Leadership Team and Board
PANDA is a registered charity, led by a diverse group of board members and an experienced leadership team.
Our Leadership team
Julie Borninkhof
Julie Borninkhof
Julie brings significant experience to PANDA as a recognised leader in the primary health sector. Julie is a Clinical Psychologist who has worked across primary and tertiary settings, namely with people from vulnerable and diverse communities. She is passionate about ensuring that people’s lived experience informs the development of progressive services and supports. Julie loves leading the dedicated team at PANDA.
Appointed: 2019
Bec Schafer
Bec Schafer
Bec has two young children and has seen firsthand the impact perinatal mental health can have on families. She has over 10 years’ experience working in marketing within the not for profit and public health sectors. She has also managed her own marketing consultancy business working with small businesses to improve their digital presence. Bec holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) and a post graduate certificate in Strategic Marketing from Melbourne Business School. Bec is passionate about bring customer voice to the forefront and building high performing teams. Bec oversees marketing, communications, digital, community engagement, education, and training.
Appointed: 2021
Amelia Rhodes
Amelia Rhodes
Amelia has a degree in International/Global Studies and significant experience in policy, leadership and digital systems. Amelia lead the re accreditation of PANDA as an accredited mental health service.
Appointed: 2022
Kirsty Noakes
Kirsty Noakes
Kirsty has a rich background in crafting people-centric HR frameworks and has been instrumental in nurturing environments where professional development thrives, and individuals are recognised as the greatest asset of the business.
Her expertise extends beyond traditional HR roles; as an executive coach, Kirsty specialised in guiding executives towards cultivating their professional branding, fostering courage, and boosting confidence.
Kirsty brings experience in coaching leaders to develop high-performing teams, with strategies to foster collaboration, innovation, and excellence among its members.
Kirsty is passionate about ensuring PANDA is not just an organisation; it's a community where every member feels safe and empowered to grow, succeed, and shine.
Appointed: 2023
Rob McGifford
Rob McGifford
Rob has over 20 years’ experience as a senior finance professional in the not-for-profit sector with a focus on mental health. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting & Commercial Law) and is both a Chartered Accountant and Certified Practising Accountant.
Rob developed his career in the commercial world including ASX-listed companies prior to focusing on the community sector. He has broad experience in the areas of financial accounting and business partnering.
Appointed: 2024
Kirsty Oldroyd
Kirsty Oldroyd
With a wealth of over 20 years’ experience working within the public, private and currently NFP sector at both a senior operational and strategic levels. Kirsty believes that effective communication and collaboration can drive efficiency savings, improve business practices, promote innovation, reflect equality of opportunity and diversity whilst generating economic growth.
She has successfully managed national programs and overseen significant digital transformation projects, with a focus on improving community outcomes through service delivery improvement initiatives. Through her role and team(s) at Beyond Blue she enabled the delivery of the strategy with a particular focus on uplifting the data and insights to help inform the evidence informed support and services.
Kirsty states “I am a transformational leader that allows me to encourage and inspire people to perform, creating meaningful change. With that, I remain authentic and continue to be an optimistic realist, maintaining a good sense of humour.”
Appointed: 2024
Board Members
Dr LEANNE BEAGLEY
Dr LEANNE BEAGLEY
Dr Leanne Beagley brings more than 30 years’ experience in the health, mental health, and non-government social service sectors. She started as a clinician and then a leader in child and youth mental health settings, moving into government policy leadership and then into advocacy at a national level. She brings expertise in system, program and policy design, service development and commissioning, organisational strategy and risk management – and she has sought to amplify the voices of those with lived experience throughout all of this work.
Leanne’s professional qualifications are in Occupational Therapy and Family Therapy and she holds a Master of Business Leadership degree and a Master of Laws degree. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a PhD in Psychology in organisational dynamics. Leanne has expertise as a non-executive Director including as a past Board Chair with Eating Disorders Victoria, a Deputy Chair of the Board of Tweddle Child and Family Centre and a Director of the Western Alliance Academic Health Science Centre.
She is committed to strong, sound, strategic and accountable governance and is honoured to have been appointed to serve on the Board of PANDA.
Appointed to Board: 2023
Appointed as Chair: 2024
Kathi Boorman
Kathi Boorman
Kathi is an experienced and committed clinician and senior executive with over 26 years working in both government and non-government organisations. She is the CEO for a community managed organisation in NSW, One Door Mental Health. She brings to PANDA skills and experience in clinical and corporate governance and the implementation of community and clinical services. As a mother of three daughters, she understands the importance of supporting mothers and is deeply committed to perinatal mental health and the investment of giving people the best start in life.
Appointed to board: 2018
Amrita Ahluwalia
Amrita Ahluwalia
Amrita brings strategy, transformation and finance expertise with 20 years of experience in roles fostering strategic growth, transformation, mergers, business integration and corporate advisory consulting.
