Board of Governors & Research Advisory Committee

John is a former naval officer with three decades of combined military and defence industry experience.

As the co-founder and managing director of Cambrian Executive, a defence and space industry consultancy based in Adelaide, John has extensive expertise in strategic advisory and business growth for the defence and space sectors. He is an experienced business executive, having held senior leadership positions in both Australian-owned and multinational defence businesses as a general manager, business development director, and managing director.

John has 10 years non-executive board experience, including eight years as a member and now chairman of the Board of Governors of Military and Emergency Services Health Australia (MESHA). He has advocated for veterans and families of military and emergency services personnel over many years, serving multiple terms on both the South Australian Veterans Health Advisory Council and Veterans Advisory Council as a member, deputy chair and chair.

During his Royal Australian Navy career, John served as a weapons electrical engineer and completed a range of engineering and operational sea and shore postings. He was deployed overseas on operations and exercises, including to the Northern Arabian Gulf in 2004 in HMAS Stuart. John holds a Bachelor of Engineering from UNSW and is a graduate of the Australian Defence Force Academy.

Michael joined the Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) in February 1986 as a firefighter and progressed through the ranks to Chief Officer and Chief Executive Officer in 2018. During this time, he has served in various departments including Operations, Employee Support and Operational Human Resources. Michael drives vision, development and delivery of integrated and complex strategies across the emergency services within South Australia and nationally. Michael has led many wellbeing studies and implemented wellness programs in the MFS and the broader emergency services sector.

Born and raised in country South Australia, Cheryl Pearce is one of the very few females to rise through the Army ranks to Major General. She led a peacekeeping mission as the Forces Commander of the United Nations Force in Cyprus, before taking up the appointment as Deputy Commissioner of the Australian Border Force, and then subsequently as Deputy Chief of the Army. Cheryl has been recently appointed as the United Nations Deputy Military Advisor at their headquarters in New York City. 

As well as Cheryl’s extensive experience in both military and policing roles, she has strong family links to the emergency services, with her partner serving in the Australian Federal Police and her parents having worked in both paid and volunteer roles with the SA Ambulance Service and State Emergency Service. Cheryl is also a New York Marathon finisher, proud mum of two daughters and Member of the Order of Australia for Exceptional Leadership. 

Jeremy has near 20 years of experience working in the defence sector, both in uniform and within industry.

While in the Australian Army, his training and operational roles were varied including air and missile defence operations, senior leadership and strategic planning roles.

In industry, he has worked as an industry consultant within State Government and now holds the role of leading BAE’s Global Access Program, supporting Australian SME to compete for work within the business’ global supply chain. This work includes dedicated supplier uplift activities, including supporting small business with their certification requirements.

He is a passionate advocate of Australian industry capability, with a day to day role of engaging widely with defence industry stakeholders both domestically and internationally.

Jeremy is a proud to support the development and delivery world class capability to our troops, albeit from behind the scenes within industry. However, he can be found pulling on a uniform every now and then as a reservist within 16th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery.

An avid sporting fan, he is equally as passionate in supporting veteran affairs, and the current chair of BAE’s Veteran Advisory Committee. Jeremy is married to Stacey and they share a young daughter and son.

Marc has 30 years of experience in the Defence sector, including 20 years in the military and a further 10 years in Defence industry.

Marc was an artillery officer in the British Army before qualifying as an Army helicopter pilot. After moving to Australia, Marc continued with the Australian Army in a range of leadership and staff roles and received a Master in Management Studies from UNSW. His military career highlights include operational deployments to Northern Ireland and Afghanistan.

Since leaving the ADF, Marc has mainly worked in leadership and management roles in Defence industry.  He is currently leading the Land & Aerospace business in a major Defence prime, responsible for the delivery of a range of complex projects, growing the business and diversifying into new areas.

Driven to support veterans and their families, Marc established a veteran employment initiative which has grown over a number of years to become a nationally recognised program across all of the company sites in Australia. He is the Chair of the company’s Veteran Advisory Committee and has represented the company on the Industry Advisory Committee for the federal Veteran Employment Program.

Marc is married to Susannah and they have two teenage daughters. He is a cricket fan, a keen student of military history and enjoys walks with his Labrador and running.

Mr Jeff Swann joined the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) in June 2000. Jeff was appointed as Chief Officer and Chief Executive in March 2024. During his career with the MFS, he has instructed and assessed staff in Breathing Apparatus, Structural Firefighting, HAZMAT, and Aerial Appliance Operations.

Jeff’s commitment to professional development is evident in his educational qualifications. He holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance and a Diploma in Business Management. His thirst for knowledge extends beyond the classroom, as he is a Director and Vice-Chairperson of the Fire Service Credit Union and Chairperson of the Remuneration Committee. Jeff’s influence also extends to the boardrooms, where he serves as a director on the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service Superannuation Scheme board and the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission (SAFECOM).

