Our Team

Professor Peter Shergold AC has over thirty years’ experience working at the highest levels of the Australian Public Service. Peter headed the Commonwealth agencies responsible for Multicultural Affairs, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Employment and Workplace Relations, and Education, Science and Training. He was Public Service Commissioner in 1996-97 and Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet from 2003 to 2008.

Peter remains active in public administration. He is the Chair of the Australian Research Council and is the NSW Coordinator General for Settlement. He is also the Chair of the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). In the not-for-profit sector, Peter is the Chair of Australia for UNHCR and sits on the board of the McKinnon Foundation.

Peter was made a Member in the Order of Australia (AM) for public service in 1996 and became a Companion in the Order of Australia (AC) in 2007. He received the Centenary Medal in 2003.

Nick Warner is a former Secretary of the Department of Defence, Director-General of the Office of National Intelligence (ONI), and Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS).

He has also held senior diplomatic posts, including Ambassador to Iran, High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, and Special Coordinator of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands.

His leadership in complex institutions enables him to advise expertly on governance, accountability, strategic review, and organisational performance improvement.

Martin served nearly 40 years in state and Commonwealth public services with roles including Secretary of the Department of Health, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and Deputy Secretary in Defence. In these roles, Martin led major reforms in health financing, preventative care, immigration policy and Defence Bases.

From 2017-2025, Martin also served as National CEO of Calvary Health Care, leading the organisation through a significant period of strategic transformation, focusing on integrated care, innovation and values-based leadership.

Chris Eccles was Secretary of the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet (2014-2020), Director-General of the New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet (2011-2014), and Chief Executive of the South Australian Department of the Premier and Cabinet (2009 to 2011).

Chris also worked in a variety of government and private sector senior management positions, including the ACT Chief Minister's Department, the Australian National Training Authority and KPMG, where he headed the national education consulting practice. He is currently Chair of the Board of Evolve Housing, a large Tier 1 Community Housing Provider.

Duncan Lewis served the Australian Government for 47 years, both in and out of uniform, culminating as Director-General of Security and Head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).

Across 15 years in the Australian Public Service, he held a range of senior national security and diplomatic roles, including Secretary of the Department of Defence, National Security Adviser to two Prime Ministers, and Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, the European Union, and NATO.

Elizabeth Cosson has over 31 years of experience in the Australian Defence Force, serving in senior roles across supply, logistics, strategy and planning.

She has also held key public sector leadership positions, including Secretary of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, President of the Repatriation Commission, and Chair of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission.

Peter Tesch has over 35 years of experience as a trusted advisor to the highest levels of government.

He served as Deputy Secretary for Strategy, Policy and Industry in the Department of Defence, and held key diplomatic roles over a 32-year career at DFAT, including Ambassador to Russia and Germany, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, and Head of the International Security Division.

Wendy Southern’s career in the Australian Public Service involved leadership roles across a range of policy and programme management areas - from Health to Security to Immigration. In particular, Wendy served in Deputy Secretary roles with the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (later Border Protection) and the Department of Health and Ageing.

Wendy received the Public Service Medal in 2006 and the Outstanding Achievement in Public Administration Award in 2010.

John James Frewen has over 40 years of military experience including roles overseeing key defence, security and intelligence organisations, international military operations, and more recently, multi-agency government task forces.

He has also held senior national security roles as Principal Deputy Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate, Coordinator General of the National COVID Vaccine Taskforce, and Chief of Joint Capabilities.

Caroline Millar is an experienced former senior career diplomat from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Caroline was Ambassador to the European Union, NATO, Belgium, and Luxembourg, a former deputy head of Mission in Washington, and previously Permanent Representative and Ambassador for Disarmament at the United Nations in Geneva. She was also a former Deputy Secretary for National Security at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Caroline brings extensive expertise in international security, foreign policy, trade policy advocacy, humanitarian issues and multilateral negotiations.

Richard Holden is Scientia Professor of Economics at UNSW Business School, Director of the Manos Institute for Cognitive Economics, and President Emeritus of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

Prior to that he was on the faculty at the University of Chicago and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He received an AM and a PhD in economics from Harvard University. His research focuses on contract theory, organizational economics, law and economics, and political economy. He has written on topics including: network capital, political districting, the boundary of the firm, incentives in organizations, mechanism design, voting rules, and blockchain.

