Board of directors 

Rohan Mead

Mr Mead was appointed Group Managing Director  of Australian Unity Limited on 1 July 2004.  As Group Managing Director, he is a member of subsidiary boards and most committees. Mr Mead is chairman of Platypus Asset Management, deputy chair of Acorn Capital, a director of Seres Asset Management (Hong Kong) and a director of the Australian Centre for Health Research Limited.

He is chairman of the Business Council of Australia’s Healthy Australia task force and is a director of the Australian Health Insurance Association. Prior to joining Australian Unity, Mr Mead was employed by Perpetual Trustees Australia Limited (1996–2003) in a range of senior roles. Prior to his work at Perpetual, Mr Mead headed marketing and communications at Blake Dawson. Mr Mead has not held any directorships of listed entities in addition to those set out above during the last three years.

Glenn Barnes

Mr Barnes was appointed to the board of Australian Unity Limited on 16 October 2009. He is a director of a number of Australian Unity Limited subsidiaries and a member of the Investment Committee and the Human Resources, Remuneration and Nominations Committee. He is a professional director and consultant and is currently a director of Ansell Limited and a number of private interest companies.

Mr Barnes has 20 years of governance experience in banking and financial services, business information, consumer goods and the not-for-profit sector. He was involved in the packaged goods, banking and financial services sectors for over 30 years, as an executive, business leader and director in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, United States of America, Republic of Ireland, Japan and China. He has also held a number of regional and global leadership roles. Mr Barnes was previously a director of Lion Nathan Ltd. Mr Barnes has not held any directorships of listed entities  in addition to those set out above during the last three years.

John Butler

Mr Butler was appointed to the board of Australian Unity Limited on 31 August 2009 following the merger with Lifeplan Australia Friendly Society Limited, of which he was chairman. He is a director of a number of Australian Unity Limited subsidiaries and a member of the Audit and Compliance Committee and the Risk Committee. The majority of Mr Butler’s career was as the chief executive of the Druids Friendly Society in South Australia which operated in the health insurance, building society, retirement accommodation and nursing homes industries.

He is currently a director of Beach Energy Ltd, North Eastern Community Hospital,  SA Druids Grand Lodge and a trustee of the James Brown Memorial Trust which operates a retirement village and three aged care facilities, as well as maintaining his role as chairman of Lifeplan Australia group of companies. For many years he was chairman of National Pharmacies. He is president of the Flagstaff Hill Golf Club in Adelaide. Mr Butler has not held any directorships of listed entities in addition to those set out above during the last three years.

Eve Crestani

Ms Crestani was appointed to the board of Australian Unity Limited in 1996. She is a director of a number of Australian Unity Limited subsidiaries, chairman  of the Risk Committee and a member  of the Human Resources, Remuneration and Nominations Committee. She is a director of Mercer Investment Nominees Limited and a director of Booking.com Limited.

Ms Crestani is qualified in law and management, and is a member of the ASX Disciplinary Tribunal and chairman of several compliance committees. She consults in finance, strategic planning, marketing and management. She is a founding fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and an emeritus trustee of the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia. Ms Crestani has not held any directorships of listed entities in addition to those set out above during the last three years.

Ian Ferres

Mr Ferres was appointed to the board of Australian Unity Limited in 1999 and was Group Managing Director from 2002 to 2004.  He is a director of a number of Australian Unity Limited subsidiaries, chairman of  the Investment Committee, and a member  of the Audit and Compliance Committee. An actuary by profession, Mr Ferres worked with the National Mutual Group for  34 years, including as executive manager of all worldwide investment, property, unit trust, and banking and finance operations from 1975 to 1988, and as an executive director from 1983 to 1990.

Mr Ferres is currently a consultant with TressCox Lawyers, a director of Contango Microcap Limited, and the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia, and chair and/or director of several other organisations. He was previously president of Monash Medical Centre, and a director of St Vincent’s Health (Melb). Over the past 40 years he has served as chair, director or member of almost 50 private and public sector boards. Mr Ferres has not held any directorships of listed entities in addition  to those set out above during the last  three years.

Stephen Maitland

Mr Maitland was appointed to the board of Australian Unity Limited in 2005 following the merger with Grand United Friendly Society Limited. He is a director of a number of Australian Unity Limited subsidiaries, chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee, and a member of the Investment Committee and Risk Committee. He is a director of Buderim Ginger Limited, the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland Limited, RACQ Insurance, and several private companies, and chairman of the Surf Life Saving Foundation Inc.

He is also a councillor of the Queensland Division of CPA Australia, chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Public Trustee of Queensland, and is an independent member of several audit and compliance committees. Mr Maitland is the principal of Delphin Associates, a business consultancy specialising in strategic planning, risk management, corporate governance and business transition. He has over 35 years experience in the banking and finance industries and was chief executive officer of the Queensland Office of Financial Supervision between 1992 and 1999.  Mr Maitland has not held any directorships of listed entities in addition to those set out above during the last three years.

Warren Stretton

Mr Stretton was appointed to the board of Australian Unity Limited in 2005 following the merger with Grand United Friendly Society Limited. He was Managing Director of Grand United Friendly Society which operated in the private health insurance and aged care industries. He is a director of a number of Australian Unity Limited subsidiaries and a member of the Audit and Compliance Committee and the Investment Committee.

Mr Stretton was a director of Australian Hearing from 2004 to 2010 and has gained wide commercial experience working in the motor, computer and entertainment industries for organisations including Ford, Honeywell and Amalgamated Holdings Group. Mr Stretton has not held any directorships of listed entities in addition to those set out above during the last three years.