Our Board of Directors

Our Board consists of volunteers with targeted professional skills and experience who oversee the governance structures of mecwacare. The Board works with the Chief Executive to ensure responsibility for mecwacare’s financial performance, strategic priorities, and quality of care and services.

Ian McHutchison OAM Chair

Ian is Chair of the Board of Directors and a member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee and the Nominations, Remuneration and Governance Committee. Ian is the Chair of Unison Housing Limited, a Director of The Barnett Foundation and a former Director of the Eva Tilley Memorial Home. Appointed 2013.

Susan Barton AM Deputy Chair

Susan is a member of the Care, Quality and Service Development Committee and the Nominations, Remuneration and Governance Committee. Susan is the founder and director of the Lighthouse Foundation and was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll for Women in 2012. Susan has more than 30 years' experience in the not-for-profit sector. Susan is co-author of Build Your Teenager’s Self-Esteem and Therapeutic Residential Care for Children and Young People. Appointed 2005.

Colin Squires Treasurer

Colin is the Chair of the Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee. He began his career as a civil engineer and, after gaining his MBA in England, returned to Australia to pursue a career in the corporate finance sector. Colin worked at Macquarie Bank, Citi National and UBS, where he was a Director. Since retiring, Colin has been a Director of several companies, including Chair of Oliver J. Nilsen. Colin has also been significantly involved in the governance of Lauriston Girls' School in Armadale. Appointed 2008.

Lachlan Cameron

Lachlan is a member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee; the Care, Quality and Service Development Committee; and the Property Control Working Group. Lachlan brings a wealth of experience in business and business transformation having spent the past 35 years working in the property management, property development and investment management sector across Australia, the USA, Asia and Europe. Lachlan is familiar with the Home Services Sector having co-owned a business that serviced the East Coast of Australia. Lachlan is also an expert on maximising human potential and happiness. Appointed 2022.

Dr Linden Smibert

Linden is the Chair of the Care, Quality and Service Development Committee.  Linden is a general practitioner with many years of clinical, strategic and governance experience. Linden owned and operated her own medical practice for many years and simultaneously chaired a number of boards including General Practice Victoria, Networking Health Victoria and Inner East Medicare Local. Linden is a past Director of the Royal Children’s Hospital and Vincentcare Victoria, which operated numerous aged care homes throughout Victoria. Appointed 2022.

James King

James is highly experienced in construction management and property development. Showcasing his strong leadership skills, he moved into the role of CEO at Unison and led project teams, from inception to delivery of key Unison developments, including the recent UDIA Award-winning project in Footscray. James started his career in New Zealand delivering Government housing and more recently in Melbourne working in consultancy as a client-side Project Manager / Superintendent. He has extensive experience in both new builds and residential developments, and is transforming Unison into the most sought-after purveyor of social and affordable housing in Melbourne. James is a non-executive director on the board of Community Housing Industry Association, Victoria.

Kirby Young

Kirby is a highly motivated, strategic, and dynamic healthcare leader, with a strong desire to improve access to, and the efficiency of, healthcare services. After graduating as a physiotherapist, he developed his skills in a range of clinical environments and pursued post-graduate physiotherapy. As his experience developed, Kirby became passionate about healthcare leadership and transitioned quickly to management roles while concurrently completing a Master of Health Administration. Over the past 15 years, he has worked in senior leadership, project, and operational management positions across both public and private health settings.

Lou Panaccio

Lou is a Chartered Accountant with extensive executive management experience in business and healthcare services. Lou is currently on the boards of ASX- and NASDAQ-listed Avita Medical, Inc. (Non-executive Chairman from July 2014), ASX-listed Rhythm Biosciences Limited (Non-executive Director from August 2017) and ASX-listed Adherium Limited (Non-executive Chairman from February 2022). He is also a Non-executive Director of Unison Housing Limited, Non-executive Chairman of Azure Health Technology Limited, NeuralDx Limited and Magellan Stem Cells Pty Ltd (from August 2023). Lou was the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Melbourne Pathology (acquired by Sonic in 1999) for ten years to 2001, the Chief Executive Officer of Monash IVF until 2009, the Executive Chairman of Health Networks Australia until 2017 and a Non-executive Director of Haemokinesis Limited until October 2022. Lou is a member of the Audit Committee, the Remuneration and Nomination Committee, and the Risk Management Committee.

Our Life Governors

Life governorship is awarded to people who have made an extraordinary contribution to mecwacare.

Our Life Governors are:

  • Robin Syme AM

    Current

  • Barry Fenton

    Current

  • John Hood

    Current

  • John Atchison

    Current

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