People

Peter Kronborg, Executive Chair

B. Juris, LLB, MBA, FAICD, FIPAA, FGIA

Areas of Expertise

• Insightful board reviews
• Innovative strategic governance
• Director and executive assessment and development

Experience

As a board advisor Peter has been reviewing boards and directors for over 30 years. He has undertaken reviews of some of the most complex boards in the corporate, private, government and NFP fields.

Peter has been a director on a range of boards for decades. Pleasingly, these include 12 years in the Royal Flying Doctor Service as Director, Chair and Deputy Chair at a state or national level during substantial growth and change.
Professionally his career spans law, marketing, strategy, general management, consulting and executive director roles.

Personally, he is an avid reader, adventurer and owner of Covid canine collie ‘Willow’.

Simon Rumore, Managing Director

B. Com, FAICD, CIECL

Areas of Expertise

• Board and committee structures and membership
• Managing the interface between the board and management
• Aligning strategy and culture for corporate outcomes
• Certified coach and mentor focusing on non-executive directors

Experience

For 5 years Simon has advised complex organisations undertaking once in a generation governance reforms as an independent advisor or as a key member of the AICD’s Board Advisory Practice.

Simon is Deputy Chair, Open Minds Australia, a NDIS provider and for 6 years was a non-executive director of Amnesty International Australia. He has chaired committees responsible for governance, nominations, safety, membership engagement and strategy.

Simon started his career as an organisational development consultant then spent a decade as an interim executive supporting organisations throughout the Asia Pacific Region.

In 2021 he will buy a Vespa scooter as a more economical and sustainable choice. An icon of style that pays tribute to his Italian heritage!

Melinda Muth, Practice Director

BSc, MBA, PhD, FAICD

Areas of Expertise

• Guiding the interface between the board and management
• Group behaviour and effective stakeholder engagement
• Governance of organisational culture for positive corporate outcomes
• Governance of non-profit sector and Indigenous organisations

Experience

Melinda is a highly reputed organisation development Specialist Advisor. For over 25 years she advised, researched and facilitated in leadership development, team effectiveness and organisational culture. She provides Boards and executives with targeted skills workshops and tailored leadership programs helping people connect their way of leading and communicating with ethical behaviour, a sound cultural foundation and positive performance outcomes. Melinda is an education faculty facilitator with the Australian Institute of Company of Company Directors (AICD). She has joined with Peakstone Global to extend her services to advance governance to leading, learning and improvement focused organisations.

Melinda’s governance experience includes director roles with Harvard Club Australia Philanthropy, CuriousWorks, HeartKids NSW, the Quest Foundation, the Union University & Schools Club and Indigenous Community Volunteers where she was Chair of the Audit & Risk Management Committee. She is the Founder Director of Streamwise Learning and member of the Academy of Management and the Australian Human Resource Institute. Previously, Melinda has held a number of senior executive positions, including National Director of Business Development and Marketing for Deloitte.

Melinda is an active thought leader and writer on governance issues. She co-authored with Bob Selden: Setting the Tone from the Top: How leaders’ conversations shape a positive culture. The book is highly recommended by Peakstone Global for all directors and executives.

Melinda’s favourite pastime is entertaining family and friends with new food menus with matching wine, plus trying to convince her husband there is still room in the wine cellar for her latest wine purchases.

Steven Cole, Specialist Advisor

LLB (Hons), FAICD

Areas of Expertise

• Effective Governance for Enhanced Performance Outcomes
• Legal Perspective and Insights
• Board Dynamics and Cultural Performance and Evaluation
• Organisational Strategy and Risk Management

Experience

Steven has over 40 years of professional, corporate and business experience through senior legal consultancy, as well as a range of executive management and non-executive appointments. Over recent years Steven’s clients in the local government and aged care sectors have welcomed his shared experience, insights and guidance through facilitated workshop sessions in support of their strategic objectives. 

Steven’s extensive boardroom and board sub-committee experience covers the industrial, financial, educational, professional services, agribusiness, health, local government and resources sectors.

Steven’s appointments encompass Chair and Director roles at ASX listed, public unlisted, statutory authority, proprietary, business association and NFP/charitable organisations.

Following appointment as managing partner of a large commercial law firm in the 1990’s, Steven pivoted his career towards the corporate boardroom. 

He is a sought after speaker and presenter at industry and professional conferences and seminars in Australia and Asia as well as having authored publications and journal articles on emerging governance related issues.

Steven has a wholesome approach to life remaining active in his recreational sporting endeavours (veteran’s hockey and competitive sailing) as well as being ‘hands-on’ in working his Margaret River olive grove with his wife Robin.

