Committee

Ross MacDiarmid  was previously Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Australian Mint. He has extensive private sector experience in manufacturing and marketing as well as a background in tourism and business development.  

In many different leadership roles, in multiple contexts, across varying sectors, Ross has been instrumental in positively transforming cultures and processes to create high performing organisations. He brings to the Leadership Team executive level experience in Australian Capital Tourism, Ansett Australia, ACT government and Lockwood Australia.

Ross originally hails from Queanbeyan and is a passionate advocate not just for the ACT, but also the greater Capital region.

Ilea has been a director for 19 years and a non-executive director for the past 8. She is currently serving on the ACID’s ACT Divisional Council and their National Reporting Committee. Ilea’s board roles have included: 8 years at Northside Community Service where she was Deputy Chair and Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee; the Australian Multiple Birth Association; and Corryong Health, a regional hospital in Victoria, where she Chairs the Finance and Audit Committee.

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In her executive role, Ilea is the founder of Evalue8 Sustainability, an enviro tech company with the mission of making it easy for all organisations to measure and reduce their carbon footprint. She is a Climate Active registered consultant and has been involved in the carbon accounting industry since 2005.Ilea brings a strong background in corporate governance and is a Fellow of AICD.

Peter Elford is an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professional with over 30 years of experience in the education and government sectors. He is passionate about the role ICT plays  in improving the way we work, live, play and learn, and has a particular interest in the impact of the National Broadband Network on Canberra and the surrounding region.

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Peter is currently the Director, Government Relations and eResearch for the Australian Academic and Research Network (AARNet), a position he has held since January, 2014. Previously Peter spent nearly twenty years at Cisco in a variety of roles, including most recently as the Business Development Manager, Higher Education and Research.

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Peter was born, raised and educated in Canberra and holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from the Australian National University. He is currently a resident of Gungahlin, and the Vice President of the Gungahlin Community Council.

Richard’s mission is to help business leaders achieve their goals, build connected communities and grow vibrantregional economies.

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Richard early career was built around international tourism and hospitality. He has worked in Michelin-starred restaurant and on luxury cruise liners, held executive roles with multinational corporations and, together with his wife Evelyn, designed, built, operated and sold an award-winning guesthouse. Richard joined the Entrepreneurs' Programme as a Business Adviser in 2015 and has worked with more than 130 SME’s, assisting business owners to achieve their business and personal goals.

Laureta is a public relations professional specialising in the issues impacting agriculture and rural Australia. Laureta cut her teeth in media as a regional print journalist, in NSW and later in Western Australia. While in the West, Laureta held senior roles with the renowned Kondinin Group and in the grains industry. She also spent time as a political media advisor. Laureta is currently the General Manager of Media & Communications at the National Farmers’ Federation.

Simon has over two decades' experience as a practicing economist with government, not-for-profits and the private sector. He has a strong interest in governance, strategy, investment and sustainability. Simon is currently Advisory Lead at Lockbridge and was previously Australian Economics and Policy Leader at Arup. He has also held senior positions with the ACT Government. Simon is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, holds a Master of Regulatory Economics, a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Science.

Philip Hutchinson is currently a Research and Investment Strategist with Lawrance Private Wealth. Before taking up this position, Philip spent ten years as an academic at the University of Canberra, convening the Landscape Architecture Program for a number of years. Prior to that, Philip was a practicing landscape architect and also spent a decade in the Commonwealth Public Service. Philip has a Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Design as well as qualifications in Financial Planning, Resource and Environmental Management and Mathematics.

Martin is an execution-oriented senior management professional with over 20 years of success in operations, global logistics, medical, telecommunications, B2B and B2C. His efforts have led to the significant growth and expansion of organisations ranging from entrepreneurial start-ups to multi-billion-dollar multinationals.

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With a focus on mentoring and coaching teams, Martin applies a powerful blend of leadership skills.

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He was instrumental in his organisation achieving the 2016 Australia Good Design award and the 2017 World Changing Ideas Award for Most Innovative Consumer Product. 

Dr Lyndal Thorburn has been a Non-executive Director of Canberra region not-for-profits for over 40 years. She currently also serves on the Council for Charles Sturt University, and is a member of their Foresighting and Finance Committees (formerly Finance, Audit and Risk Committee). She is also an experienced Committee and Board Chair, is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a member of the Institute of Public Accountants.

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Lyndal has founded two companies and has been Managing Director/CEO of four organisations. One of her companies was a finalist in the ACT Small Business Awards, one won an ACT Exporter Award in 2006 and Lyndal herself was awarded the ACT Telstra Businesswoman of the Year in 2004. Lyndal is a member of Capital Angels and now mentors companies accepted into the Griffin Accelerator in addition to her Non-Executive Director roles.