RESEARCH AND REFERENCE COMMITTEE

The Groundswell Foundation Research and Reference Committee brings together a group of like-minded and influential Australians who have personally been touched by loneliness and who want to help drive better outcomes in the community.

The purpose of the Research and Reference Committee is to provide strategic guidance to each of the three, concurrent pillars of Groundswell Foundation’s work:

Awareness – identifying and executing in the right channels to efficiently broadcast the message around loneliness and its impacts
Knowledge – Building the data and fact-driven case for loneliness to be properly considered in the context of health and well-being Australia
Impact – Activities and or sponsorship that will have the greatest impact on addressing loneliness in Australia.

The Committee is chaired by Martin Blake, former Chairman, KPMG NSW, and recently appointed Chairman, iHelm Pty Ltd and Chairman, Groundswell Foundation.

Membership of the Research and Reference Committee includes:

Reference Group: Text

ARLENE TANSEY

Arlene is a Non-Executive Director of TPG Telecom, Aristocrat Leisure Limited, McMillan Shakespeare Group, Lend Lease Real Estate Investments Limited, the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Australian National Maritime Museum. Arlene Chairs the Audit Committees of TPG Telecom Aristocrat, the AICD and the Australian National Maritime Museum.

GEORGIE SKIPPER

Group Executive, Sun Cable; Board of Advice, University of Sydney Business School; Fulbright Scholar; Former Senior Adviser to Australian Foreign Minister

JOHANNA PITMAN

CEO Advance (the professional network for Australians), Co-Founder Women in Smart Cities Global, Program Director, City Connect, BlueChilli Group, Deputy CEO Committee for Sydney, Director Innovation, Industry Policy NSW Trade & Investment

ALEX O’MARA

Director, Sustainable Solutions Advisory Pty Ltd. Formerly Group Deputy Secretary, Place Design and Public Spaces, Department of Planning Industry and Environment, Deputy Secretary, Create NSW, lawyer at Mallesons

MIKE PRATT AM

Michael was appointed as the 27th Secretary of NSW Treasury & NSW Industrial Relations on 1 August 2017 through to 28th January 2022 when he returned to the private sector to take up non-executive roles.

PROFESSOR THOMAS ASTELL-BURT

Professor University of Wollongong, NHMRC Leadership Fellow, Founding Director Population, Wellbeing & Environment Research Lab

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR HELENA NGUYEN

Academic Director, University of Sydney Business School & Co-Director, Body Heart and Mind in Business Research Group

WARWICK SMITH AO

Chairman Advisory Board Australian Capital Equity, Chairman Ord Minett, Chairman Council of National Museum of Australia, Director Seven Group Holdings. With the Business Council of Australia, Warwick is the Chairman of the Global Engagement Committee.

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CRAIG MELLER

Former CEO AMP, Director National Mutual Life, AMP Ltd, AMP Capital Holdings Ltd

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JOEL RAMIREZ

Social Wellbeing Expert and Author, ‘Better Together – Why loneliness is killing us and what we can do about it’. Co-Founder at Wiise.com (now a KPMG tech company). Co-Founder at Foundwell

GRANT SAXON

NSW Managing Partner BDO Australia, former Partner & Head of Assurance Services PKF Australia

DR EDDIE JACKSON

Former CEO Belfast Local Strategy Partnership, recognised social policy expert in conflict management & urban renewal, former CEO Liverpool City Council

TIM BERESFORD

CEO Australian Financial Security Authority, former Deputy CEO Austrade, Chair of Benevolent Society

MICHAEL TYLER

Vice President Global Supply Chain at ResMed and former Vice President, GlaxoSmithKline Global Manufacturing and Supply Chain

GEOFF ROSS

Executive Chairman Gao Fu Ltd, Geoff is a leading edge hi tech Australian entrepreneur with two successful IPOs on the ASX and founder of significant technology based joint venture businesses in Hong Kong

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MARTIN BLAKE

Former NSW Chairman KPMG, Chairman Sydney University Business School Advisory Board, Chairman iHelm Pty Ltd and Chairman the Groundswell Foundation

PROFESSOR BROCK BASTIAN

University of Melbourne, President, Society for Australasian Social Psychologist and Director of the Ethics and Wellbeing Hub – one of the largest and well recognized groups of social and personality psychologists globally

STEVEN CASEY

Partner KPMG, National Partner in Charge Policy & Economics practice. Steven has extensive experience working with Government agencies and the private sector combining analytics, policy and strategy to support the delivery of better outcomes in the Infrastructure, Government and Healthcare sectors

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CATHERINE DEAN

Partner Corporate & International Tax at BDO Australia, with 20 years experience in tax advisory M&A tax compliance and disputes. Leads BDO's energy & resources tax practice in NSW as well as sustainability initiatives. Catherine is passionate about ESG issues and developed the National Food Waste Tax Incentive tax reform proposal to address the issue of food waste in Australia.

DYLAN BUCKLEY

Associate, Asset Management & Performance at Aurecon

TREVOR MATTHEWS

A seasoned international financial services CEO who returned to Australia in 2013 after fifteen years overseas.

ANDREW DEMPSTER

Senior Adviser, CabinetSenior Adviser, Office of the Prime Minister of Australia

PAULINE BLAKE

Chief Operating Officer, Groundswell Foundation

Reference Group: Team Members