Board of Directors

The Little Company of Mary Health Care Board of Directors is accountable to Calvary Ministries. Chaired by Mr Jim Birch AM, the Board includes Dr Annette Carruthers, Mr David Catchpole, Mrs Lucille Halloran, Ms Lucille Scomazzon, Ms Agnes Sheehan,  Ms Jennifer Stratton and Professor Chris Baggoley AO.

“We believe that Australian society is best served by a single health care system where the public and private sectors play complementary roles in delivering high quality, responsive and compassionate care. ”
Hon. John Watkins AM, former Chair National Board

James (Jim) Birch, AM – Chair

BA (Health Administration), FCHSM, MNATSIHEC

Appointed to the Board on 1 February 2016. Appointed Chair 28 November 2019.

Jim has over 30 years’ experience in planning, leading and implementing change in health care, justice and human services.

Jim is Chair of Lifeblood (the Australian Red Cross Blood Service) and formerly held the positions of Chair of the Australian Digital Health Agency and Deputy Chair of the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority. Prior to Jim’s current appointments he was a partner at EY Australia (formerly Ernst & Young), where he was Global Health Leader; Government and Public Sector Leader; and Lead Partner in Health and Health Care.

Previously, he was Chief Executive Officer of the South Australian departments of Health and Human Services, as well as the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide; and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Justice, South Australia.

Jim was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2007 for service to the community through leadership and management roles in the health and justice systems, and in the areas of public housing and child protection services.

Agnes Sheehan

BA Business Studies (Hons)

Appointed to the Board on 22 November 2018

Agnes has had an impressive career, spanning more than 20 years as an Executive in the information and communications technology industry, and nine years as Non-Executive Director in the health sector. She was a Director at Telstra for over 13 years and during this time she led several of their largest businesses. Prior to Telstra she was the Regional Director for Ericsson Enterprise for Asia Pacific where she managed some of their most significant markets. She has delivered organisational integration, transformation and growth, primarily within large multi-national enterprises. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Agnes is passionate about health and was a director on the Board of Mercy Health for nine years.

Agnes is highly engaged with the Australian Catholic community and, in November 2018, was appointed a Lieutenant of The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem

Jennifer Stratton

BA (Economics, English and History), FAICD

Appointed to the Board on 28 November 2015

Jennifer is an accomplished Senior Executive and Board member who has served in Catholic ministries in education, health care, aged care, and aid and development for more than 22 years. She is Chair of the Trustees of MercyCare and the Leadership Program Development Committee for Catholic Health Australia.

Prior to this, Jennifer was a Director of Catholic Health Australia, and Chair of its Pathways Taskforce and its Mission and Identity Committee. Jennifer was Group Director of Mission for St John of God Health Care in Perth for nearly 16 years.

Lucille Scomazzon

LLB (Hons 1) BA GAICD

Appointed to the Board on 22 November 2017

Lucille is a partner and the national health care sector leader at Maddocks. She advises clients across the health care spectrum with a focus on hospitals and health services, residential aged care, retirement living, disability and home based care services.

Having advised on a number of sector transforming transactions, involving the consolidation and development of health care assets, Lucille acts for a range of organisations including institutional investors, developers and operators of health care assets. With expertise advising on health care regulatory and funding frameworks, Lucille is interested in exploring opportunities to facilitate collaboration and enable the provision of integrated health care services, while managing risk in a highly regulated environment.

Lucille previously served on the Board of St Mary MacKillop Care (NSW) and on a human research ethics committee.

Annette Carruthers AM

MBBS(Hons) FRACGP FAICD GradDipAppFin

Appointed to the Board on 22 November 2017

Annette is an experienced Non-Executive Director in financial services, health, infrastructure and aged care. Current appointments include Director of National Youth Mental Health Foundation (Headspace) and Cater Care Pty Ltd. She has qualifications in finance, superannuation and corporate governance, and is also a Panel Member for Australian Financial Complaints Authority.

Previous directorships include ASX listed nib Holdings, AMP Capital’s Aged Care Investment Trust, Hunter Infrastructure and Investment Advisory Board, National Heart Foundation (NSW Division), Hunter Medicare Local, Hunter Area Health Service and the NSW Board of the Medical Board of Australia. Previously a part-time member of the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal and a member of the Medical Experts Committee of Avant Mutual Ltd, a leading medical indemnity insurer.

Medically trained, Annette continues to work part-time as a general practitioner. Her medical interests include clinical risk management and quality improvement in health services. She is a member of the Medical Experts Committee of Avant Mutual Ltd, a leading medical indemnity insurer.

Lucille Halloran

BCom (HONS), BA (Admin), GAICD

Appointed to the Board on 23 November 2016

Lucille is a former managing partner of EY’s Asia-Pacific Government & Health Sciences practice. Lucille is now a strategic advisor to Synergy and a Director of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. Lucille was born in Canada and brings a unique blend of Australian and Canadian public sector experience in policy reform, AI, data analytics, digital and citizen centric service delivery in health and human services.

Professor Chris Baggoley

AO, BVSC (Hons), BMBS, B Soc Admin, FACEM, FRACMA, D Univ (FUSA), FAAHMS

Appointed to the Board on 23 September 2021

Chris holds the titles of Professorial Fellow, College of Medicine and Public Health at the Flinders University of South Australia and Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, at the University of Adelaide.

He has held positions as Director of Emergency Medicine at the Flinders Medical Centre, at the Ashford Community Hospital and subsequently at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He was CEO of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care from 2007-2011.

Chris was Chief Medical Officer for the South Australian Government from 2005-2007 and was Chief Medical Officer for the Australian Government from 2011 to 2016. During his time as CMO for Australia he undertook several roles with the World Health Organization. He is currently a member of the WHO Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the World Health Emergencies Program.

He is Deputy Chair of the Australian Pancreatic Cancer Foundation (PanKind) Board and a member of the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood Board. He serves on several clinical governance committees for health service organisations.

Yvonne Le Bas

BBus Studies, MA, Fellow CA Aus/NZ, Fellow Inst. CA England/Wales, FAICD

Appointed to the Board on 24 November 2022

A finance executive with over 30 years’ experience across Financial Services, Property and Oil sectors in Australia and internationally, Yvonne is currently Chief Financial Officer of Resolution Life. Yvonne’s financial services experience spans both Banking and Wealth Management, working for two of the major Australian Banks across a range of roles CFO, COO, General Manager, Strategic Development and major program delivery.

With a proven track record of delivering improved financial performance, heightened productivity and enhanced controls, Yvonne’s forward thinking plays a crucial role in influencing strategy. She is passionate about the impact of emerging technologies, constantly seeking application opportunities, both commercially and internally.

Having acted as Treasurer for over seven years, in November 2016 Yvonne was appointed Chairp of The Ireland Funds Australia.  Yvonne supports the continued development of relationships between Ireland and Australia and was previously a director of The Lansdowne Club, the Irish Australian Business network supporting personal and trade development. Yvonne also has a strong interest in education and development and serves as a member of the Loreto Kirribilli School Council.

David Issa

Appointed to the Board November 2023

David is an experienced leader in insurance, banking, technology and digital transformation. David’s professional experience includes 13 years at Westpac, culminating in the role of Chief Information Officer, Institutional Banking, followed by roles at Insurance Australia Group including as Chief Executive Officer, Personal Insurance. David currently sits on the Boards of IFS Insurance Solutions, Catholic Church Insurance (CCI) and Industry Fund Services and was previously a Non-Executive Director of ME Bank prior to its acquisition by Bank of Queensland in 2021. David also holds a Bachelor of Science majoring in Mathematics from Macquarie University.