Health and Life Sciences practice for Oceania. She has worked closely with health organisations throughout her career, including Mater Misericordiae Ltd and St Vincent’s Health, with a background in major government health sector reviews.

Jenny holds a number of positions in the Brisbane Archdiocese, including Director of Brisbane Catholic Education, and is a member of the HESTA board. She is a former Deputy Chancellor of Queensland University of Technology, former Chair of the Centacare Council, and a former board member of Cancer Council Australia.

Stephen Teulan has served as a CHA Board Director since November 2020 and became Chair of Catholic Healthcare in August 2021.

A Chartered Accountant, Stephen brings 21 years of executive experience in the aged care and health sectors, including five years leading one of Australia’s largest aged care providers. He spent 19 years at Deloitte, including seven years as a partner specialising in health, and five years as a Principal Consultant at the Nous Group leading its health and aged care practice.

Stephen has also served on Federal and State Ministerial Advisory Committees on ageing and aged care.

Julien O’Connell AO has been a CHA Board Director since 2015, where he chairs the Mission and Identity Committee and the Remuneration and Nominations Committee.

Julien has a long and distinguished career in insurance, accounting and risk management. He is currently Chairman of Villa Maria Catholic Homes and Chair of the PM Glynn Institute at Australian Catholic University, Chairman of a CEO Institute Syndicate; Member, Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne’s Finance Council and has previously served as Acting Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor of ACU, Executive Chairman of Mercy Health, and Chairman of the Mercy Health Foundation Board.

Julien’s service to the community has been recognised with appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2013, and as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2020.

Virginia Bourke has been a CHA Board Director since 2020. She is currently Chair of Mercy Health and Pro-Chancellor of Australian Catholic University.

Virginia brings over 30 years of experience as a lawyer and consultant in private practice and senior in-house counsel roles, with expertise spanning health, aged care, community services, education and publishing. She has particular expertise in the governance of charitable not-for-profit organisations.

Virginia is a Director of Caritas Australia, a member of the Victorian Department of Health Council of Board Chairs, and the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ Not-for-Profit Chairs’ Forum. She served as Chair of St John Ambulance Victoria from 2017 to 2022 and as a Director of St John Ambulance Australia from 2017 to 2022.

Sr Ruth Durick osu has been a CHA Board Director since 2019. She is a member of the international Institute of the Ursulines of the Roman Union and served as Leader of the Australian Province from 2012 to 2018 and again from 2020 to 2023.

Ruth brings a background in secondary education, administration, formation and governance. She is a member of the order’s General Finance Commission, a director of Emerging Futures Collaborative Ltd, and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Ruth holds a BA from the Australian National University, a Bachelor of Theology (MCD), Diploma in Education, Master of Arts in Social Ecology (UWS), and Master of Letters in Peace Studies (UNE).

Honourable Kerry Sanderson AC CVO has been a CHA Board Director since 2018 and Chair of St John of God Health Care since May 2018. She has had a long and distinguished career in public life and corporate Australia, including serving as Governor of Western Australia from 2014 to 2018, the first woman to hold that role.

Kerry has held senior executive positions including CEO of Fremantle Ports, Agent General for WA, and Deputy Director General of Transport for WA. She is a former Chancellor of Edith Cowan University, former Chair of the Gold Corporation, and a former Non-Executive Director of listed companies Downer EDI and Atlas Iron.

Kerry was named a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2016 for eminent service to the people of Western Australia and appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 2020. She is Chair of the WA Parks Foundation and President of Scouts WA.

Sister Clare Nolan rsc joined the CHA Board in November 2021. She served as Congregational Leader of the Sisters of Charity for six years until 2021, during which time she was also a member of Mary Aikenhead Ministries, the stewards of St Vincent’s Health Australia.

Clare completed her nurse training at the Mater Hospital Brisbane before entering the Sisters of Charity. Following her Formation as a Sister, she was missioned to the healing ministry of Christ at St Vincent’s Darlinghurst in Sydney where she was Director of Nursing.

