Patron

The Honourable Mike Ahern AO

The Honourable Mike Ahern AO was a former Queensland Premier and over time held the Ministries of Primary Industries, Industry and Technology, and Health and Environment. Sadly Mike passed away in August 2023. He will be greatly missed by Queensland Community Foundation.

Mike was also Chairman of the Australian Liver Foundation and it was his request that those who wish to remember him make a lasting legacy through the QCF Liver Foundation sub-fund.

Board of Governors

The Honourable Margaret McMurdo AC (Chair)

Margaret McMurdo was President, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Queensland from 1998 until her resignation on 26 March 2017, an Assistant Public Defender from 1977 to 1989 and she practised at the Bar from 1989 until 1991 when she became the first woman and the youngest person to be appointed to the District Court of Queensland.

Margaret was awarded an honorary doctorate from Griffith University in 2001 and the Centenary Medal in 2003 and in 2006 she received the Agnes McWhinney award from the Queensland Law Society for outstanding professional contribution by a woman lawyer.  She was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2007 for service to the law and judicial administration in Queensland, particularly in areas of legal education and women’s issues.

In 2009, she received an honorary degree from the Queensland University of Technology and in 2012 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Queensland. Margaret was a founding committee member of the Women Lawyers’ Association of Queensland and its president in 1980-81.

Margaret is currently chair of the board of Legal Aid Queensland and patron of Women’s Legal Service, Caxton Legal Service, and LawRight’s Civil Justice Fund.

She is a founding Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, a member of the American Law Institute, an adjunct professor at the T C Beirne school of law, University of Queensland, and the inaugural judge in residence at the law school of Southern Cross University.

Paul Antonio

Paul Antonio grew up on the family farm in the Millmerran area completing tertiary studies at the Queensland Agricultural College (now UQ Gatton) before embarking on a long and distinguished career in Local Government since 1982.

In 2000 Paul was elected unopposed as Mayor of Milmerran Shire council  and subsequently became Mayor of the newly created Toowoomba Regional Council in 2012 remaining for two further terms.  Paul was Deputy Chair of the Council of Mayors in South East Queensland and applied this experience to a collective group of Mayors covering eleven councils that stretch over one quarter of Queensland land area.

Since his ‘retirement’ Paul now divides his time between his Board commitments and his much loved family farm.

Professor Peter Coaldrake AO

Professor Peter Coaldrake AO completed his almost fifteen-year term as Vice-Chancellor and CEO of QUT at the end of 2017. Peter is a dual Fulbright Scholar, and author or editor of a number of books and monographs, including most recently as co-author (with Dr Lawrence Stedman), of Raising the Stakes: Gambling with the Future of Universities (UQP, April 2013; second edition 2016). Peter Coaldrake was recently appointed as Chair of the Board of the Queensland Performing Arts Trust. He is also Chair of the National Fulbright Selection Committee and of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management. He served a two year term as Chair of the Board of Universities Australia until May 2011 and completed a further three year term as a member of that Board in May 2017. Peter Coaldrake was named this year as a recipient of a 2017 Queensland Great Award by the Premier, and was also awarded the 2016 Asia Pacific Leadership Award by the Council for Advancement of Support of Education (CASE).

Alistair Comyn

Alistair has over 16 years of experience in financial services and has worked in Australia and the United Kingdom (UK).

Alistair has held a number of finance roles within QIC including QIC’s Head of Financial Advisory.

Alistair holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Cape Town, and is a Chartered Global Management Accountant.

Nina Crawford

Having worked across virtually all communication, issues management and marketing disciplines, Nina is recognised as an accomplished and respected strategist. During her 20+ years of consulting she has held senior roles in global, listed and government organisations in Australia and New Zealand. Her extensive experience spans defence, infrastructure, transport, aviation/airports, tourism, healthcare and telecommunications industries.

Nina co-owned a five-star Fijian resort (Small Luxury Hotel of the Year 2000”) for 15 years. During this time she drove a Health and Education Foundation supporting 1000 villagers. This resulted in the establishment of the first ever island kindergarten, provision of teacher’s salaries, ‘mainland’ boarding and secondary education for the island children who wanted to go down that path. An island medical centre was established, with the Foundation paying for qualified nursing staff and hospital grade equipment.

Nina is a past Management Committee member of ‘Fostering Executive Women’ (FEW), a QUT Alumni Chapter for female postgraduates and currently enrolled female postgraduate students of the QUT Business School, with the broad goal of advancing women in business and leadership.

Bernard Curran

Bernard Curran is an Executive Director of BDO and a former partner of the firm. He is currently a Director of Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Bickerton Master Holdings Pty Ltd, and the Treasurer of the Caxton Legal Centre Inc.

Bernard is a past Chair of The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation and Creche and Kindergarten Association, and also serves on the Advisory Boards of a number of Private Companies.

He is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Professor Sandra Harding AO

Professor Sandra Harding AO served as Vice Chancellor and President of James Cook University Australia from January 2007 to February 2022. In this role, she was responsible for ensuring clear and effective leadership and management of the University across all operating sites, including campuses in Cairns, Singapore and Townsville. At her retirement, she was the longest serving Vice Chancellor of any Australian university. She has undertaken sectoral leadership positions, including as Chair of the national peak body, Universities Australia (2013-2015), and as the inaugural Chair of the Queensland Vice Chancellors Committee (May 2020-December 2021). A Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Professor Harding is a well-experienced Board Director, serving as Chair or Director of many organisations across a range of sectors in Australia and abroad.

Nicole Holder

Nicole is a financial services specialist who has worked in investment banking, funds management and professional services in both Australia and the United Kingdom. She has worked in various roles in global companies including roles in tax, finance, audit and business management.

Nicole currently works at Queensland Investment Corporation, within the Finance team. She also serves as the Chair of the Board of the QCF Management Company.

Nicole has a Bachelor of Business – Accountancy from the Queensland University of Technology and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.

Stephanie Paul

Stephanie Paul provides strategic counsel in corporate and financial communication, reputation management, stakeholder engagement and organisational change and transformation.

Her leadership of client teams and results achieved has been acknowledged internationally and nationally for setting industry benchmarks.

She is highly respected for her strategic ability to work with leadership and multi-disciplinary management teams to address complex business challenges to achieve outcomes. Her extensive experience spans the private and public sectors.

Courtney Talbot

Courtney is a Company Director who holds voluntary positions in various community organisations including Queensland Library Foundation, MS Queensland and Brisbane Festival.

In 2018, Courtney was named QCF’s Emerging Philanthropist of the year for her inspiring commitment to philanthropy.

Courtney is a member of Philanthropy Australia’s New Generation of Giving Programme and coaches Queensland’s most elite female rowing crew.