Board

Dr Sherene Devanesen

Chair

Dr Devanesen held the position of Chief Executive Officer of Yooralla until February 2021. Before joining Yooralla in January 2014, Dr Devanesen was Chief Executive Officer of Peninsula Health. With over 30 years’ experience in the management of health services and medical administration, her experience has provided her with a strong reputation in consumer consultation and engagement and in achieving quality outcomes for human and community services. Dr Devanesen is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators, a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Management, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Managers and Leaders, a Fellow of the Hong Kong College of Community Medicine and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Dr Devanesen is currently a member of the Northern Health Board and a member of the Northern Territory Health Governance and Assurance Committee.

Mr David Anderson

Treasurer

Mr Anderson brings a wealth of experience in finance and audit. He has held senior finance positions within the Departments of Water Resources, Health and Human services within the Victorian Government over 20 years and was Executive Director of Finance at Peninsula Health for 16 years to 2018. He has recently undertaken work for the Department of Health and Healthshare Victoria and is a Director of the newly constituted Grampians Health comprising Ballarat, Edenhope, Horsham and Stawell. He has a demonstrated commitment to the wider community and roles include being a Fellow of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and previously Treasurer of the State-wide Autistic Society (Vic).

Mr Simon Brewin

Mr Brewin is an experienced non-executive director holding several health-related board appointments, including Uniting Agewell Ltd and Guardian Network. He is experienced in corporate and clinical governance, risk & compliance and strategy. Previously, Mr Brewin held senior appointments within the Victorian healthcare sector including executive director roles at Alfred Health, Monash Health and Peninsula Health. Mr Brewin is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, past state branch president of the Australasian College of Health Service Management, and the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital nominee as Director to the Board of CERA.

Ms Jane Hider

Ms Hider joined the Eye and Ear Board in July 2021 and is a Partner at the leading legal firm King & Wood Mallesons. Ms Hider has over 20 years’ experience in construction and infrastructure, as well as government advisory practice. She specialises in government major projects and procurement, commercial development, transport and energy. She has experience in all forms of procurement, collaborative models and consultancy arrangements. Ms Hider works with clients to structure their approaches to market, and gives tendering and probity advice. She is regularly asked to peer review delivery models and project documentation, and to investigate probity compliance. Ms Hider has also worked with government agencies to develop and implement supply and procurement policies. She is also actively involved in the firm’s pro bono program and provides assistance to a range of pro bono clients including Very Special Kids.

Ms Linda Hornsey

Ms Hornsey is a past General Manager for Organisational Transformation at Vision Australia, a provider of services for people who are blind or have low vision. Previously, she was Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet in Tasmania for nine years, has worked as a journalist and political adviser and has many years’ experience in public administration. She had a leadership role in changing Tasmania’s old economy. This involved the first whole-of-State consultation in Australia, and reached most of the population in many old and new forums. She and a colleague from the ABS were invited to the annual OECD Conference in Palermo to present the resulting Strategic Plan to be measured and implemented over decades. She has held many statutory board directorships, including Western Health. Previousely, she was a member of the Parenting Research Centre Board and its Governance Committee.

Mr Bruce Mildenhall

Bruce has an extensive background in governance at a public sector and community level. He served as the State MP for Footscray for 14 years, including seven years as Parliamentary Secretary to Premier and nine years as a City of Footscray Councillor. In the health sector he served on the board of a primary health service for more than 20 years. He also chaired the board of the largest residential aged care service in the western suburbs for nine years, led a review of mental health workforce training, and has been a board member of the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation and a metropolitan hospital. Beyond these involvements, Bruce is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and was a senior manager in the Victorian public service before entering parliament.

Mr Bruce Ryan

Mr Ryan has extensive Information and Communications Technology (ICT) management expertise within the Victorian public health sector and within other Victorian government settings. He has worked with the Department of Health and Human Services to assist with delivery of large-scale ICT enabled projects, and worked closely with Eastern Health during the redevelopment of the Box Hill Hospital and commissioning of an advanced EMR there. He is also a former Chief Information Officer at Yooralla.

Dr Susan Sdrinis

Dr Susan Sdrinis is a medical practitioner and specialist medical administrator. She has held roles as Executive Director Medical Services and Director Medical Services in Victorian public hospitals, and as a Senior Medical Advisor in the Victorian Department of Health. Her interests are in the areas of clinical governance, medical governance and professional issues, and mentoring clinician managers and medical administrators in training. Dr Sdrinis is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is also currently a member of the Victorian Health Complaints Commissioner Advisory Council and a board member of Barwon Health.

Mr Kyle Vander-Kuyp

Mr Vander-Kuyp joined the Board in August 2023 and brings a wealth of experience across government, corporate, not-for-profits and community organisations. Mr Vander-Kuyp is an Elder and Respected Person at Koori Court. He is a strong advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and Culture, travelling extensively to provide mentorship, development opportunities, and cultural support for Indigenous youth. Mr Vander-Kuyp is a former athlete who represented Australia at the Olympics and every major international competition over a 20-year career. Since then, he has held positions across many organisations including as an Ambassador to the Department of Health where he raised awareness for better access to services such as Medicare, Australian Hearing and Centrelink. In addition, he is the Founder and CEO at Killara Foundation, an Ambassador and Speaker at Beyond Blue, a Director at Connecting Home, Leader of Indigenous Programs at Athletics Australia and a Facilitator of RAP Working Groups.