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 Strutt
Chairman

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.

Paul Masi
Treasurer

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.

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 Dunlop
Director

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 Fairfax
Director

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.

Joshua O’Rourke
Director

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.

Margaret Sheehan
Director

Margaret Sheehan joined the Board on 20 August 2025. She is an experienced public health and international development executive with over 30 years’ experience across the education, health and humanitarian sectors. Margaret has held senior leadership roles with the World Health Organization, UNICEF and ChildFund Australia, where she has served as Chief Executive Officer since 2019. She holds a Master of Public Health from Monash University.

Jean Findlay Gray
Director