The Catholic Bishops of Victoria are pleased to announce the appointments to the Board of CatholicCare Victoria, including the appointment of Mr John Sheldon as inaugural Chair.
John Sheldon has served as the Chair of the CatholicCare Melbourne/Gippsland Board since February 2015 and is a highly experienced senior executive, mentor and coach having worked in the professional services/advisory market for over thirty years with Touche Ross and KPMG in Australia, Europe and Asia Pacific. John’s experience covers a wide range of industry sectors. John currently is a founding partner in the Executive and Board Search and Assessment firm, Sheldon Harris.
‘I am very humbled and honoured to be appointed to Chair of this exciting new venture,’ said Mr Sheldon.
‘I look forward to working across the State of Victoria as we look to expand our services to the most disadvantaged and marginalised in our community and I am excited at the breadth and depth of talent within our organisation to make this happen.’
Joining John Sheldon on the CatholicCare Victoria Board are:
- Fr Charles Balnaves, Parish Priest of St Joseph’s Parish, Meredith Victoria. Prior to his ordination as a Priest, Fr Charles worked in the petroleum industry for 30 years. He brings rich experience of family life arising from 36 years of marriage and the raising of two sons, now in their forties. Following his wife Tanya’s death in 2012, Fr Charles undertook a journey of discernment which led to ordination as a Permanent Deacon and then as a Priest. In addition to running the Parish of Meredith, he is involved with CatholicCare’s Prison Chaplaincy Program.
- Ross Castle, General Manager, Client Engagement at Catholic Church Insurance. In his current role, Ross has overall responsibility for CCI’s client engagement strategy and leads the national CCI teams in meeting all day-to-day needs of the CCI clients. Ross was appointed to CatholicCare Melbourne/Gippsland Board in December 2018.
- Sarah McAdie, Director of Public Affairs at Bendigo Health. Sarah oversees both the Public Affairs, Fundraising and Governance and Business planning departments at Bendigo Health, and was appointed to the CatholicCare Sandhurst Board in November 2019.
- Sara McIvor, Director, Audit, Risk and Integrity at the Victorian Department of Transport. Sarah’s position has responsibility for the key assurance activities across this significant government department. Sara was appointed to the CatholicCare Melbourne/Gippsland Board in 2018.
- Kevin Murnane, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, a registered Tax Agent and holds a Diploma of Business Studies. He brings to the Board skills in finance, governance and systems development. He is a volunteer with St Vincent de Paul services in the Cathedral Parish in Ballarat as well as in the administration of Snake Valley Golf Club. He was appointed to the Centacare Ballarat Board in 2018.
- John Murphy, has had a 40-year career in the Commonwealth Public Service that encompassed roles in personnel management, organisational design, resource modelling and management, policy development, community development and the delivery of community services. John joined the CatholicCare Sandhurst Board in April 2017.
- Maureen Waddington, Director of Mission at St John of God Hospitals Ballarat/Bendigo with responsibility for the social outreach community mental health programs, Pomegranate House, Bloomsbury House, Raphael House and International Health Twinning Program in Tonga. Maureen was appointed Chair of the Centacare Ballarat Board in June 2019.
The inaugural members of the CatholicCare Victoria Board bring an immense wealth of knowledge, skills and experience to the new organisation. They will provide strategy, leadership and governance to steer CatholicCare Victoria to excellence as a provider of care for the disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalised in our community.
The Board appointments are another step forward in the landmark merging of the social service agencies of the Victorian dioceses, following the signing of the Transition Agreement by the Victorian Bishops on 8 December 2020.
About CatholicCare Victoria
From 1 January 2021, Centacare Ballarat, CatholicCare Melbourne/Gippsland and CatholicCare Sandhurst will merge to form a new entity. CatholicCare Victoria will draw on a combined 184 years of experience in delivering excellence in a broad range of child, family and community services. It will operate from 20 office locations and a further 107 delivery sites, including offices in Melbourne, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong and Shepparton and a footprint that extends to all corners of Victoria.