Dr Lo has nearly three decades experience in global and international health with qualifications in medicine (University of Melbourne), tropical medicine (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) and a Masters in Public and International Law (University of Melbourne).

Selina has worked in Afghanistan, Myanmar, China, Thailand, and Bangladesh specifically with refugee, stateless, ethnic minority, and IDU and sex worker communities. She was a Medical Director for Essential Medicines for Médecins sans Frontières based in Geneva. She has worked for Save the Children UK and was Clinical Advisor for the seminal Clinton Foundation national HIV AIDS treatment partnership based in China CDC, and inaugural CEO for Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA). As a consultant Selina has worked with WHO HQ on Common Goods for Health, Victorian Department of Health COVID19 response, and was a visiting fellow to the UN International Institute of Global Health Malaysia on Gender and Health.

Paul is an independent consultant specialising in infrastructure policy and regulation. He was previously a partner at Allens for over 35 years, where he served as leader of the firm's Government Advisory practice and as Energy Practice Group leader. Paul’s practice at Allens and in his current consulting engagements has been focused on advising government and private sector clients on commercial transactions, financing arrangements, major infrastructure projects and public utility reform and restructure assignments. Paul is a non-executive director of the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation and Chair of OCRF’s International Scientific Advisory Committee.

Dr Helen Durham is a humanitarian lawyer, academic, and CEO of RedR Australia since July 2023. With over 30 years in the humanitarian sector, she brings deep expertise in international humanitarian law, policy, and diplomacy. Helen has significant field experience across Asia and the Pacific, as well as engagement in the Middle East, Africa, and diplomatic negotiations in New York, Brussels, and Geneva. Widely published, she has a particular focus on women and armed conflict.

From 2014 to 2022, Helen was the first woman and first Australian to serve as Director of International Law and Policy for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva. Prior to this, she held senior roles at Australian Red Cross, including Director of International Law and Strategy and National Manager of International Humanitarian Law, and served as ICRC’s Head of Office in Australia and Legal Adviser for the Pacific.

Dr Phoebe Wynn-Pope has over 25 years’ experience in human rights, ESG and responsible business practices. She advises clients on developing robust ESG governance and management frameworks and specialises in human rights, including the application of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to business practice. This includes working with directors and executives on human rights risk management policies and strategies, identifying and managing human rights risks (including modern slavery) within organisational operations and supply chains, conducting heightened human rights due diligence in high-risk jurisdictions, including conflict zones. She also leads human rights-related investigations and advises on establishing comprehensive reporting and governance systems and processes.

Gavin MacLaren has over 25 years’ experience advising governments throughout the Asia Pacific region on policy and regulation, including industry and development policy; capacity building; dispute resolution; treaty negotiations; and the commercialisation of state assets.

For the past seven years, Gavin has led one of Australia’s leading law firms and currently serves as Chair of biotech incubator, ProtoAxiom. Gavin was recognised as an Innovative Leader in the 2020 Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards Asia Pacific. Throughout his career, he has acted for international organisations, multinational corporations, financial institutions, private equity investors and sovereign wealth funds globally in multiple jurisdictions, including Australia.

Stephen Revell is a strategic advisor with over 45 years of experience, including a long tenure as a partner at Freshfields, an international law firm. He now advises internationally on business strategy, having advised across more than 50 countries, including complex regulatory environments. Stephen has several responsibilities within Garran Advisory, including quality oversight and risk management.

Alice Maxwell is a qualified lawyer with experience advising multinational corporations and government clients with respect to major energy projects, regulatory reform, public international law and treaty negotiations. In 2023-2024, Alice worked as Senior Associate to the Honourable Justice Gordon of the High Court of Australia.

She holds First Class Honours in both Law and History from the University of Melbourne.

Kieran Thompson has extensive experience working with private and public sector clients, particularly in defence and technology projects of the highest national and international importance. He has led major reports for government departments and provided strategic advice to clients across Europe, North America and the Indo-Pacific.

Kieran holds a Masters of International Relations with First Class Honours from the University of Melbourne.