Anglicare WA Board

A large group of Anglicare WA staff looking at the camera at an event, they are carrying a Anglicare WA banner and smiling at the camera.

Governance by Our Board

The Board of Directors holds responsibility for the governance of Anglicare WA.

Anglicare WA's Board will govern with:

An emphasis on outward vision rather than an internal preoccupation.
Encouragement of diversity in viewpoints.
Strategic leadership more than administrative detail.
Collective rather than individual decision making.
A proactive rather than a reactive approach.

Appointing the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and regularly reviewing their performance to ensure effective leadership

Setting the long-term vision and strategic goals for Anglicare WA, and monitoring progress toward achieving them

Overseeing the organisation’s risk management framework to ensure risks are identified, assessed, and managed appropriately.

Adopting the annual budget and operational plan at the start of each financial year, and monitoring performance against financial and non-financial key indicators

Ensuring that the Board, staff, and organisation act legally, ethically, and responsibly in all matters.

Appointing an independent auditor to review Anglicare WA’s financial affairs and ensuring robust compliance systems and policies are in place.

Leading with Vision, Accountability, and Integrity

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Anglicare WA plays a pivotal role in translating the organisation’s strategic vision into operational reality.

The CEO is accountable to the Board of Directors as a whole—not to individual Board members, Officers, or Committees—for the overall performance and integrity of the organisation.

Meet our CEO

The CEO serves as the critical link between the Board and the organisation’s operations—collaborating with the Board to shape strategy, while ensuring its effective implementation across all levels of the organisation.

Through this dual role of leader and manager, the CEO ensures that Anglicare WA remains mission-driven, accountable, and responsive to the needs of the community.

While all staff ultimately report to the CEO, the CEO leads the Senior Management Team, who are responsible for managing day-to-day operations. The CEO provides vision and direction, while Senior Management focuses on:

Developing strategies and initiatives;
Solving operational challenges; and
Managing business functions.

The CEO is responsible for ensuring the organisation achieves its strategic goals and complies with key governance documents, including:

Anglicare WA’s Constitution
Strategic Plan
Annual Business Plans
Executive Limitations Policies (e.g. Corporate Governance Statement)

John Atkins

Anglicare WA Chair

John joined the Anglicare WA Board as Chair in 2018. With an extensive career in law and commerce, spanning 40 years.

Simon Axworthy

Simon brings to the Anglicare WA Board a focus on strategy and analytics.

Nicole Casley

Nicole is a Nyoongar and Ngadju woman, CEO of Native Title Services Goldfields, with 25+ years in law, advocacy, and advancing Indigenous rights.

Rt Revd Dr Ian Coutts

Rt Revd Dr Ian Coutts, spent 23 years as a social worker with a CQSW qualification, mostly working in the UK.

Janine Freeman

Janine brings a strong voice for working families to Anglicare WA, with experience as State MP for Mirrabooka and a senior leader in the WA trade union movement.

Andrew Friars

Andrew has worked extensively as a Management Consultant for over 30 years leading and operating multi-country professional services businesses.

Jane Harries

Jane is an experienced executive and brings to the Board more than 25 years' experience as a human resources business professional.

Rob Kirkby

Rob is a retired Ernst & Young audit partner with 25+ years’ experience in Australia and Hong Kong, advising government and not-for-profits on governance.

Sue Robertson

Sue brings over 40 years’ experience working in the disability sector to the Board of Anglicare.

The Board's role in relation to the CEO:

Recruitment and Selection
Remuneration
Performance Management
Succession Planning

Remuneration, review, and performance management are conducted in accordance with the Governance Policy, utilising an established “Annual Performance Effectiveness Review (CEO)”. This process is led by the Chairman and reported to the Board via the Nominations and Remunerations Committee.

Any authority of the Board delegated to staff is done through the CEO. Only decisions made by the Board as a collective body are binding on the CEO. Decisions or instructions from individual Board members, officers, committees, task forces, or working parties are not binding on the CEO, except in rare circumstances where the Board has specifically authorised such exercise of authority.

Given the diverse nature of Anglicare WA's program areas, it is appropriate to have a Board with a variety of skills and backgrounds.

The Board has developed a skills matrix to monitor and ensure that it possesses the necessary skills and experience to fulfill its responsibilities and duties. The Board typically meets monthly and, according to its Constitution, consists of 10 members. These members are appointed by the Perth Diocesan Council, the Perth Diocesan Trustees, Anglican Care Inc., the Diocese of Bunbury, the Diocese of North West Australia, and the Association. The CEO attends all Board meetings.

The Board has a Policy on Gender Balance, stating that no more than 60% of the Board will be of one gender, and it aims to achieve and maintain a balance of men and women over time.

Board Committees

The Board has several committees to support its work:

Audit and Risk Committee
Nominations and Remuneration Committee
Service Quality Committee

Minutes and resolutions from all committees are tabled at Board meetings for information and deliberation.

Each new Director appointed to the Board receives a copy of the Governance Manual for Directors and an Induction Package. A new Director will also complete the Board’s Induction Program within one month of appointment.

All Board Members must adhere to the Code of Conduct outlined in the Governance Manual. The Board commits itself and its members to ethical, businesslike, and lawful conduct, including proper use of authority and appropriate decorum when acting as Board members. The Code of Conduct includes a conflict of interest process.

The Board conducts an annual performance evaluation of itself that:

Assesses the Board's performance in meeting the requirements of the Policy Governance Manual and achieving predetermined goals and objectives.
Identifies specific goals and objectives for the Board for the upcoming year.
Identifies any necessary or desirable improvements to the Board, Sub-Committees, Task Forces, or Reference Groups Terms of Reference.

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Anglicare WA Board

Governance by Our Board

Key responsibilities include:

Leading with Vision, Accountability, and Integrity

Through this dual role of leader and manager, the CEO ensures that Anglicare WA remains mission-driven, accountable, and responsive to the needs of the community.