Our Board

The Board is responsible for the broad strategic directions and key policies of The Fred Hollows Foundation, and for the overall governance and accountability of the organisation.

The Board meets six times per year and is currently comprised of 12 members, elected annually at an Annual General Meeting in May each year.

Andrew Want, 46 years old, was born in Sydney, has been married to his partner Julie for nearly 20 years and has two children aged 18 and 15 years. Andrew qualified in Law at the University of Technology in Queensland in 1984.

Andrew was the Managing Director of Veda Advantage (former Baycorp Advantage) Ltd from 2003 to September 2007, a firm specialising in business information services particularly relating to credit and financial risk. He was previously, for six years from 1997 to 2003, Managing Director of Travelex Australia, New Zealand and Japan Group, a subsidiary of global foreign exchange and payments group Travelex.

Prior to joining Travelex, Andrew was a lawyer in the Australian law firm Cowley Hearne, where he was a Partner from 1990 to 1997. Andrew is admitted to practice as a lawyer in New South Wales and Queensland.

Andrew has been a Director of The Fred Hollows Foundation since 2003 and has served as a member of the Foundation's Finance and Governance Committee throughout that time. In February 2007, following the retirement of Nigel Milan as Chairman, Andrew was appointed Chairman of the Foundation's Nominations Committee.

Andrew is a Senior Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and a Member of the Australian Institute of Management.

Michael Johnson was born in Exter, England and moved to Australia in the mid 1970's. Within 24 hours he had met Fred Hollows. Michael became a Director of The Foundation when it was established, after being asked by Fred to help carry on his work. Michael is a Director of The Foundation's Board in Australia and South Africa.

As well as supporting the developing work of The Foundation, he has also initiated programs supporting education development and technology transfers to developing countries within his role as Chairperson of the Fred Hollows Eritrean Education and Training Fund at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

Michael Johnson is an Associate Professor and the Coordinator of the Comparative Development Program in the School of Social Science and Policy at UNSW in Sydney. Michael is the coordinator of post-graduate coursework programs in policy studies at UNSW and is a member of the Faculty of Commerce and the Centre for Applied Economic Research at UNSW.

Michael's research interests are the transformation of the public sector at all levels of government. His current research projects include studies of institutional reform of public sector agencies and business enterprises and the development of an appropriate transport infrastructure in Sydney.

Robert Dalziel became a Board Director in 2004 and is the Chair of the Victorian State Fundraising Committee.

Robert has over 30 years experience in retail, logistics, travel, marketing, telecommunications and the health care industry.   His current directorships include Chairman, Colorado group ltd, Chairman, Loscam Limited and Pacific Handling Solutions, Chairman The PAS Group, Director - Australian Rugby Union, Patron of Victorian Schoolboys Rugby Union and a Member of the Board of Australian Schools Rugby Foundation.

Robert's previous roles included Chairman of Harris Scarfe (Australia) Pty Limited, Director - Angus & Coote (Holdings) Limited, Chairman of the Just Jeans Group, Managing Director of Mayne Nickless Ltd, Chairman of Optus Communications (1998 - 2000) and Chairman of the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal. 

Prior to joining Mayne Nickless, Mr Dalziel spent 13 years with Coles Myer holding various positions such as Managing Director Discount Stores Group, Managing Director Kmart, Director Strategy for Coles Myer and Managing Director of Grace Bros and 15 years with Unilever in Australia, U.S. and the U.K.

Howard Davies became involved with The Fred Hollows Foundation in 1995 when he was invited to be a member of the Business Forum Executive Committee and then the coordinator of the Business Forum campaign, which encouraged corporate involvement in the work of The Foundation.

Howard is Treasurer of the Board, Chair of the Finance and Governance Committee and a member of the Nominations Committee.

Howard began his career in 1965, operating in the United Kingdom with the Hogg Robinson Group specialising in credit and political risk insurance broking. Howard's career developed into senior management positions, which culminated in the Chairmanship of the UK Retail Insurance Broking Division of the Hogg Robinson Group, the UK's third largest insurance broker. This appointment extended to involve running the groups investments in more than 40 countries around the world.

Howard's 32 years with Hogg Robinson also saw him heading the International Division of the Group before moving to Australia in 1988, to found the Asia Pacific Region and head the Australian Group.

In 1996 Howard resigned from Hogg Robinson and formed his own specialist extended warranty insurance broking business in Australia - IMC Associates Pty Ltd - the only business of its kind in Australasia.

