Meet our team

We’re proud to be powered by a talented team spread across Australia, from the cities into the heart of rural, regional, and remote communities.

At our core, we believe in putting our money where our mouth is by creating meaningful opportunities for those living in less accessible areas.

Our diverse and dedicated staff embody the spirit of our mission, driving impactful change and bringing valuable perspectives to every corner of our nation.

Meet our CEO and directors

CEO | Staff

ACT

Matt Linnegar

As the Chief Executive, I work with the board, our fantastic team, alumni…

Director | Partnerships | Staff

QLD

Philippa Woodhill

I drive the breadth and depth of the partnerships and collaborations the ARLF…

Corporate Services | Director | Staff

WA

Lockie McDonald

The corporate function acts as the “master of ceremonies” for the end-to-end business…

Director | Finance | Staff

Sydney

Nelum (Nel) De Silva

As the Finance Manager at ARLF, I produce budgets, financial reports and provide…

Director | Learning | Staff

ACT

Andrea Hogg

The learning team is responsible for the design and delivery of leadership development…

Board Chairs

Rgt Hon Sir Ninian Stephen KG, AK, GCMG, GCVO, KBE, QC
1992-1993
Mr John Allwright AO
1993-1994
Mr Bruce Gowrie Smith
1994
Mr David Asimus AO
1994-1999
Mr Robert Ferguson
1999-2000
Mr David Crombie AM
2000-2008
Prof Peter Shergold AC
2008-2010
Dr Wendy Craik AM
2010-2016
Mike Caroll
2016 -2022
Rick Sawers
2022 - current

Chief Executives/ Executive Directors

Mr Mike Beckingham
1992-2001
Mr John Quantrill
2001-2004
Dr Steve Clark
2004-2006
Mr Steve Marshall
2006-2007
Ms Lisa Wilson
2006-2007
Dr Lesley Fitzpatrick
2007-2014
Matt Linnegar
2014 -current

Meet our partnerships team

Director | Partnerships | Staff

QLD

Philippa Woodhill

I drive the breadth and depth of the partnerships and collaborations the ARLF…

Networks | Partnerships | Staff

NSW

Julia Strang

I love that my role supports an increased connection between our amazing 2000+…

Funding | Partnerships | Staff

QLD

Vivienne Johnson

In my role, I have the pleasure of inviting people who share our…

Funding | Partnerships | Staff

ACT

Gemma Gordon

I work with our funding partners who invest in the leadership capacity of…

Funding | Partnerships | Staff

ACT

Tristan Richmond

In my role I draw upon my passion for education and collaboration to…

Networks | Partnerships | Staff

QLD

Louise Adcock

My role is creating a learning network that will foster leaders, build on…

Marketing & Communications | Partnerships | Staff

Darumbal Country, QLD

Jorunn Lorenzen

I hope that my work contributes to bringing opportunities to people in rural…

Marketing & Communications | Partnerships | Staff

NSW

Nicky McMillan

Nicky joined the ARLF team as communications coordinator mid-2022 and is pretty happy…

Marketing & Communications | Partnerships | Staff

Yuin Country, NSW

Emma Bennetts

I create visual communications to engage with our online community and share what…

Marketing & Communications | Partnerships | Staff

Wiradjuri & Yitha Yitha Country - NSW

Zelda Chambers

My role at the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation is like a mixed bags…

Networks | Partnerships | Staff

NSW

Gemma Rostron

Through my work in community engagement and connection within the Australian Rural Leadership…

Board Chairs

Rgt Hon Sir Ninian Stephen KG, AK, GCMG, GCVO, KBE, QC
1992-1993
Mr John Allwright AO
1993-1994
Mr Bruce Gowrie Smith
1994
Mr David Asimus AO
1994-1999
Mr Robert Ferguson
1999-2000
Mr David Crombie AM
2000-2008
Prof Peter Shergold AC
2008-2010
Dr Wendy Craik AM
2010-2016
Mike Caroll
2016 -2022
Rick Sawers
2022 - current

Chief Executives/ Executive Directors

Mr Mike Beckingham
1992-2001
Mr John Quantrill
2001-2004
Dr Steve Clark
2004-2006
Mr Steve Marshall
2006-2007
Ms Lisa Wilson
2006-2007
Dr Lesley Fitzpatrick
2007-2014
Matt Linnegar
2014 -current

Meet our corporate services team

Corporate Services | Director | Staff

WA

Lockie McDonald

The corporate function acts as the “master of ceremonies” for the end-to-end business…

Corporate Services | Project Management | Staff

QLD

Lesley Vick

I’m passionate about my work with the ARLF and want to help the…

Corporate Services | Project Management | Staff

ACT

Hansi Ganga

Having graduated with a Master’s Degree in Information Systems with a specialisation in…

Corporate Services | Project Management | Staff

Canberra

Gourav Mittal

As a Support Coordinator, I am responsible for providing IT support to the…

Corporate Services | Project Management | Staff

ACT

Erin Burrows

My role helps achieve the vision of thriving rural, regional, and remote communities…

