Meet Our Board of Directors
Abby is a highly regarded business leader with a varied range of experience from multiple industries (Mining, Oil & Gas, Leisure & Hospitality, Retail), where he has formed part of diversified functions, leading and managing complex projects, teams and initiatives. Abby has extensive people and network management experience and has held responsibility for the development of stakeholder, strategic, governance and engagement plans for the operational and service delivery of workplace functions for more than 15 years.
Abby has established and planned long-term goals, corporate and management plans, and long-term policy direction towards providing constructive, objective and unbiased recommendations to multiple teams deployed within the functions and projects.
Abby was formerly a Board member of the Murdoch University Senate and a member of the Murdoch Audit & Risk Committee. Abby was also a Board member of Central Queensland University and Vice President of the Law Society of Central Queensland University. Abby is currently on the board of Swan City Youth Service supporting the needs of vulnerable young children.
Amber Harrold is an experienced executive leader who is passionate about ensuring older people in the community can access high quality support services to live independently with confidence and social connection.
With an extensive background in managing aged care, community services, and compliance organisations, Amber brings a wealth of experience in driving operational excellence, fostering strategic growth, and championing organisational development.
As an experienced Chief Operating Officer of an organisation that supports thousands of Aged Care and NDIS providers to manage their compliance, Amber has the ability to leverage her expertise in operations management, strategic planning, and leadership to optimise organisational performance and drive sustainable growth. Her keen insights into the evolving landscape of aged care enable her to navigate regulatory changes effectively, while contributing to strengthening the organisation’s resilience and developing high-quality compliance solutions.
Amber has extensive experience managing NFP and private sector organisations, a strong understanding of regulatory and legislative frameworks and government funding and is committed to building organisational capabilities by leveraging funding opportunities to build dynamic and sustainable services.
As a Board Director at Ageing with Grace Amber is dedicated to supporting the strategic objectives of the organisation, reducing social isolation and building connectivity within our ageing community.
Rachel is a seasoned chartered accountant with over two decades of experience, having held key leadership roles within multinational corporations. Her expertise spans various areas of accounting, including financial reporting, budgeting, strategic planning, risk management, and internal controls. Additionally, she has a strong background in commercial operations, including business development and sales.
Rachel possess a proven track record of driving strategic initiatives and fostering collaboration to achieve shared goals. She is dedicated to leveraging her leadership skills and passion for social impact to drive positive change in policies, programs, and resource allocation within the aged care sector, aiming to empower and uplift elderly individuals.
Rachel’s vision is to create a more inclusive and supportive society where elderly individuals are respected, valued, and provided with the assistance they need to age with grace, dignity and fulfilment.
Zubair has experience within both the UK’s and Australia’s private and not-for-profit healthcare sectors. He previously founded a nationwide telehealth service in Australia, and also has experience on an advisory board, panel, and committee, where he used his background and experience to help organisations achieve their objectives faster. Zubair is currently working as a Management Consultant in the Healthcare sector, and is driven to make healthcare more accessible for everyone.
James is passionate about improving health outcomes for older persons around Australia. He joins the Ageing with Grace board with over 15 years of international healthcare experience as a leader, CEO, Founder, and Board Director.
James is currently the CEO of Australia’s largest specialist aged care organisation treating vulnerable older persons in the community, improving access to care in both metro and regional areas. His previous experience includes being the CEO of a group of multi-disciplinary medical centres, the Healthcare Partner at a boutique advisory firm, and the Asia Pacific Director for Value-Based Healthcare at the largest Medical Technology company globally.
James’ background includes a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering, Masters in Business Administration, a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and an Alumni of Harvard Business School Executive Program.
Seshan is a highly accomplished and commercially astute healthcare professional, and brings over 14 years of industry experience to the Ageing With Grace Board. Seshan is qualified as a physiotherapist from the University of Melbourne, and has gained his post-graduate Masters in Business Administration from the Australian Institute of Management.
Seshan has demonstrated a strong track record for delivering shareholder value in highly complex operating environments, both at a site-specific, regional, and national level. Seshan offers the Ageing With Grace Board a broad range of working knowledge across various healthcare sub-industries including residential aged care, primary health care, community health and home care. He currently works as a General Manager within Residential Aged Care at Australian Unity, and has held a similar role previously with Regis Aged Care. Prior to this, Seshan was General Manager of a national community healthcare organisation, Own Body Mobile Health. Seshan was monumental in steering the organisation through change, including the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Mia Schaumberg is an experienced leader, mentor and academic with expertise in exercise, health, ageing and dementia prevention. Mia was awarded her PhD in exercise physiology at The University of Queensland in 2016, following which she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in exercise and dementia at the Queensland Brain Institute before joining the University of the Sunshine Coast in 2018. As an exercise physiologist by training, her research extends from laboratory studies through to community implementation and investigates the mechanisms and potential biomarkers underpinning the benefits of exercise and other lifestyle interventions for improving physical and cognitive functioning and psychosocial wellbeing, thereby reducing dementia risk in older people. Her work has a particular focus on rural and regional older adults and those at most risk of dementia, including socially isolated people, women, and older people with mental ill health and her expertise aligns closely with the Ageing with Grace Mission.
An IT and Business Systems professional with over twenty years of proven leadership experience managing IT departments in Digital Publishing, Not for Profit and Manufacturing. Comprehensive experience in the acquisition of management information systems, project management, including requirement analysis, design, system integration and test engineering.
Strong negotiation skills to achieve the best available solutions for the organisation. Exceptional drive and motivation to succeed. Demonstrated results in the management of high value projects in a multi-platform environment. An innovative thinker, with hands on systems and network support experience and strong interpersonal communication skills.
Christopher Straughan is a people-focused leader and studied at Murdoch University in Western Australia.
Christopher’s background is in dealing with People matters, industrial relations, employee relations, improving capability of organizations, people and commercial strategies, complex project management, change management and influence over stakeholder outcomes.
Christopher is instrumental in the development of teams and is a target driven individual with an outstanding business Acumen.