Since then Howard has built a portfolio of Non-Executive Chairmanships and Directorships which have included companies such as AT&T, Safetrade Limited, Newcastle Port Corporation and, currently, GAB Robins - Australia's largest firm of Loss Adjusters. He is also on the Board of the Government owned Export Finance and Insurance Corporation and has also formed an insurance broking business in Guam and the Federated States of Micronesia.

Philip Brown is a Founding Trustee of the Fred Hollows Foundation (UK) and enjoyed a personal friendship with the late Professor Fred Hollows.

Phil is a successful entrepreneur having built from scratch a chain of ‘blue ribbon' Italianate sandwich bars, called Philpotts, that realised an annual turnover of £7 million and employed 200 people.

In 2006, Phil sold the business, with his success honoured by the industry's trade association that same year. Phil was presented with The BSA Award, given annually to a single individual for innovation and achievement.

Born in 1949, Phil was educated in Scotland under the Outward Bound philosophy of combining rigorous academic learning with real life experiences and community service. Phil began is working life as a journalist before embarking on seven years of travel which inevitably brought him to Australia. There he met Fred Hollows in 1976.

"Fred taught me how to relax and enjoy myself, Australian style, but more importantly he politicised me. His winning humour and persuasive logic were irresistible even though we remained firmly at opposite ends of the political spectrum. But we shared a love of buildings, funny stories, making things and open air adventure".

In 2004, Phil led an expedition to Nepal that raised nearly £30,000 for The Foundation (UK). Phil persuaded seven "less than healthy" friends to join him on a 12 day trek to Lo Manthang, the capital of Upper Mustang (The Kingdom in the Clouds) which borders Tibet. They walked for up to ten hours a day at altitudes from 10,000 to 14,000 feet, over steep passes and through deep ravines. The group were honoured to meet with the King and Queen of Nepal in their medieval palace.  

Phil lives with his wife Ingrid, whom he met through Fred in 1989. They have two children, James and Rose. The family lives in a 19th century watermill in North Wales.

Sarah Elliott was elected as a Board Director in 2005. Sarah first met Fred and Gabi Hollows when she joined the Nepal Eye Program Australia (NEPA) in 1988, after meeting Dr Sanduk Ruit in Nepal. Sarah was in Nepal to undertake research for her Master's thesis.

Sarah then worked for The Fred Hollows Foundation, from the organisation's early days in 1993 until 2003. She started as the Community Relations Manager, coordinating community fundraising and events, establishing the donor relations program, the bequest program and the volunteer program.

Sarah also managed the Nepal Program for The Foundation, playing a key role in the establishment of Tilganga Eye Centre in Kathmandu and conducted a major review of The Foundation's programs in Africa.

In 2001, Sarah handed on the community relations work to focus on her role in the International Programs Division, where she also became responsible for the Eritrea and Bangladesh programs. In addition, Sarah project managed The Foundation's accreditation with AusAID (the Australian Government's Agency for International Development).

Sarah is currently working as a Senior Policy Analyst, Product Strategy and Development, with the NSW Department of Housing.

Previous to this position, she was a Senior Project Officer with the Office for Women in the Premiers Department. In the past Sarah has worked as a consultant to AusAID, in the International Program Office at the University of New South Wales, in the Department of Health, in the Department of Community Services and for various community organisations.

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Social Studies (1982) and a Masters of Social Work and Social Policy (1988).

Sarah's longstanding commitment to The Foundation has led her to become a Director of the Board.  "I believe I can make a contribution through my knowledge and understanding of The Foundation's corporate history, fundraising and development programs."

"The Foundation has a tremendous capacity to act as a catalyst, to improve access to high quality affordable eye treatment in developing countries and to redress the inequity faced by Indigenous Australians. I hope to be able to support the executive and staff to continue to work effectively and find new and better ways to continue The Foundation's business," says Sarah.

Sarah hopes to provide an effective sounding board when challenges arise and to take opportunities to advocate for The Foundation.

Gabi Hollows grew up on a 25 acre orchard just outside of Gosford on the Central Coast of New South Wales. Her interest in health goes back a long way. As a teenager she worked every Saturday morning as receptionist for a local GP.

"I became interested (in medicine) at a very early age. I was quite cross-eyed when I was about three years old. After visiting doctors and having an operation to correct my eyes I decided that I wanted to help people with eye problems," says Gabi.

Gabi graduated as an Orthoptist in 1972 from the NSW School of Orthoptics and it was during her training that she first met Fred Hollows.

After initially working in Newcastle and Gosford, Gabi took up a position at The Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick, NSW.

In 1976 she joined the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program which was initiated and led by Fred Hollows and sponsored by the Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists and the Australian Government. For three years, Gabi and Fred worked with Australian Aboriginals; visiting over 465 remote Aboriginal communities.

