Board Members

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Kit McMahon
Deputy Chair
Kit McMahon is being put forward by the Volunteering Australia Board to be approved for another (and final term) on the VA Board.  Kit was approved by members to join the VA Board in 2018, and since that time, has demonstrated herself fully committed to the Board and vision of VA. Since joining the Board Kit has been appointed as Chair of the Governance Committee, is Company Secretary and recently was part of the sub committees to recruit our new CEO, Mark Pearce, and recruit new Directors to the Board.

In addition to her work with VA, Kit is also Chair of Gender Equity Victoria – the not for profit peak organization for gender equity in Victoria – and Chairs the Strategy Committee for Tradeswomen Australia Foundation, a not for profit seeking to increase the number of women in traditionally male dominated trades.

Kit has over two decades’ worth of senior executive and Board experience.  Currently Kit is the CEO for Women’s Health in the South East (a regional women’s health service in southern Melbourne), and her work here focuses on leading teams of primary prevention workers to prevent violence against women, increase gender equity and improve women’s health and wellbeing across Melbourne’s Southern region. 

With qualifications in Arts (Hons), Master of Adult Education, an MBA and the AICD Company Directors Course, Kit also sits on a range of committees for primary health prevention and community development in the South East region ranging from the prevention of elder abuse and family violence.

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Kerry Harris
Treasurer
Kerry is an experienced Board Director whose resume includes national and state sporting Boards, a social enterprise Board, and chairing a Finance and Audit Committee. Recently Kerry was elected to the Victorian Divisional Council of CPA Australia on a platform of promoting women in leadership and maximising member engagement.

Kerry has held many senior executive positions in the sporting sector. Through her work and own volunteering, she is intimately familiar with the needs of and issues facing volunteers, and the volunteering infrastructure in Australia.

Kerry possesses a Commerce degree, is a Fellow of CPA Australia and Member of the AICD.

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Esme Bowen
Secretary
Esme Bowen was elected to the Board of Volunteering Australia in November 2018. She is very involved in her family’s surf retail business and has a background in nursing and disability services. She also has a background in community volunteering and road safety advocacy, which has involved the RAC Council WA (2005 – 2012), Wheelchair Sports WA, Wheelchair Sports Australia, and the Australian Automobile Association. Esme is currently the Chair of the Ministers Carers Advisory Council, a director of the Paraplegic Benefit Fund, and on the board of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA. She also serves on the WA Minister’s Volunteer Community Reference Group and sits on the minister’s single-use plastics committee and the Disability Assembly WA.

Dr Norman Chorn
Dr Norman Chorn is an Advisory Board Member, Founder and Director with over thirty years of executive and board level experience across public, commercial and not-for profit sectors. Dr Chorn has been an Advisor Board member with the NSW Australian Institute of Management and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), contributing to strategic governance and oversight. Currently, Dr Chorn is the founder and Director of the BrainLink Group and the Centre for Strategy Development, a role that sees Dr Chorn lead the provision of strategic consulting services with a focus on developing future strategy, organisation design and change and strategic leadership. Dr Chorn has a PhD, a Master of Business Administration and is an ambassador for Thought Leaders Global. Dr Chorn has also authored and contributed to several books on strategy and organisation development as well as numerous articles in these areas. 

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Kim Hughes
Kim has over 25 years’ Executive, Board, and Board advisory experience in the public, private, profit-for-purpose, and government sectors across a range of industries including superannuation, life insurance, funds management, financial planning, health, and arts. She has proven success in business strategy and transformation with expertise in customer-centred solutions, people and culture, performance monitoring and continuous improvement, governance and risk management, and commercial acumen. 

In addition to her Board role with Volunteering Australia, Kim is a current Board member of Metro Arts, and has extensive Board advisory experience providing trusted advice to the Boards and Sub-Committees of the complex, highly regulated businesses of QSuper, QInsure, QInvest, Suncorp Superannuation, Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), Queensland Treasury Corporation (QTC), and Energy Super.  

Kim holds a Business Degree, Diplomas in Superannuation, and is a Graduate of the AICD Company Directors Course. 

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Claudine Lombard
Claudine Lombard has 25 years’ experience in financial markets across all asset classes including socially responsible investments (SRI) and sustainable finance alternatives. Currently Senior manager with a major superannuation fund, Claudine has deep experience in presenting strategy and investment performance and risk to stakeholders and c-suite leadership. With in-depth experience and strong record of delivering project outcomes, Claudine also has mature experience in cross-divisional project management, data, analytics and information technology.

In terms of Board experience, Claudine has both reported to Board’s and Sub Committees including development of papers to facilitate decision making, and, has been a director and treasurer on local community organisations in a volunteer capacity in the disability sector (Riding for the Disabled, Queensland). Claudine has worked for Queensland Treasury, PwC, Deloitte as a Quantitative Analyst and Trader at multiple banks in South Africa. In addition to understanding the strategic risk settings for significant IT projects, Claudine has a reputation as a strategic thought leader with collaborative approach to teamwork and stakeholder engagement.

To this day, Claudine maintains an active civic life through volunteering where her work has included supporting organisations who provide services to children with disabilities and, also, has provided her skills as a volunteer teacher and teenage support councillor through youth prison outreach services.

Qualifications:

• PhD Finance (University of Queensland Business School)

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Amy Williams
Amy Williams has been employed as a lawyer since 2015 and for the last 5 years, has worked at the Not-for-Profit Law team at Justice Connect, where the core part of her role as Principal Lawyer is to provide legal assistance to community organisations and social enterprises. A key part of the advice that she provides at Justice Connect supports NFP’s to meet directors’ duties, ensure compliance with regulation and legislation (including fundraising and OH&S) and fulfilling obligations as registered charity with DGR status. In addition to this, Amy has supported charities in their advocacy, relationships with the member law firms and regulators.

Amy has deep understanding of the needs of community organisation’s particularly around governance obligations and is very familiar to the Australian volunteering sector. In 2018 Amy presented at the National Volunteering Australia Conference, in 2018 and 2019 at Volunteering Tasmania Conference and in 2019 she also presented at the NSW Centre for Volunteering Conference.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Amy is trained as a social worker and was employed as a policy and research officer for two community sector peak bodies – Western Sydney Community Forum and the NSW Council of Social Service. A core part of her role at these peak body organisations was to build a broad understanding of the issues faced by the sector and to identify ways to best support the sector. In addition to this, Amy was the National Liaison Officer for UNSW Social Justice Project, a role that saw her liaise with community groups and state chairs across Australia to promote involvement in national anti-poverty campaign.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Social Work (University of Western Sydney) 2009
• Juris Doctor (University of NSW) 2015
• Admission as Solicitor (Supreme Court of NSW) December 2015