Letter from the Chair - Change to Board Members
Dear Investors,
On behalf of The Hunger Project Australia I would like to inform you of some
changes to the Australian Board.
Firstly, I would like to acknowledge Helen Symon, who has chaired the Board since 2002. Helen has decided to step down from both the Chair and as a member of the Board. The ever-increasing demands of her law practice and the length of time that she has been chairing THPA led her to this difficult decision. Helen provided strong leadership to the Board at a time of great growth in THPA and I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her enormous contribution over many years. Whilst she has resigned from the Board, she assures me that this change is no way lessens her commitment to THP, THPA and her partnership with all members of The Hunger Project’s family in ending hunger and poverty on a sustainable basis. Thank you Helen.
I am personally very excited to take over the role of Chair at a time when our work in the developing world continues to deliver great results. My wife, Nicky and I have been active investors since 2002 and between us we have had the opportunity to witness the Hunger Project’s work in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Malawi and Burkina Faso. I continue to see great opportunities for The Hunger Project in Australia to continue to expand its investor base both at an individual and corporate level and allow our leading work in the partner countries to expand even faster.
With this direction in mind I am very pleased to announce two new Board Members for The Hunger Project Australia.
Firstly, Heather Zampatti from Perth. Heather is Head of Wealth Management for Bell Potter Securities. In addition, Heather is on the Boards of WA Ballet and Osteoporosis Australia. Heather is on the University of Western Australia (UWA) Strategic Resources Committee and Board of Advisers for the UWA University Club. Heather is also a member of The Takeovers Panel, and lectures for the Australian Stock Exchange. Heather has recently become an investor as part of a group of women from Perth who have agreed to underwrite the Akyiansa-Dome Epicentre in Ghana. Heather is also a member of the Perth Development Board of The Hunger Project Australia.
Secondly Bruce Beeren from Sydney. Bruce first invested in The Hunger Project in 2005 and has since been extremely passionate, active and vocal advocate of The Hunger Project. He is the Chair of the Sydney Development Board, underwrote (with others) the expansion of THP Mozambique program to a full Epicentre Strategy and recently with partners agreed to underwrite the Wurib Epicentre in Ethiopia. Bruce has been a Director of Origin Energy since 2000. He is also a Director of Contact Energy, Coal and Allied Industries and Equipsuper Pty Limited.
As we move forward, we will continue to expand the Board, its capabilities and its ability to widen our network of investors. As the Board expands, we remain focussed on having Board members from all the States of Australia where we are active. We will also ensure an appropriate gender balance in line with the principles of The Hunger Project in our partner countries and around the world.
I look forward to an exciting period and a growing contribution from Australia to The Hunger Project efforts in creating a sustainable model for ending world hunger.
Thank you to Helen, welcome to Heather and Bruce and thank you to all the investors in Australia for your continuing commitment.
Yours sincerely,
Rick Ball
Chair
National Board Members
Rick Ball - Chair
1999 - Present
- Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking Division, Morgan Stanley
Australia, based in Melbourne.
1993 - 1999
- Executive Director and then Managing Director and Head of Equity Organisation
for UBS.
1988 - 1993
- Divisional Director and ANZ McCaughan, a then subsidiary of ANZ Bank.
1983 - 1988
- Arthur Anderson & Co.
Education:
- 1979 - Prefect and Higher School Certificate, Mentone Grammer School.
- 1982 - Bachelor of Commerce, University of Melbourne.
- Member of Institute of Chartered Accountants
Cathy Burke - Director/CEO
On staff at The Hunger Project Australia since 1997 and became CEO in 1998.
During this time Cathy has built The Hunger Project Australia into an enduring
and financially competent organisation. Cathy has spent time in the field,
leading many trips to Africa and South Asia. Cathy is a respected and integral
part of the global organisation, working closely with the global office in New
York in a range of capacities.
Qualifications:
- BA (English and Politics); Graduate Diploma (Applied Women's Studies)
Mitchell King - Director
Qualifications: BBus(Acc); Member of Institution of Chartered Accountants; SIA
June 1997 joined Hastings and is a senior member of the Hastings' management
team. Mitchell is also Chief Operating Officer of Hastings' listed fund, the
Australian Infrastructure Fund (AIF).
Mitchell is involved actively in the airports sector and is a Director of
Australia Pacific Airports Corporation (Melbourne and Launceston Airports) and
Chairman of Airport Development Group Pty Limited (NT Airports - Alice Springs
Darwin and Tennant Creek).
Mitchell has an active involvement in the road market and is also a Director of
Interlink Roads Pty Limited and Statewide Roads Limited.
In the area of Seaports Mitchell is also a Chairman of Port of Portland Pty
Limited and is a Director of CSX World Terminals (Adelaide).
Mitchell is also Chairman of Transport Infrastructure Work Group of the
Australian Council for Infrastructure Developments (AusCID).
Helen Scotts - Director
Helen Scotts is a General Manager with Hay Group management consultants, based in Melbourne. Her expertise is in the areas of Top Team Effectiveness, Executive Coaching, Leadership Development and Performance Management. With over 16 years experience Helen regularly advises senior executives on the implementation of processes to support major business change and initiatives. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Social Work and a Master of Business (Organisational Development). She is a member of Hay Group’s globally accredited team of executive coaches.
Heather Zampatti - Director
Heather has over 20 years experience in investment advising, providing investors with professional portfolio management. Heather’s widely acknowledged expertise in stockbroking and financial investment planning and attention to individual client needs and circumstances explain her success in providing a complete wealth management package. That combination of experience and expertise enables her to manage investment portfolios and self-managed superannuation funds for retirees, high net worth individuals and foundations.
Heather is a graduate of the University of Western Australia (UWA) with aBachelor of Science (BSc) and Diploma of Education (Dip Ed) both fromUWA. She is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP).
As Head of Wealth Management,
Australia, for Bell Potter Securities, Heather combines her strengths as an
adviser with a leadership role to help Bell Potter achieve its goal of
establishing itself as the nation’s most respected provider of wealth management
advice and service. Heather is on the board of WA Ballet and Osteoporosis
Australia. Heather is on the University of Western Australia (UWA) Strategic
Resources Committee and Board of Advisers for the UWA University Club. Heather
is also a member of The Takeovers Panel.
She lectures for the Australian Stock Exchange and FINSIA and gives many public
seminars.
Bruce Beeren - Director
Bruce Beeren joined the board of Origin Energy as an executive director in March 2000. He retired from his position as commercial director on 31 January 2005, and continues on the Origin Energy board as a non-executive director. With over 30 years experience in the energy industry, he was Chief Executive Officer of VENCorp, the Victorian gas system operator, when it was established in 1997 and held several senior management positions at AGL, including Chief Financial Officer and General Manager, AGL Pipelines. He is a director of Contact Energy (since October 2004), Coal & Allied Industries Limited (since July 2004) and Equipsuper Pty Limited (since August 2002). He is a former director of Envestra Limited (2000-2007) and Veda Advantage Limited (2004-2007). He has a Science degree, a Commerce degree and a Master of Business Administration, and is a fellow of CPA Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Bruce lives in Sydney, Australia.