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Here is the team behind the scene!
Board of Directors |
Sean Gordon
Founder |
Sean Gordon is the Founder of School Aid Trust.
Sean was principal of 4 schools in 2 states over a period of 18 years and after serving on many state and national peak association committees for principals (APPA, ACPPA, APAPDC and ACSP) was awarded Life Membership of the Australian Primary Principal’s Association (2004) and the Australian Catholic Primary Principals’ Association (1991).
Sean’s community involvement saw him recognised as an ambassador for the Year of the Outback, Gold Duke of Edinburgh recipient and Premier of NSW Award for his involvement at the Thredbo landslide rescue.
Sean and his partner Jo-Anne live in Redcliffe in QLD where they share the parenting of 4 beautiful children: Josie, Caitlin, Michael and Cristin.
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Rob Irving
Chairman |
 Rob Irving was appointed Chairman of the Board in July 2008.
Rob co-founded Forte Communications in 1992. He coaches on executive performance, communication, messaging, presentations and pitches, and is passionate about mentoring people, pitching, brand communication and writing.
He has over 20 years management experience at multi-national advertising agency J Walter Thompson and has held CEO positions in Johannesburg, Cape Town, London and Sydney involving communication planning, business development and competitive submissions.
Rob also has strong community involvement, across a number of social and business initiatives.
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Lisa Cotton
Social Ventures Australia
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 Lisa has an extensive background in marketing and business strategy in the public, private and non-profit sectors. She leads SVA's Social Investment team and is responsible for building SVA's network and managing a diverse portfolio of funders.
Lisa has a depth of practical and theoretical knowledge of philanthropy and corporate social responsibility. She has consulted to a range of non-profit organisations, is an alumni of the Prince of Wales Business and the Environment Programme. |
Martin Dalgleish
Consolidated Media Holdings Limited |
 Martin is the Executive Director of Consolidated Media Holdings Limited (CMH) and is accountable for maximising CMH’s performance through its portfolio of media investments. He is also a Director of Premier Media Group and NineMSN, and an alternate director of PBL Media, FOXTEL and SEEK.
With experience extending across Australia and the UK, Martin has held a variety of consumer and technology management roles with leading global brands including IBM, PepsiCo, Dixons and The Rank Group.
He has an MBA from the Cranfield School of Management in the UK. He also holds a Bachelor of Business (Information Technology) from the Western Australian Institute of Technology. |
Tony McGruther
Educationalist |
 As a primary principal and teacher for thirty five years the opportunity to serve School Aid accords with Tony's belief that a truly educated person is one who exercises understanding, compassion, generosity and optimism.
For Tony, School Aid lives where education meets philanthropy: "The anonymous coin dropping into a tin may change the life of the receiver but when that coin is tracked to its impact and its context then we also stand to change the life of the giver." |
Tony Ryan
Educational Consultant |
 Tony Ryan () is an educational consultant and writer, and offers professional support to school organisations throughout the world on issues such as change leadership, lifelong learning and quality classroom practice.
He has been engaged as a teacher-in-residence in over 500 schools throughout several countries. In this role, he teaches extensively, and offers guidance to teachers with their everyday practice. |
Richard Sauerman
Wake Up Tiger |
 Richard is a brand storyteller and public speaker, with an advertising background and a decent education in literature, philosophy and psychology. He grew up in Cape Town, and has been living and working in Sydney for over twenty years. After completing full-time service in the ad industry, Richard left to chase his dream to make a difference. He believes that all people have the desire and the capacity to be EXTRA-ordinary human beings, given the right encouragement, support and ‘the space to be’. Wake Up Tiger (www.wakeuptiger.org) is his “dream come true”.
He is married to Claire with three EXTRA-ordinary kids aged sixteen (Nick), fourteen (Sophie) and nine (Roxy), and lives in a rambling sandstone home on Sydney’s Lower North Shore, a short drive from Shelley Beach. |
Greg Sharman
Donohoe Sharman |
Greg brings extensive corporate marketing and management experience to School Aid. His management background includes senior positions with Westpac, Unilever, Kimberly Clark and AC Nielsen. Additionally, Greg has co-founded several successful start-ups in the e-commerce, web development and interactive marketing sectors.
Greg has long-term involvement in community projects, with a special interest in helping children achieve their full potential. He also serves as a Director of Good Beginnings Australia. |
Staff |
Julie Urquhart
CEO |
 Julie joined School Aid as its inaugural CEO in January 2008.
She has had extensive executive and senior management experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors, most recently as Head of Community & Reputation with the Commonwealth Bank and CEO of the Dymocks Literacy Foundation.
She serves on the Board of Australia's leading percussion ensembles Synergy Taikoz and the Management Committee of the Karuna Foundation Children's Fund.
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Christine McLiver
Operations & Development Manager |
 Christine joined School Aid as Operations and Development Manager in August 2008.
She has an extensive track record in program planning, implementation and evaluation; marketing and communications and investor relations with a number of major Australian companies and institutions.
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Anna Brown
Operations & Administration
Coordinator |
 Anna joined School Aid in November 2007 with a solid background in office administration, customer service, operations and event coordination.
She holds a Bachelor of Social Science from Macquarie University, loves to row and volunteers with the State Emergency Service.
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