Corporate Governance & HR | Corporate Services | Staff

Anaiwan Country, NSW

Gabrielle Price

I have recently joined the ARLF Team in Manager Corporate Governance role. I…

Corporate Services | Project Management | Staff

NSW

Kerren Britton

I support ARLF’s regional leads, facilitators, and participants by providing them with a…

Corporate Services | Project Management | Staff

QLD

Erin Chesney

In my role I work collaboratively as a support and point of contact…

Corporate Services | Project Management | Staff

NSW

Katherine Davison

In my role as Project Lead, I oversee a number of different programs…

Corporate Services | Project Management | Staff

NSW

Reigan Nugent

My role here is aligned with my passion for community work. Living in…

Corporate Services | Project Management | Staff

VIC

Suzi Daley

I support the learning team, program managers, facilitators and participants in the National…

Corporate Services | Project Management | Staff

ACT

Jaiden Kearns

I offer the administrative support reliving some of the day to day stress…

Board Chairs

Rgt Hon Sir Ninian Stephen KG, AK, GCMG, GCVO, KBE, QC
1992-1993
Mr John Allwright AO
1993-1994
Mr Bruce Gowrie Smith
1994
Mr David Asimus AO
1994-1999
Mr Robert Ferguson
1999-2000
Mr David Crombie AM
2000-2008
Prof Peter Shergold AC
2008-2010
Dr Wendy Craik AM
2010-2016
Mike Caroll
2016 -2022
Rick Sawers
2022 - current

Chief Executives/ Executive Directors

Mr Mike Beckingham
1992-2001
Mr John Quantrill
2001-2004
Dr Steve Clark
2004-2006
Mr Steve Marshall
2006-2007
Ms Lisa Wilson
2006-2007
Dr Lesley Fitzpatrick
2007-2014
Matt Linnegar
2014 -current

Meet our finance team

Director | Finance | Staff

Sydney

Nelum (Nel) De Silva

As the Finance Manager at ARLF, I produce budgets, financial reports and provide…

Finance | Staff

QLD

Stacey Pyke

I assist the finance team in the day-to-day running of business accounts and…

Finance | Staff

Sydney, NSW

Prajwol Shrestha

I will be working towards preparation of monthly financial reports, assisting in budgeting…

Board Chairs

Rgt Hon Sir Ninian Stephen KG, AK, GCMG, GCVO, KBE, QC
1992-1993
Mr John Allwright AO
1993-1994
Mr Bruce Gowrie Smith
1994
Mr David Asimus AO
1994-1999
Mr Robert Ferguson
1999-2000
Mr David Crombie AM
2000-2008
Prof Peter Shergold AC
2008-2010
Dr Wendy Craik AM
2010-2016
Mike Caroll
2016 -2022
Rick Sawers
2022 - current

Chief Executives/ Executive Directors

Mr Mike Beckingham
1992-2001
Mr John Quantrill
2001-2004
Dr Steve Clark
2004-2006
Mr Steve Marshall
2006-2007
Ms Lisa Wilson
2006-2007
Dr Lesley Fitzpatrick
2007-2014
Matt Linnegar
2014 -current

Meet our learning team

Director | Learning | Staff

ACT

Andrea Hogg

The learning team is responsible for the design and delivery of leadership development…

Learning | Staff

QLD

Andrew Bryant

My contribution to the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation’s vision is in developing and…

Learning | Staff

NSW

Simone Carroll-Germech

My role in the organisation is to help achieve its vision by designing…

Learning | Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning | Staff

VIC

Dr Werner Vogels

The ARLF has a vision of thriving rural, regional and remote communities and…

Learning | Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning | Staff

ACT

Fiona Humphris

I ensure we capture and then analyse the right data to assist in…

Board Chairs

Rgt Hon Sir Ninian Stephen KG, AK, GCMG, GCVO, KBE, QC
1992-1993
Mr John Allwright AO
1993-1994
Mr Bruce Gowrie Smith
1994
Mr David Asimus AO
1994-1999
Mr Robert Ferguson
1999-2000
Mr David Crombie AM
2000-2008
Prof Peter Shergold AC
2008-2010
Dr Wendy Craik AM
2010-2016
Mike Caroll
2016 -2022
Rick Sawers
2022 - current

Chief Executives/ Executive Directors

Mr Mike Beckingham
1992-2001
Mr John Quantrill
2001-2004
Dr Steve Clark
2004-2006
Mr Steve Marshall
2006-2007
Ms Lisa Wilson
2006-2007
Dr Lesley Fitzpatrick
2007-2014
Matt Linnegar
2014 -current

Join our team

At Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, we’re always looking to grow our team, our capabilities, and our reach across rural, regional, and remote Australia. To support this vision, we’re constantly calling out for new professionals to join our team. You can find our current vacancies below.