Connie Howe, Specialist Advisor

BEc, CA, GAICD, IM&A, RCA

Areas of Expertise

• ESG and sustainability governance and reporting
• Integration of ESG and sustainability into business practices
• Corporate reporting, audit and assurance and board responsibilities
• Superannuation and insurance governance and operation

Experience

Connie has over 25 years’ experience in finance, risk, governance and corporate reporting mainly in the superannuation sector and the insurance sector including providing advisory services to Boards and Board sub-committees on governance and reporting issues. From 2014 to 2020, Connie was an executive and the Company Secretary of Australian Council of Superannuation Investors that assists super funds with integrating ESG factors into investment assessments and stewardship and engages with listed companies on their ESG performance and disclosures.

Connie has comprehensive knowledge of the major sustainability reporting frameworks and standards and extensive experience in international accounting standards, corporate reporting and assurance, corporate governance, and ESG integration and practices. Over the past eight years, she has been an active member of key ESG forums, conferences and events both in Australia and globally in the promotion of ESG integration and the enhancement of sustainability reporting. Connie is also the author of The Essential Guide to ESG & Sustainability Governance for Board Directors and Officers.

Connie’s international career experience includes nine years with PwC across Australia, the United States and China in the Insurance and Superannuation Practice, several years with the American International Assurance, and various senior positions at the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office and a mid-tier accounting firm. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant in Australia, a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, an ASIC Registered Company Auditor, a Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) consultant, an Integrated Reporting <IR> consultant, an IFRS Sustainability Alliance member and an International Mergers & Acquisitions Expert Charterholder.

Connie grew up in an artist’s family and has a strong appreciation of opera, theatre, and other performing arts. She lives in Melbourne and enjoys the rich artistic, culinary, literary and musical culture that the city encompasses.

Marion Macleod, Specialist Advisor

BSc, MBA, FAICD

Areas of Expertise

• Guiding strategy setting and risk management discussions of Board and Management
• Risk appetite frameworks
• Board governance structure and processes including; board evaluations, skills matrices, charters and committee structures
• Constitutional, shareholder agreement, and board frameworks

Experience

Marion is a highly experienced Director and Board Advisor. She facilitates the AICD’s Company Directors and specialist courses in Risk and Strategy. For over 20 years she has advised companies including delivered the award winning, ‘Effective Director’ Program for NAB.

Most recently Marion has been the President of Melbourne Rotary in its centenary year. She relinquished chairing 2 companies to do this but remains a director on both. She has also chaired a variety of boards and committees across many sectors, including V-Line, Mecwa CARE, Metlink, VFF, and CAE. She was a Councillor on the AICD Victorian Council.

Marion studied science before her television directing and Telstra Mobiles careers. She led Market Research before heading up functions in Marketing Operations, Strategy and Business Planning. Her interest in Learning and Development led her to be General Manager CEVA for ANZ.

A keen skier and bushwalker, Marion is taking on the Milford/Routeburn tracks this year, New Zealand and Australia COVID bubble permitting. This will be reminiscent of her beloved Scottish ‘Munros’!

Jason Wilk, Specialist Advisor

FAICD, CGEIT, BSc

Areas of Expertise

• Technology strategy and risk for Directors and the interface with management
• Cyber for Directors, from culture to crisis management
• Managing the interface between the board and management

Experience

For 15 years Jason has advised a broad range of organisations on Governance, Risk, Strategy and Resilience issues at the interface between Directors and Executives.  Over the last 10 years Jason has been a Senior AICD Facilitator, Course Author, Course Reviewer and AICD Board Advisor.

Jason spent 15 years as the Managing Director of a boutique consulting firm specialising in governance of technology risk and cyber security, is an Executive Director of EviProof a technology start-up, chairs the IT Steering Committee for Development WA and has been a non-executive director and committee chair on several Associations including LEARN Foundation for Autism and Interchange WA.

Jason started his career in IT, progressing through various management roles until heading up Cyber Security for several large financial institutions. The pivot to Governance consulting was a logical extension of Jason’s unique ability to translate technology issues and concepts for Directors and Executives and then business issues back to technologists.

With two girls rapidly approaching their teenage years Jason is desperately trying to enable them to survive as digital natives facing vastly different career options!

Rob Newman, Specialist Advisor

BA, PG PSYCH, FMAPS

Areas of Expertise

• Behavior and conflict in the boardroom
• Organisational Culture and Conduct Risk
• Survey analysis using advanced psychometrics and systems models

Experience

Rob is an organisational psychologist who for 25 years has specialised in Board and executive dynamics, leadership coaching and organisational culture.  Using tools from psychology, management theory and statistics he works in the space between the human facets of business and the corporate systems of governance, strategy, structure and operations. Aside from his consulting work, Rob is also a faculty member at the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) where he leads the advanced course in boardroom behaviour, the Boardroom Mastery program.

