Jenny Parker
Chair, Catholic Health Australia
Jenny was elected Chair of Catholic Health Australia in November 2023, having served as a Director on the Board since 2018.
She brings more than 30 years of professional services experience to the role, including in her current position as the Oceania Leader in Health, Life Sciences and Human Services for consultants EY. Jenny has worked closely with health organisations throughout her career, including Mater Misericordiae and St Vincent’s Health, and has a proven track record in major government reviews within the health sector.
She has previously been the Chair of the Centacare Council, a not-for-profit organisation supporting disability and aged care clients.
Jenny also holds a number of positions in the Brisbane Archdiocese, including Chair of Brisbane Catholic Education and Deputy Chair of the Archdiocesan Council. She is also the Deputy Chancellor of Queensland University of Technology, and is a board member of Australia's leading cancer charity, Cancer Council Australia.
Stephen Teulan
Deputy Chair and Non-Executive Director, Catholic Health Australia
Stephen has been Board Chair of Catholic Healthcare Limited since July 2021 following his appointment as a Director in September 2018. He is a Chartered Accountant whose executive experience includes 21 years in senior management roles in the aged care and health sectors, including five years leading one of Australia’s largest aged care providers. Stephen spent 19 years at Deloitte, including seven years as a partner specialising in the health sector, as well as 5 years as a Principal Consultant for the Nous Group. Stephen joined the CHA Board in early 2021.
Hon John Watkins AM
Non-Executive Director
John is a former Chair of Catholic Health Australia and Catholic Professional Standards Ltd, a member of the Advisory Committee for the Centre for Emotional Health at Macquarie University and an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Western Sydney. John was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours List in 2015, for significant service to the community through leadership positions within health organisations, tertiary education and the Parliament of NSW. John worked as a teacher for 16 years until his election to the NSW Parliament in 1995 – 2008. He served ten years as a Minister, including the portfolios of Fair Trading, Sport and Recreation, Police and Corrective Services, Transport, Finance, State Development, and Education and Training. He was Deputy Premier when he retired in 2008. Subsequently, he has served as Chancellor of the University of New England in 2013 and 2014.
Julien O’Connell AO
Non-Executive Director
Julien has a long and distinguished career in insurance, accounting and risk management. He is the Acting Pro-Chancellor, Australian Catholic University (ACU); Chairman of a CEO Institute Syndicate; Chairman Mercy Health Foundation Board; Chairman, Villa Maria Catholic Homes; Chairman, PM Glynn Institute, ACU and ACU’s Finance and Resource Committee; a member of a number of boards and finance councils and supports Enterprise Ireland in Victoria. In 2018 he retired after serving for a decade as Chairman of Mercy Health and for 23 years he served on the Finance Committee of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. He also chairs Catholic Health Australia’s Audit and Risk Committee. His significant service to the community was recognised with an Order of Australia (AM) in the 2013 Australia Day honours and an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday honours
Jim Birch AM
Non-Executive Director
Jim is currently Chair of Little Company of Mary Health Care, Chair of Lifeblood (formerly the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, Chair of the Women’s and Children’s Health Network (South Australia) and Chair of Clevertar Pty Ltd. He is also a Director of the Cancer SA Board. Prior to this Jim was a Partner at Ernst and Young having previously been the Global Health Care Leader, and the Oceania Government and Public Service Leader. During his time at EY Jim has delivered or led major consultancies in Australia, Asia and the Middle East. Jim has been a Chief Executive of a Human Services and Health Department (South Australia) and Deputy Chief Executive of Justice. He has been Chair of the Australian Health Minister’s Advisory Council, during which he led the establishment of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Jim has also been a Chief Executive and Senior Executive of many health services during his career and has served as a Director on various health, human services and education Boards and committees.
Virginia Bourke
Non-Executive Director
Virginia is a lawyer and consultant in private practice with a breadth of corporate governance and commercial experience. She is a consultant with the national health industry group at MinterEllison Lawyers and previously worked as General Counsel for the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea and as Special Counsel in the Employment Law group at MinterEllison Lawyers. Virginia is the Chair of Mercy Health, and is also Chair of St John Ambulance Victoria, a Director of St John Ambulance Australia, a Director of the Mater Group and a Director of Catholic Health Australia. Virginia is a Director of Caritas Australia, a Member of the Boards Appointment Committee with the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne and an Advisory Board Member for the PM Glynn Institute at Australian Catholic University.
Sr Ruth Durick OSU
Non-Executive Director
Ruth is a member of the international Institute of the Ursulines of the Roman Union. Currently she is the Leader of the Australian Province, having been appointed in February 2020. Ruth is also a member of the order’s General Finance commission and Commission on Safeguarding. Ruth has a background in secondary education, administration, formation and governance; she holds a BA (ANU); B. Theol (MCD); Dip Ed; M.A.(Social Ecology) UWS; M. Litt.(Peace Studies) (UNE). Ruth has been a board director of St. Ursula’s College Toowoomba and been Chair of Members of the same organisation. She is a member of Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Paul McClintock AO
Non-Executive Director
Paul is Chair of St Vincent’s Health Australia, Icon Group and New Zealand company Metlifecare Limited. His former positions include Secretary to Cabinet in the Federal Government, Chair of I-MED Radiology , Medibank Private, Symbion Health, Affinity Health, the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, the COAG Reform Council and Sydney Health Partners, National Chair of CEDA and a Commissioner of the Health Insurance Commission. Paul graduated from Sydney University in Arts and Law, is an honorary fellow of the Faculty of Medicine of that university, a Life Governor of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and an Honorary Life Trustee of CEDA. He was made an Officer in the Order of Australia in 2009.