She has remained in the healing ministry throughout her religious life, with nursing and health administration central to her vocation, including 18 years in Congregational Leadership.

Francis Price was appointed to the CHA Board in February 2024 as the representative of Southern Cross Care Australia. He is currently Chair of Southern Cross Care Australia and Southern Cross Care QLD, with a particular interest in the provision of services to regional communities.

Francis brings significant executive experience in asset management and the built environment, having held senior roles at Shell, Sodexo, Brisbane City Council and BHP Mitsubishi Alliance across Queensland and Western Australia, including overseeing accommodation for over 8,000 people in the resource industry.

In addition to his board roles, Francis has operated his own private consultancy for the past decade.

Sylvia Falzon AM was appointed to the CHA Board in March 2024 and brings over 30 years of executive experience in financial services to the role. She serves as Chairman of Cabrini Australia Limited, and is currently an Independent Non-Executive Director of ASX-listed Suncorp Group Limited and Premier Investments Limited. She is also a member of the Australian Government Takeovers Panel and has extensive experience in business transformation, IPOs, mergers and acquisitions.

In January 2026, Sylvia was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours for significant service to community health, to corporate governance, and to the museums and finance sectors.

She holds a Master of Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management (Hons) from the University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Business from the University of Western Sydney. She is a Senior Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Patrick Brady has been a CHA Board Director since 2024. He brings more than 38 years of experience in the civil engineering industry and has applied that expertise across a number of board-level roles since 2012.

Patrick is currently Chair of Mater Misericordiae Ltd in Queensland, a network of 11 hospitals and health services, a nationally accredited education provider and world-class research institute, and has played a key role in successful mergers including the consolidation of Mater’s three ministries into a single, state-wide entity.

He was the founder and Chair of Premise Holdings Pty Ltd, one of Queensland’s leading engineering firms, and has previously served as a director of Port of Townsville. He is also Chair of Energy Queensland Ltd, a Queensland Government owned corporation providing energy distribution and retail services across the State.

Bishop Columba Macbeth-Green OSPPE joined the CHA Board in 2025 as the representative of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and its bishop-delegate for health.

Bishop Columba joined the Order of St Paul the First Hermit (Pauline Fathers) in 1990 and was ordained in 1991. He served in NSW parishes and as a police chaplain in NSW and southeast Queensland before Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Wilcannia-Forbes in 2014, one of Australia’s largest dioceses geographically.

At the time of his episcopal appointment, Bishop Columba served as Provincial Vicar of the Pauline Fathers in Australia, and Rector of the Shrine of Our Lady at Marian Valley in Queensland.

Greg Cooper has been a CHA Board Director since 2025. He brings more than 30 years of financial services experience, with a non-executive career spanning government, superannuation, banking and technology.

Greg currently serves as Chairman of Little Company of Mary Health Care Limited and Perpetual Limited, and as Independent Chairman of Avanteos Investments Limited. He is also a Non-Executive Director of Australian Payments Plus Limited, EdStart Pty Ltd, Tracks Media Pty Ltd and the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, and an independent member of the Queensland Investment Corporation Private Equity Investment Committee.

Greg holds a Bachelor of Economics (Actuarial Studies) from Macquarie University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia.

Damien O’Brien joined the CHA Board in 2026. He has been a director of St Vincent’s Health Australia and its subsidiary Boards since November 2019. He currently serves as Chair of the Mission, Ethics & Advocacy Committee, and is a member of the Audit & Risk Board Committee.

Damien is the former Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Egon Zehnder, a leading global advisory firm specialising in board advisory services and executive recruitment. Earlier in his career, he was an Associate Consultant with McKinsey & Company. He has held various non-executive director roles in the commercial and not-for-profit sectors in Australia and overseas.

Damien holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of New South Wales, an MBA from Columbia University, and a Diploma in Theology and Philosophy from St Columban’s College.