Our Board of Directors bring considerable and varied experience to the organisation. Together they provide stewardship and strategic direction, governing the organisation on behalf of members. The Board has up to nine Directors at any one time.
Eight directors are nominated and elected by Unison’s members, with one Director able to be appointed by the Board. This allows the Board to recruit specialist expertise when required.
B. Juris. LLB
Ian has a legal background and is a member of the advisory committee of the Fellowship for Indigenous Leadership (FIL) and a Board member of the Eva Tilley Memorial Home and MECWA. In 2009 he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for services to the community.
Licensed Real Estate Agent, Project Marketing - American Home Builders Association, Lecturer Melbourne University
Barry has been in the property industry for more than 40 years and ran his own property business prior to becoming a Director of Becton (retired 2010). Barry was previously Chairman of the Melbourne City Council Inner City Residential Committee, a member of the Moomba board for six years and a member of the Department of Infrastructure’s Industry Advisory Panel. Barry is a life member of Apex Australia.
Bachelor of Economics, Chartered Accountant, Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors
Lou is a chartered accountant with strong management experience in business and healthcare services. Currently he serves as executive chairman of Health Networks Australia Investments Pty Ltd, non-executive chairman of Genera Biosystems Limited, non-executive director of Sonic Healthcare Limited and non-executive chairman of Avita Medical Limited.
Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, Master of Business Administration, Master of Marketing, Diploma Australian Institute of Company Directors
Yvonne has extensive experience across various commercial industries and the not-for-profit sector as both an executive and non-executive director. Her executive roles have incorporated business management, strategic planning, marketing and new business development.
Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Science, Master of Business Administration
Daniel has a background in IT and management consulting. He is passionate about the not for profit space and moved from consulting into a permanent role in the sector at Villa Maria Catholic Homes, as the current Manager, Business Development, Strategy and Innovation. Daniel is a member of the Australian Catholic Housing Alliance and Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Daniel brings a strong commitment to the vision and mission of Unison and to the growth of the housing sector. He offers to the Board of Unison contemporary strategic planning and IT skills tailored to the social services sector. Daniel has supported Unison’s current ICT Systems Project for the past 12 months and will ensure good governance through the implementation stages of the Project.
Master of Business Administration, Master of Health Science, Bachelor of Health Science (Podiatry)
Caroline is an experienced leader with a demonstrated history of creating impactful and outcomes-focussed services for people and the community. She has executive experience in leading health, community development and higher education organisations.
Caroline has a passion for ensuring that the most vulnerable, marginalised and disempowered people have every opportunity to participate, without barriers, both economically and socially within society. As an internationally published, recognised and a keynote speaker for service improvement, innovation and community empowerment, Caroline brings a unique set of essential skills to the governance of the organisation.
Alison is a highly accomplished general manager with multi-disciplinary commercial experience on a national scale. Her professional services are now focused as a strategic advisor in the areas of advocacy, advisory, acquisition/disposal, and influencer in the housing affordability area working with the development industry, finance industry, disability sector and public policy advisors. By formal education and experience, Alison is an expert Property Valuer across all asset classes, with significant experience in both metropolitan and regional valuation. Alison’s career has included the build out of a single valuer practice from start-up in regional Victoria into a substantial shareholding in the Opteon Property Group – a national independent property valuation firm employing more 800 people.
Alison is a member of the PCAs Victorian Residential Developers Committee, and Housing Affordability Working Groups for Planning Principles, Valuation and Finance, and Discount to Market Rentals and Tenancies. Alison’s exemplary work ethic, commercial expertise, innate leadership abilities, communication and influencing skills have underpinned her success as a professional business owner, Valuation expert, trusted advisor and advocate. She is passionate about the challenges of housing affordability in Australia and globally, and about breaking this down into strategic, actionable focus areas.
Bachelor of Science (Urban Land Economics), Licensed Estate Agent, Associate of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria, Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors
Peter is a property professional with over 35 years’ experience in the real estate industry. He retired as a director of Fitzroys Real Estate Agents in 2020, where he was involved with commercial property management, sales, leasing and client advisory. He now acts as a consultant to both Fitzroys and a number of not-for-profit and family office clients.
Peter is passionate about the community housing sector and brings a solid real estate skillset, commercial acumen and a strong strategic focus to Unison.
Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) and Bachelor of Science, Chartered Accountant, Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors
Anita has over 17 years of corporate finance experience working with private and public companies across a number of industries in Melbourne, London and Hong Kong. She has had direct exposure to strategy development, financial reporting and budgeting and mergers and acquisitions including due diligence, funding, valuation and transaction structuring. She currently heads up the Investor Relations and Treasury functions at Ansell Limited.
Anita is passionate about helping the disadvantaged, particularly in the area of housing and support services. She was previously on the board of VincentCare Victoria and VincentCare Community Housing.