Advisory Council
Member representatives of Research Australia Philanthropy's Advisory Council include:
Andrew Thomas, General Manager Philanthropy, Perpetual (Chairman)
Andrew is the General Manager Philanthropy responsible for Perpetual's total Philanthropic Services, including the management of over 450 Charitable Trusts, Private Ancillary Funds and The Perpetual Foundation.
In Andrew's professional career, he has been the Executive Director of a large national not-for-profit organisation which operated in every State and Territory in Australia, providing a very hands on view to the matrix of various regulations that non-profit organisations face.
Andrew's professional qualifications include a Bachelor of Business (Accountancy), CPA and MBA.
Professor Maree Gleeson, Director, Hunter Medical Research Institute
Professor Gleeson is the Director of the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI), responsible for developing and implementing strategies to enhance health and medical research in the Hunter region and promoting the research undertaken by HMRI. HMRI is a partnership between the University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Health and the Hunter community that facilitates funding for research and integration of research into clinical care.
Professor Gleeson was previously the Inaugural Director of Medical Research in the NSW Ministry for Science and Medical Research and has held a number of leadership roles within the Hunter's health sector, including Director of Immunology, Hunter Area Pathology Service.
Professor Gleeson is an Immunologist and conducts research with the University of Newcastle and the Australian Institute of Sport on the impact of respiratory infections in elite athletes. Other research focuses on the development of asthma and allergy in children and the role of infections in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
In addition to serving on a number of Federal and State Government scientific advisory committees, Professor Gleeson is a Member of the Board of Directors of Alzheimer's Australia NSW and Research Australia, and is President of the International Society for Exercise Immunology.
Professor Alan Pettigrew, former CEO, NHMRC
Professor Pettigrew holds the degrees of Bachelor of Science and Doctor
of Philosophy from the University of Sydney and is a Fellow of the Australian
Institute of Company Directors. He has held a range of academic and senior executive
appointments at a number of Australian Universities, having served as Deputy
Chair of the Academic Board at the University of Sydney, Pro Vice-Chancellor
(Biological Sciences) at the University of Queensland, and Deputy
Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at the University of NSW.
In January 2001 Professor Pettigrew was appointed by the Commonwealth
Minister for Health and Aging as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the National
Health and Medical Research Council. He served in that role until the end of 2005
when he was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer of the
University of New England. Professor Pettigrew retired from the University in 2009.
He also served as a member of the Board of the Australian Universities Quality Agency
until 2010.
Professor
Pettigrew is currently an Adjunct Professor in the College of Medicine, Biology
and Environment at the Australian National University, an Honorary Professorial
Fellow at the University of Melbourne and is a member of the Advisory Board of
the L.H. Martin Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Management.
Professor Pettigrew is a member of the Cooperative Research Centres Committee
of the Australian Government and has been appointed as an adviser to the Chief
Scientist of Australia. He is also a consultant to universities on higher
education leadership, management and research.
Chris McMillan, General Manager, The Leukaemia Foundation
Chris McMillan commenced as Chief Executive Officer at the Fundraising Institute Australia in late March 2009. With a depth of expertise in peak body and member0based not-for-profit organisations drawn through senior executive roles with the Australian Institute of Management, Australian Business Limited, Securities Institute Australia and the Financial Planning Association, she has a keen focus on supporting organisations in the practice of ethical fundraising practices.
Commencing her career within the health care sector, Chris has worked across many other industry areas including: finance; IT; learning and development; and management consulting; most recently in the charitable sector as the CEO of Variety, the Children's Charity (NSW).
She holds a Master of Business (Knowledge Management) from the University of Technology of Sydney, a Bachelor of Business from Queensland University of Technology and a Diploma of Applied Science.