“I discovered what an unusual person Gabi was early on, when I worked with her in a black's camp in the Territory. I was examining eyes and grading for trachoma; Gabi was taking visual fields and I can tell you which is the harder job - her's. You have to deal with linguistic and cultural differentials and be patient and pleasant if you hope to achieve anything.

"Gabi must have examined two hundred people that day, and she was as soothing and agreeable to the two hundredth as she had been to the first. I noticed something else: Gabi's tone of voice, manner and body language didn't change, whether she was dealing with the station manager or the oldest, most withered Aborigine in the camp. That kind of innate goodness is rare” - Fred Hollows.

Gabi Hollows (nee O'Sullivan) and Fred Hollows were married in 1980 and have five children: Cam, Emma, Anna-Louise and twins Ruth and Rosa.

Gabi is a Founding Director of The Fred Hollows Foundation and a member of the Indigenous Programs Committee.

Learn more by reading Gabi's detailed profile.

Mary Kostakidis joined the Board of The Foundation in May 2008. She is well known as the former presenter of SBS World News.

Mary was a member of the management team that set up SBS Television in 1980. She played a pivotal role in guiding policy and strategy development, budgeting, management of staff as well as involvement in program selection and production.

In 1998, Mary was appointed as presenter of the main evening World News bulletin and became the first woman to present a national prime time news bulletin in Australia. Mary Kostakidis became a household name over the following 20 years. She resigned from SBS in 2007.

Mary’s past and present Board and committee appointments reflect a strong commitment to social justice, corporate governance and active citizenship. 

Her past positions include appointments to the Republican Advisory Committee, the Order of Australia Honours Committee, the Constitutional Centenary Foundation and the Advertising Standards Board. She has devoted her time to charitable appointments including the Drug and Alcohol Council and the Breast Cancer Council, offering extra support for media campaigns and public events.

Mary continues her active citizenship as an Ambassador for Beyond Blue, focussing on raising the profile of issues surrounding depression in non-English speaking background communities as well as for asylum seekers in Australian detention centres. Mary is also a member of the Board of ResMed Foundation, a philanthropic institution that promotes research on sleep disordered breathing and supports charitable activities. 

Mary is an experienced public speaker, moderator and Master of Ceremonies. She is an avid sponsor or the arts, particularly the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Bell Shakespeare Company and is an Ambassador for the Museum of Contemporary Art. 

“I am mindful of the importance of making art, music and literature more accessible to young people, including those from socially disadvantaged or remote communities,” says Mary.

John McElhinney is Chief Executive Officer of The Radio Network Limited (TRN), one of New Zealand's largest commercial radio businesses which has over 100 stations. These include the country's major networked stations, such as Newstalk ZB, Classic Hits, ZM and Radio Sport, as well as genre stations Radio Hauraki, Coast, Easy Listening i and Flava. The company is also a joint venture partner in The Radio Bureau, New Zealand's radio advertising placement agency.

John has spent the past 33 years in the radio industry, firstly with the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation, then Radio New Zealand and most recently with The Radio Network.

The early part of his career was spent in programmes and promotions (he was named the radio industry's Program Director of the Year in 1980) before he became a General Manager and then Head of Marketing for Radio New Zealand. From 1987 to 1997 he was General Manager for The Radio Network in Taranaki, being promoted to Sales and Marketing Director for TRN in April 1998 and then Chief Executive in June 2001.

John is currently chairman of the Radio Broadcasters Association and a member of the Institute of Directors. He joined The Foundation's New Zealand Board in 2003 and the Australian Board in 2006.

"Like many people, I had the need for more fulfilment in my life and thought I should give of my time to a worthy charity. I thought long and hard about the various options and came to the conclusion that the very worthy work of The Fred Hollows Foundation was the one that I wanted to be involved in. It has such practical aims and outcomes and improves the quality of life of so many people, it was just too hard to go past," John says.

Dr David Moran was elected as a Board Director in 2005. David first met Fred Hollows in the mid 1970s, when he was working as a medical student in Wilcannia, New South Wales.

David then worked for two years with Fred Hollows as an epidemiologist with the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program, where - together with Fred, Hugh Taylor, Jamie La Nauze, Archie Cochrane and others - he forged a view of a possible better future for eye care, beyond the narrow confines of medicine.

David's association with Fred Hollows and subsequently The Fred Hollows Foundation continued on for many years. From the organisation's earliest days, he was involved in a technical and medical capacity.

David was also closely involved with surgical training, technical development of intraocular lens design, microscopes and lasers, as well as contributing to formulation and documentation of surgical procedures. In addition to this, David was involved with program evaluation and policy development.