Hon Kerry Sanderson AC CVO
Non-Executive Director
Kerry Sanderson has had a long and distinguished career in public life and corporate Australia. Kerry has been the Chair of St John of God Health Care since May 2018. She is currently Chancellor of Edith Cowan University, a role she has had since January 2019. Between 2014 and 2018 Kerry was Governor of Western Australia, the first woman to occupy that role. In 2016 she was named Companion of the Order of Australia 2016 for eminent service to the people of Western Australia and in January 2020 she was appointed as a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order by the Queen in recognition of her distinguished personal service to the Royal family. Kerry has also held a number of senior positions on large corporations and public institutions, namely Agent General for WA, CEO of Fremantle Ports, Deputy Director General of Transport for WA and Director of the Economic and Financial Policy Division of the Western Australian State Treasury. She is also a former Chair of the Gold Corporation, former independent Chair of the State Emergency Management Committee, and a former Non-Executive Director of Downer EDI and Atlas Iron. She participates in a number of charitable and community activities including Chair of the WA Parks Foundation, Patron of the Western Australian Aboriginal Leadership Institute, the Bibbulmun Track Foundation and the Rottnest Voluntary Guides Association.
Sister Clare Nolan rsc
Non-Executive Director
Sister Clare Nolan rsc joined the CHA Board in November 2021. Up until March 2021 she had held the position of Congregational Leader of the Sisters of Charity for six years. In that role she was also the member of Mary Aikenhead Ministries, who are the stewards of St Vincent’s Health Australia - Australia’s largest not-for-profit health and aged care provider and the thirteenth-largest privately held Company in Australia. Sr Clare did her Nurse training at the Mater Hospital Brisbane. Following this she entered the Novitiate of the Sisters of Charity of Australia in Sydney. Following her Formation as a Sister of Charity she was missioned to the healing ministry of Christ at St. Vincent’s Darlinghurst in Sydney and has remained in the healing ministry all of her religious life in a variety of places. Nursing and Health Administration played a large part of her ministry and led to eighteen years in Congregational Leadership concluding in March 2022.
Archbishop Julian Porteous
Non-Executive Director
His Grace was ordained a priest in 1974. After postings in Sydney and serving as Rector of the Seminary of the Good Shepherd in Sydney he was ordained Auxiliary Bishop in Sydney in 2003. He was installed as the Archbishop of Hobart in 2013.
His Grace has been a member of several Commissions for the Australian Bishops conference and was more recently a member of the Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry.
His episcopal ministry in Tasmania has focused on the renewal of parishes, the encouragement of religious life, the development of youth ministry, marriage and evangelisation, and the establishment of the Christopher Dawson Centre for Cultural Studies to advance the Catholic Intellectual Tradition within the Archdiocese of Hobart, and beyond.
Francis Price
Non-Executive Director
Francis 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.
For the past decade he has been a Director of Southern Cross Care QLD and during this time has seen a multitude of changes to aged care regulation and delivery. He has a special interest in the provision of services to regional communities and has supported the delivery of aged care to a number of rural and remote locations.
During his career Francis has held positions with Shell, Sodexo, Brisbane City Council and BHP Mitsubishi Alliance in Queensland and Western Australia. This has led him to gain significant experience in asset management in the built environment, including managing the development of and accommodation for over 8,000 people in the resource industry.
In addition to Board roles, Francis has run his own private consultancy for the past decade .
Sylvia Falzo
Non-Executive Director
Syliva was appointed to the Board of Directors in March 2024. She brings to CHA an executive career that spans over 30 years in financial services where she held senior executive positions responsible for institutional and retail funds management businesses, both in Australia and offshore.
As a Non-Executive Director since 2010, Sylvia has experience across a range of sectors and customer driven businesses in financial services, health, aged care, e-commerce and retail.
During this time, she has been involved in several business transformations, IPOs, merger and acquisitions and divestment activities. Sylvia is currently an Independent Non-Executive Director of ASX-listed Suncorp Group Limited and Premier Investments Limited. In the not-for-profit sector, she is the Chairman of Cabrini Australia Limited, and is also a member of the Australian Government Takeovers Panel.
Sylvia holds a Masters Degree in 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
Non-Executive Director
Patrick has more than 38 years of experience in the civil engineering industry and has applied his expertise in delivering major projects to a number of Board-level roles.
Since 2012, Patrick has served as a Board Chair and Director for several public and private organisations, including Port of Townsville. He is currently Chair of Queensland’s Mater Misericordiae Ltd — a network of 11 hospitals and health services, a nationally accredited education provider and a world-class medical research institute.
Patrick brings a wealth of experience and knowledge about Board governance structures. He has played a key role in several successful mergers and acquisitions, including the merger of Mater’s three ministries into a single, state-wide entity.
Patrick is the founder and Chair of Premise Holdings Pty Ltd, one of Queensland’s leading engineering firms.