She holds a Master’s degree in International Business, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Directors. Amrita isskilled in managing complex business transformations with effective stakeholder engagement, change management and governance, understanding commercial value drivers and risks, enhancing business intelligence supported by data analytics, harnessing automation opportunities and implementing strategic initiatives to support growth.
She is passionate about supporting the for-purpose sector, particularly disability and mental health services, to help create a sustainable positive impact for the wellbeing of the community.
Appointed to board: 2022
Jenni Campbell
Jenni Campbell
Jenni Campbell has a strong background in mental health governance and leadership, having served in senior management and executive roles across the mental health sector for more than 10 years. Jenni currently provides mental health focussed consultancy services to a range of Government and Non-Government health organisations. Jenni formerly held a ministerial appointment as Chair of the NSW Mental Health Commission Advisory Council and previously served as a member of the Mental Health Information Strategy Standing Committee of the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council.
Jenni holds qualifications in social work and human service management. Jenni is a proud Mum of 4 and experienced perinatal depression following the birth of baby number 2. This lived experience combined with extensive sector experience, led Jenni to apply for and join the PANDA board.
Appointed to board: 2018
Ingrid Gotz
Ingrid Gotz
Ingrid brings over fifteen years’ experience in the financial services sector with a focus on delivering digital and marketing strategies that are fit-for-purpose, achievable and scalable. Her experience includes leading business-wide digital and technology transformations, translating data-led insights into strategy, implementing end-to-end customer experiences, delivering omni-channel communications and leadership. As an innovator of change, Ingrid is passionate about driving organisational change that improves the lives of customers and delivering solutions that remain relevant and sustainable well into the future.
Appointed to board: 2021
Karen Marshman
Karen Marshman
Karen has worked in the mental health sector for over 20 years. She currently runs Let’s Talk an organisation offering training and coaching within workplaces. She holds a B.A. Psychology (Hons) and has worked therapeutically with individuals, youth, and families. Karen has lead organisations in private and not-for-profit sectors, educating and generating agency in support of their wellbeing management.
Appointed to board: 2017
Nan Meka
Nan Meka
Nan has over 15 years of experience in corporate strategy, finance, investment, and people and business operations. More recently, she has held both executive and senior leadership roles in consumer and technology businesses, playing a crucial role in building and scaling teams, refining business processes, and enhancing commercial capabilities.
In 2023, after the birth of her first child, Nan was diagnosed with postnatal depression. She sought out PANDA's resources and is grateful to the organisation for helping in her time of need.
Nan is deeply passionate about spreading awareness and normalising mental health conversations, particularly in communities where the topic is often seen as taboo.
She is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Master’s in Finance degree.
Appointed to board: 2023
Natasha Rees
Natasha Rees
Natasha is an experienced not-for-profit board member and has over 30 years’ experience in government relations at State and Federal levels. She lives on Kaurna country in South Australia with her husband and son. Natasha experienced postnatal depression and PTSD after the birth of her son and was a PANDA community champion for 3 years.
Natasha is also Chair of Access 2 Place, a specialist disability housing provider, and a community member of several national health boards, including being appointed by the SA Minister for Health to the SA Board of the Medical Board of Australia. She is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia, and has tertiary qualifications in management, risk management, project management, public law and psychology.
Appointed to board: 2023
Vicky Pellowe
Vicky Pellowe
Vicky brings over a decade of experience in project management, mental health advocacy and community development. After emigrating to Australia, she began her career as a FIFO worker in regional WA and is now the founder of The FIFO Family Project, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving the psychosocial safety and wellbeing of FIFO workers and their families.
Based on Whadjuk Noongar country in Western Australia, Vicky lives with her husband and two young children. Her professional expertise spans program development, social policy evaluation and stakeholder engagement, which she has applied in roles across both non-government and corporate sectors.
She currently serves as an AYA Consumer Representative on the Leukaemia Foundation’s ‘Education and Support Program Committee’ and is a member of Curtin University’s ‘Research Office Diversity & Inclusion Group.’ Vicky combines her professional expertise with lived experience, including navigating cancer treatment, fertility challenges and postnatal depression. Her work focuses on advancing mental health support, enhancing psychosocial safety and fostering community resilience.
She is committed to amplifying the voices of those with lived experience, to ensure their perspectives drive lasting, impactful and systemic change.
Lachlan Marshall
Lachlan Marshall
Lachlan is an experienced technology risk management and cyber security professional, with 20 years working alongside government and corporate sector clients.
Lachlan brings to PANDA expertise in digital audit, transformation and innovation. He has a passion for developing and implementing frameworks and processes that build trust in the services critical to our society.
PANDA support and resources were critical to Lachlan and his wife's journey after the birth of their son in 2017. This drives his aspiration to see other families facing similar challenges receive the support they need.
Appointed to board: 2024
Board observership program
PANDA welcomes emerging leaders and participants of the Board Observership Program to be a part of the PANDA Board. To find out more about the Board Observership Program, visit observership.com.au.