Our Board

Mr Mark Phillips

BCom (Hons), MCom, FAICD

Chair of the Board

Appointed to the Board in April 2013 and re-appointed in April 2016 and April 2019

Mr Phillips has more than 30 years’ experience in business. In a 20-year career with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, he was instrumental in the development of a range of new business divisions. Subsequently, Mr Phillips spent more than 10 years as the Chief Executive Officer of various companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and as an adviser to businesses and not-for-profit organisations. He is currently Chief Executive Officer of CatholicCare Sydney, Co-chair of End Street Sleeping Collaboration Ltd, and non-executive director of Cancer Council Australia and Access Programs Australia Ltd.

Mr Nicholas Adams

BCom (Marketing)

Chair of the Fundraising and Marketing Committee

Elected to the Board in December 2015 and re-elected in December 2018

Mr Adams is the Chief Market Manager at Allianz Australia Insurance and has 23 years’ experience in financial services and telecommunications marketing with companies such as Telstra, Westpac, and American Express. As a marketing leader, he has expertise in customer relationship management (CRM), loyalty and digital marketing, and building data-driven marketing programs to drive both revenue and customer engagement with brands.

Mr James Butler

Member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee, Chair of the Consumer Research Review Panel, Chair of the Relay For Life Steering Committee, Co-Chair of the Aboriginal Advisory Committee

Elected to the Board in December 2014 and re-elected in December 2017

Mr Butler has been an active volunteer for Cancer Council NSW for 25 years, holding roles including Chair of the Hills Relay For Life Committee, and Chair of the Western Sydney Cancer Advocacy Network. He is a trained Cancer Council NSW advocate. As a two-time cancer survivor, he understands the need to influence decision-makers around key issues that have an impact on people affected by cancer.

Mr Butler is currently Chair of Cancer Council NSW’s Consumer Research Review Panel. Mr Butler has also been a business owner for 25 years and is an active consumer representative on cancer services committees in the Western Sydney Local Health District.

Dr John Laker AO

BEc (Hons 1) (Syd), MSc (Econ) PhD (London), HonDSc (Syd)

Chair of the Governance Committee, Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee, Cancer Council NSW representative on the Cancer Council Australia Board

Elected to the Board in December 2014 and re-elected December 2017

Dr Laker was Chairman of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), the regulator of the Australian financial services industry, from 2003 to 2014. An economist by training, Dr Laker had an extensive career in the Reserve Bank of Australia before his appointment to APRA, both in Australia and London, and has also worked in the Commonwealth Treasury and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Currently, Dr Laker is an External Expert for the IMF and has participated in a number of reviews of major banking systems. He is Chairman of ING Bank Australia, Chairman of The Banking and Finance Oath Limited and Deputy Chancellor and member of the Council of the University of Technology, Sydney. He also lectures at The University of Sydney. Dr Laker was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2008 and has won other professional awards for his services to the regulation of the Australian financial system.

Nerida Dean

BEc Dip Ed (UNE)

Member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee, Member of the Fundraising and Marketing Committee

Appointed to the Board in October 2018

Ms Dean brings a wealth of experience and a strong community perspective. She has spent the bulk of her working life as a secondary teacher and has served on a number of Boards at a local and regional level, including as the Deputy Chair Queanbeyan Local Health Committee for 14 years.

Ms Dean is currently a member of the Rotary Club of Mullumbimby and is involved with the build of the new Tweed Hospital. She has been involved with Cancer Council NSW for eight years, taking on numerous volunteer roles such as Community Speaker, MP Liaison, Relay For Life Committee member, Eat It To Beat It facilitator, Australia’s Biggest morning tea host and Daffodil Day stall holder.

Dr Haryana Dhillon

BSc MA(Psych) PhD

Member of the Governance Committee, Member of the Cancer Research Committee

Appointed to the Board in July 2019

Dr Haryana Dhillon (BSc MA PhD) is an Associate Professor in Psycho-Oncology at the University of Sydney. She is a Director of the Centre for Medical Psychology & Evidence-based Decision-making, School of Psychology at the University of Sydney where she co-leads the Cancer Survivorship Research Group.

Haryana has more than 25 years experience in cancer clinical research originally working with the NHMRC Clinical Trial Centre, the University of Sydney across a range of investigator-initiated cancer clinical trials. Over the past 15 years she has focused more on psycho-oncology and behavioural research.

Haryana was formerly a member of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Board and Chair of the Survivorship group of COSA. She is Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Psycho-Oncology Cooperative Research Group, and actively involved in leadership roles with other trials groups to promote the inclusion of patient experience and patient reported outcomes in cancer clinical trials.

Dr Jo Mitchell

BSc, Post Grad Dip Nut & Diet, MPH, DrPH, GAICD

Member of the Audit and Risk Committee, Cancer Council NSW representative on the Cancer Council Australia Board

Appointed to the Board in November 2019

Dr Jo Mitchell has worked in preventive health for more than 30 years.

Her career has included senior public sector executive experience, most recently as policy lead for population health in NSW. This portfolio covered a range of complex and contested policy issues including drug and alcohol, HIV and sexually transmitted infections, overweight and obesity, tobacco control and viral hepatitis.

In 2018 she was awarded the Public Service Medal for her contribution to population health policy in NSW.
She is currently an independent consultant and senior advisor to The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre.
Jo has degrees in science, nutrition and public health.

Carolyn Heise

BN, PGDip Public Health (Leadership), MBA

Chair of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee

Elected to the Board in December 2020

Carolyn is a dedicated registered nurse and health service leader. She is passionate about the nursing profession and the provision of high-quality health services to her community. Carolyn’s dynamic and varied career has included working as a registered nurse, managing district cancer services, public hospitals and preventative health care services on the Mid North Coast of NSW. She holds additional post-graduate qualifications in Public Health and a Master of Business Administration.

Carolyn has worked alongside Cancer Council in Regional NSW for many years and while in the Position of Nurse Manager for the Mid North Coast Cancer Institute in 2017 she actively participated in fundraising events such as Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea and as a contestant in Coffs Coast Dancing with the Stars.

In 2019 while working as the Director of Nursing, Midwifery and In-Patient Services at Coffs Harbour Base Hospital Carolyn was diagnosed with cancer. As such, she has a unique perspective on the patient journey- both as a senior health service manager and as a survivor of cancer.

Mr Michael Morgan

BSc (Arch) BArch FRAIA

Chair of the Investment Committee, Member of the Fundraising and Marketing Committee

Appointed to the Board in November 2020

Michael is a registered architect and a Director of nettletontribe where he has worked since 1979. He served as Managing Director for 26 years until commencing a leadership transition process in 2016.

Michael has been a member of the POSH Committee and an active supporter of Cancer Council NSW since 2003 and is the current Chair of the POSH Committee, a position he took up in late 2018.

He is also the chairman of the Board of St Aloysius’ College Ltd, Chairman of the Advisory Board for MacKillop Grange Retirement Village and a Director of The Cardoner Project Limited (a young adult ministry of the Jesuit Province of Australia). Michael also currently serves on the Advisory Board for Jesuit Social Services NSW.