Over the last year, Jeff has led the new MFS 5-year Strategic Plan Project and is currently guiding the MFS through significant change to ensure the MFS is prepared for the challenges ahead.

Karen May is the Associate Director, Military and Emergency Services Health Australia and also currently working on her PhD at University of Adelaide focussing on a therapeutic model for children of a parent with service related Post-Traumatic Stress. Karen’s background is psychotherapy, participatory action research and community development.

Karen has worked with many communities who have experienced trauma in Australia and developing countries. Since 2015 Karen has worked on building capacity in the military, emergency service and families sector to improve health and wellbeing through research, advocacy and sector collaboration to establish policy, change, models of care and programs.

Paul is an experienced, innovative, and entrepreneurial Board Director and Chief Executive who has earned a stellar reputation for impact during a distinguished career in both the Finance and not-for-profit sectors.

Paul has received several awards and acknowledgements for his outstanding contributions to the Banking and Investment Industry, as well as the field of social entrepreneurship and not-for-profit organisations.

He was awarded a Senior Fellowship at the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, which recognises his exceptional achievements in the industry. Additionally, he was named the Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year in South Australia/Northern Territory for his innovative work in the field of social entrepreneurship. Moreover, he received the Equity Trustees Australian Not-for-Profit CEO Award for Innovation, which acknowledges his contributions to the growth and development of not-for-profit organisations. Finally, Paul was also awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the University of South Australia in recognition of his exceptional work and contributions to the community.

Paul is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and currently holds positions as a Non-Executive Director BiomeBank Pty Ltd, Director of Military and Emergency Services Health Australia, and a Governor of Pulteney Grammar School.

Paul is Chief Executive Officer of The Hospital Research Foundation Group and of its Australian affiliates: Military and Emergency Services Health Australia; Australian Breast Cancer Research; Kidney, Transplant and Diabetes Research Australia; Australian Prostate Cancer Society Ltd; The Centre for Creative Health; THRF Group – Stroke; THRF Group- Parkinson’s; Parkinson’s ACT Inc, THRF Group Palliative Care, Arthritis Foundation SA, and Australian Heart Research.

Briony joined The Hospital Research Foundation (THRF) Group in 2010 and leads the day-to-day fundraising operations to ensure the strategic and operational goals of the organisation are met.

As COO, Briony assists the CEO in achieving THRF Group’s strategic and operational goals, including budget outcomes, enhancing the organisation’s effectiveness, providing leadership and overseeing portfolio initiatives as defined in the strategic plan. She provides the CEO with insight into areas of operations including policy direction, strategic marketing direction, group expansion and other initiatives.
As a key member of THRF Group’s Senior Executive Team, Briony provides strong and effective leadership by defining and achieving operational expectations, monitoring progress, and providing a work environment supportive of THRF Group’s strategic goals and ongoing staff development and growth.

Briony has a Masters in Business Administration, is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and sits on various sub-committees for THRF Group including ICT and Cybersecurity, Governance and Risk, Finance and Audit and Human Resources.

A member of the Fundraising Institute of Australia, Briony is a passionate follower of industry trends and innovations, particularly in the evolving world of experience management, consumer insights and the use of data.

Briony enjoys balancing her career with spending time with her young family, made possible through THRF’s family-friendly and flexible working environment.

Rajiv joined The Hospital Research Foundation (THRF) Group in 2023, leading the newly created Client and Patient Services portfolio. 

Rajiv is an experienced healthcare senior executive who has catalysed organisation-wide transformation across Healthcare within Australia’s largest private health insurance companies, State departments, and Health Advocacy groups with significant autonomy and responsibility over the end-to-end implementation of high-value programs that fortify brands such as BUPA, Medibank, SA Health and Dementia Australia. 

Central to all his work experiences is his drive to add value through embedding globally recognised contemporary practices as a trusted advisor to commercial sustainability and strengths-based people leadership. Underpinning his approach is a strategy toolkit that utilises human-centred design for lasting innovation. 

As a key member of THRF Group’s Senior Executive Team, Rajiv provides leadership, support and clinical guidance to ensure the Client and Patient Services brands deliver quality and contemporary services and research, leading to better health outcomes and impact for all Australians. 

Rajiv is tertiary qualified as a Registered Nurse and has a Master’s in Business Administration. He brings a wealth of experience in change management, service reform, clinical governance and service design to contribute to the impact strategy of The Hospital Research Foundation Group. 

He loves spending time with his son and family in his spare time. He is also connected with his cultural roots and strongly advocates diversity and inclusion. Rajiv also volunteers and serves as a Justice of Peace of South Australia.