OUR BOARD
John B Fairfax, AO President
John Fairfax, AO was a director of Fairfax Media from 2007 to 2010 after serving as Chairman of Rural Press since 1990. He began his career in 1961 as a cadet journalist at The Sydney Morning Herald and worked in management positions throughout Fairfax before he was appointed to the board in 1979. He is a Director of Marinya Capital Pty Limited, Patron of The Red Room Company Ltd and was Chairman of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Foundation 2008-2012.
Paul StruttChairman
Paul joined the board of The Girls & Boys Brigade in May 2015 and became Chairman of the Board in June 2022. He was a former Director and Treasurer for ING Bank NV in Australia with 30 years’ experience in the Financial Markets.
Michael Forsdick Treasurer
Michael is an Oxford University graduate with a Masters in Botany, a retired Chartered Accountant and former partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he specialised in personal tax. He is currently Chairman of Fauna and Flora International Australia and joined the Board of The Girls & Boys Brigade in 2013.
Ruth Armytage, AM Director
Ruth joined the Board of The Girls & Boys Brigade in 1990. She was formerly an early childhood educator and teacher. Ruth has been on other not for profit Boards which have focused on early intervention, young children and youth.
Samantha DunlopDirector
Sam joined the Girls & Boys Brigade Finance Committee in June 2021 and was appointed to the Board in August 2022. Sam is a Chartered Accountant currently employed by Sydney Airport as a Senior Finance Analyst. Previous to this she spent three years with Scentre Group as a Finance Analyst in their Commercial Delivery Team and four years with KPMG in their Private Enterprise division.
Andy FairfaxDirector
Andy joined the board of The Girls & Boys Brigade in 2020. He worked in the wholesale/distribution of manufactured goods for outdoor activities before embarking on a career in the banking sector. Following this, he gained an honours degree in Marine Biology. Andy currently sits on the board of directors for a variety of family investment companies and foundations.
Paul MasiDirector
Paul is a non Executive Director of Shaw and Partners Ltd and is the former Country Head and Chief Executive Officer of Merrill Lynch in Australia. Paul is a past attendee of the Brigade and was appointed to the Board of The Girls & Boys Brigade in 2010.
Joshua O’RourkeDirector
Joshua brings 20 years’ experience in the not-for-profit sector having worked across international development, human rights, education, healthcare and medical research. As Philanthropy Group Manager at The Smith Family, Joshua leads relationship fundraising at Australia’s largest children’s education charity. Joshua has previously held leadership roles at Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Amnesty International Australia and Compassion Australia.
Andrea Molloy
Company Secretary
Andrea started with the Brigade in 2004 and enjoys her role looking after all the finances for the Brigade. Using her experience in banking and computer systems, Andrea has been able to help the Brigade stay up to date in financial management and install systems to streamline its financial operations. Andrea enjoys the challenges that working for a small charity can bring and loves the sound of children’s voices through the building.