"I've always had a keen interest in and commitment to the broader aspects of eye health care in our own community and the majority of the world where services are much poorer and less well organised than at home," says David.

David hopes he can continue to make a contribution to blindness prevention throughout the world, and also to Indigenous health in Australia, by bringing his practical experience to The Foundation through being a Board Director.

David is a Fellow of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists. He has also presented at numerous conferences and authored many papers and publications related to eye health.

David is currently a practicing Ophthalmologist and works as the Visiting Medical Officer at Port Macquarie Base Hospital, Port Macquarie Private Hospital, Wauchope District Memorial Hospital and Kempsey District Hospital in New South Wales.

Born in Darwin, NT, Romlie's people are Djugun. He has lived in Canberra for the past ten years with his partner and three children. Romlie has experience working at community, state and Commonwealth levels in a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy and program areas including disability, ageing, population health, financing and substance use.

From 1998 to 2005, Romlie worked in the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing in various roles. His first appointment within the Department was as Manager of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Program. During his time as head of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander substance use area, Romlie led the development of a comprehensive framework to address petrol sniffing, including the development and roll out of Opal Unleaded fuel. He was also the Chair of the Department’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Staff Network.  

Since 2005, Romlie has been Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association (AIDA). During this time AIDA has consolidated its position as a leading advocate for improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Romlie is currently a member of a number of key policy forums including the National Indigenous Health Equality Council, National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Working Group and Indigenous Health Equality Campaign Steering Committee.

Romlie has a Bachelor of Social Science degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in Special Education. He has also completed the Australian and New Zealand Health Leadership Program.

John Richardson was elected as a Board Director in 2005 and is a member of the Finance and Governance Committee.

John is the Chairman - Pacific Region of Marsh, a consulting company which provides services in global risk management, insurance broking, risk consulting, financial solutions and insurance program management.

John is also Chairman of Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Australia and a Managing Director of Marsh Inc, New York, which is part of the MMC Group of Companies. He is also Chairman of Marsh New Zealand, Fiji and a Director of the Papua New Guinea Board.

In 1994, John was appointed Chief Executive for Marsh in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji and relocated to the Sydney Headquarters. He was appointed Chairman of Marsh in Australia in 1999 and Region Head - Pacific in 2000. Prior to his transfer, John was Chairman and Chief Executive of J&H Marsh & McLennan, New Zealand.

John commenced his career in insurance with the State Insurance Office in New Zealand. In 1974 he joined CT Bowring & Burgess Ltd, which was later acquired by the Marsh group. During his 30 years of service with the group he has held various management positions in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.

John is a founding Councillor of the Australia Business Arts Foundation. In addition to his role as immediate past President of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance, he is also a member of the National Insurance Brokers Association, the Australian Institute of Risk Management and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

John is an Associate of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance and an Associate of the New Zealand Institute of Management. In 1992 and 1993 he served as President of the Corporation of Insurance Brokers of New Zealand and was made an Honorary Life Member in 2001.

John holds a Diploma from the Insurance Institute of New Zealand, is a qualified practising Insurance Broker and a Fellow of the Corporation of Insurance Brokers of New Zealand.

Dr Stephanie Young was elected as a Board Director in 2006.

As a member of the last group of ophthalmologists to train with Fred Hollows, at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, Stephanie continues to remain committed to Fred's philosophy and continued vision of The Fred Hollows Foundation.

During her training Stephanie also operated with Fred in Bourke and on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. She was also encouraged to help develop a specialised clinic at the Prince of Wales Hospital and a screening service at Albion St AIDS Clinic, to provide care to people with ophthalmic complications as a result of HIV/AIDS.

In 1992 she visited Hanoi in Vietnam with Fred and a team of others, to conduct a cataract surgery workshop. The following year she also participated in a trip to Ho Chi Minh City for another skills transfer surgical workshop.

Stephanie was also involved in the development of an illustrated procedure manual, which was produced by The Foundation to assist in cataract operations.

After completing her training, Stephanie spent several years overseas, firstly working in Jerusalem at the St John Eye Hospital and at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, where she participated in subspecialty fellowship training.

Back in Australia, Stephanie is a visiting Medical Officer at Concord Repatriation General Hospital, where she is involved in teaching and providing clinical services. Stephanie also does subspecialty work in the metropolitan area and on the Central Coast and also provides general ophthalmology services on the Mid North Coast.

Stephanie has also published a number of articles and presented at various conferences and meetings.

Stephanie supports The Fred Hollows Foundation's approach in working collaboratively with communities in the areas of Indigenous health and blindness prevention and treatment. Stephanie looks forward to contributing to the work of The Foundation.