We are delighted to welcome four new members to the Bionics Institute Board of Directors.
Jennifer Dicker, Michael Coleman, Maureen O’Keefe and Professor Sandra Kentish join our dedicated board at a time of rapid growth for the Bionics Institute.
Chair of the Board, Mr John Stanhope extended a warm welcome to the new board members, saying: “The Bionics Institute will benefit enormously from the wealth of expertise and business experience our new Board Directors bring. We look forward to working with them to continue building the Bionics Institute’s reputation as a world leader in medical device development.”
Professor Sandra Kentish
Professor Sandra Kentish is a a Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at The University of Melbourne (UoM).
A distinguished academic and accomplished chemical engineer, Sandra is currently a Project Leader within the ARC Hub for Digital Bioprocess Development, the Dairy Innovation Research Hub, and within the Future Fuels CRC.
Sandra has previously held positions at the UoM including Head of the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, and Discipline Leader in the CRC for Greenhouse Gas Technologies for Membrane Technology.
Driven by academic excellence and innovation, Sandra was named one of Australia’s Most Innovative Engineers by Engineers Australia in 2017 and as a Woman of Influence by the Australian Financial Review in 2018.
Michael Coleman
Michael Coleman FCA, FCPA, FAICD retired as a partner of KPMG in 2011, following a 40-year career, 30 of which were as partner. In his role as partner, Michael was the lead signing partner on major audit clients and a member of the National Executive.
Michael has demonstrated extensive governance and strategic leadership abilities throughout his career, having also previously held positions including Chair of the Board Audit Committee at Macquarie Bank, NSW Councillor and Chair of the Reporting Committee of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and member of the Audit Committee of the Reserve Bank Australia.
Jennifer Dicker
Jennifer Dicker is currently Chair of the Steritech Pty Ltd Advisory Board, a position she has held since 2015.
With a background in finance and accounting, Jennifer has been instrumental in the growth of her family-owned business, Steritech; seeing it become one of the most prominent sterilisation and decontamination processing companies in the Asia Pacific region.
Jennifer is also a passionate organ transplant advocate, having been a recipient herself. She proudly served as a ‘Fit For Life!’ ambassador with the World Transplant Games Federation, an initiative supporting fellow transplant recipients to live a full and active life.
Maureen O’Keefe
Maureen O’Keefe is an accomplished executive and board director, with over thirty years of experience in designing and delivering strategic solutions to financial, risk and operational challenges.
She has previously held research and executive management roles at the University of Melbourne, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Australian College of Optometry, National Vision Research Institute, and Vision 2020 Australia.
Outside of her professional achievements, Maureen is known for her commitment to social causes. She has been a Board Director/member of various charitable initiatives aimed at education, healthcare, and environmental sustainability including Very Special Kids, BioMelbourne Network, and the Victorian Consultative Council for Clinical Trial Research.