Rob helps organisations deal with problems such as: leader performance, board and executive conflict, failures in organisational cultural and people risk.  In all his work Rob’s primary goal is to create alignment and synergy between people and organisational systems, such that high performance can emerge and be sustained.

Rob also leads an advisory and consultancy firm providing organisational psychology services in the areas of human and organisational assessment, group facilitation, team development and organisational change. The firm has been designing change programs for individuals, groups and organisations, since 1991 – each one customised to suit specific organisational needs, cultures and environments.

Rob also holds directorship roles in Schuhfried Australia, an international supplier of clinical assessment tools to the medical and neuroscience markets, and Veedre, a psychometric testing firm servicing mining and transport industries. 

When Rob isn’t in a boardroom somewhere, he enjoys renovating his home of 15 years.  His wife just wishes he would hire tradespeople instead.

Claire Davis, Specialist Advisor

GAICD, GCEL, GCBA, FCA, BA (Hons) Accy

Areas of Expertise

• Director and executive coach and mentor
• Group dynamics and influence
• Strategic risk and opportunity management
• Innovation oversight

Experience

Claire has extensive experience advising Boards of small to large enterprises. As a Director and CFO of companies in Australia and UK, Claire has overseen and led change at company and sector level to access innovative funding and influence changes in industry regulation. Claire’s coaching and mentoring practice is evidence-based and draws on her extensive Board experience. Her industry and client experience include: FMCG, consulting, legal and financial services, mining, media, private health insurance, property development and management, aged care, mental health and social services.

Claire has over 25 years’ experience serving on Boards of commercial and commercially minded NFP organisations. Roles included Board Chair and chairing committees covering finance, audit, risk, governance, nominations and remuneration. Claire is Vice Chair of BlueCHP and director of Open Minds, chairing committees in both organisations.

As a Chartered Accountant, Claire worked with a top four firm of accountants. Her roles included CFO and Director of Corporate Services, leading large multi-disciplinary teams. Claire has coached leaders since 2006, focussing on leadership, influence and business improvement.

In 2021 Claire found a love of preparing dinosaur bones for preservation in Queensland’s beautiful outback. She will attend her first dig for bones later this year.

Matthew Kronborg, Specialist Advisor

LLM(Melb), B.Tech, B.Business, GAICD, Dip. Sustainability, Cert. Energy Innovation (Stanford)

Areas of Expertise

• Sustainable development & cleantech strategy
• Non-profit governance
• Start-up partnerships 
• Advisory Board establishment & governance
• Government & corporate affairs

Experience

For over a decade Matthew has been a board advisor, board member, executive and consultant across the corporate, NFP, government, private equity and start-up sectors where has had strong successes in performance and governance improvement.

Matthew is a founding director of Grainstone an agrifoodtech company, a NED of Trust for Nature a statutory body, a previous leader of the United Nations presence in Australia and other board roles. 

He has an extensive academic background spanning aerospace engineering, law, business, and sustainability. Matthew started his career in the Qantas Graduate Program and was the groups lead advisor on sustainability and cleantech. He is a former fellow of the Centre of Sustainability Leadership, Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum and member of the G20 YEA. He is often sought out for his advice on governance, innovation, technology, sustainability and foreign policy.

A lover of our great outdoors he has skied the Himalayas, sea kayaked Antarctic waters and white-water rafted in remote south-west Tasmania.

Dr Rachel Baird, Specialist Advisor

LLB, BA, LLM, MLdshp, PhD, GAICD, FGIA

Areas of Expertise

• Board and committee skills and membership
• ESG strategy development, policies and reporting outcomes
• Executive and director development

Experience

Rachel’s experience working with boards is as an internal and external advisor where she has guided strategy and governance reviews, policy health checks, crisis response and risk management.

Rachel is the Chair of SouthMAC, an AFMA fisheries advisory committee and the President of the Melbourne University Alumni Council. She is a member of the RSL Queensland Governance and Constitutions Committee. Rachel has previously served on school councils, NFP and sporting boards and has chaired or been a member of committees responsible for safety, audit and risk and governance.

Rachel commenced her career as a military lawyer before specialising in environmental law gaining private practice and academic experience. Following this, she worked in leadership roles across membership organisations, the resources sector and legal practice before embarking on a successful governance consultancy career.

In 2023 Rachel is fulling a lifelong and academic passion for all things Antarctica by embarking on a three-week cruise which includes following Shackleton’s ‘do or die’ trek over South Georgia at the end of his Endurance expedition.