Board & management


Wannon Water is currently governed by an nine-member Board.

The role of the Board is to strategically direct Wannon Water by establishing goals and objectives for senior management. The Board also monitors Wannon Water's performance and reports to the Victorian Government.

Board Profiles

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Helen Scarborough, Board Chair, B. Ec., M.Ec, PhD, GAICD

Appointed 1 October 2017

Helen has held various academic roles at Deakin University and was formerly an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics. Her previous roles include research economist roles for Westpac Bank and the Australian Chamber of Manufacturers. Helen holds post graduate qualifications in economics and her PhD and research is in the area of environmental economics. 

Helen is a graduate and member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has previously served as a member of the Western Coastal Board.

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Andrew Jeffers, Managing Director, B. Eng (Civil), M. Eng (Env), MBA, GAICD

Appointed 20 July 2015

Prior to his appointment in July 2015, Andrew worked for 16 years with Wannon Water and 23 years within the Victorian water industry in various engineering and corporate roles, which has resulted in a deep understanding of the water industry and the business of a water corporation.

Andrew understands Wannon Water exists for its customers and recognises the importance and community value of providing high quality water, sewerage and trade waste services. He has a special interest in ensuring that Wannon Water helps communities in the south-west flourish.

Andrew is a member of the Victorian Intelligent Water Network Executive Group, a director of VicWater, a director of the Institute of Water Administration and a director of the SouthWest Victoria Alliance.

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Ken King, Deputy Board Chair, Dip For BForSc (Hon)  MRSV  MAICD

Appointed 1 October 2017

Ken previously worked in the position of deputy secretary of the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) and has held executive roles in DSE, its predecessors, and Parks Victoria for 25 years. Ken was also a senior project manager at the Victorian Planning Authority.

Ken has extensive experience in forestry, fire, fauna and flora management, and in operations, policy and strategy.

Ken has previously served as a director for a number of boards and held a range of leadership roles within Victorian agencies including chair of the Natural Resources Conservation League of Victoria and Eucalypt Australia. He was also an independent member of Colac Area Health's Risk and Audit Committee.

 

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Susan Brumby, RN, DipFarm M'ment, GCertHELT, GDipWomensSt, GCertSciCommun, MHM, PhD, GAICD

Appointed 1 October 2019

Susan was the founding director of the National Centre for Farmer Health, a position held from 2008 to 2021, and has experience in agriculture, health reform, education, public health and advocacy. She enjoys leadership challenges and is passionate about achieving excellent outcomes for customers and our regional community more broadly.

Previous positions include senior executive health service roles, managing a beef and wool property, and serving on a number of state and federal government advisory councils. She is a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Program and deputy chair of Western Victoria Primary Health Network.

Susan’s PhD and ongoing work is in the health, wellbeing and safety of agricultural communities. 

 

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Narelle Allen, GCert Mktg, GAICD

In a career spanning more than 30 years in Sydney, Melbourne and South West Victoria, Narelle has worked for some of Australia’s top companies and brands including Telstra, Qantas and ANZ.  

Narelle is an experienced marketer and has a proven track record of being a strategic thinker and hands-on project manager and is currently the Manager of Brand & Strategic Marketing at SWTAFE. Her passion lies in consumer relationships and marketing & brand management.

Narelle is a Graduate of the Institute of Company Directors and has been a board member of South West Healthcare (SWH), Warrnambool since 2015 and is Committee Member of the SWH Financial Audit and Risk committee and SWH Consumer & Community Advisory Committee.

Originally from Sydney, Narelle has lived in South West Victoria for over 25 years and resides in Port Fairy.  

 

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Bill Millard

A local government professional with extensive regional and metropolitan industry knowledge at Director and CEO level. 

Bill has previously filled roles including Director of City Growth at Warrnambool, Director Strategic Development at Hobsons Bay City Council and CEO roles at Moyne Shire and Mansfield Shire (interim).

Bill holds a Bachelor of Social Science BSSc, an MBA (Strategic Human Resource Management), is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors GAICD and is a Certified Economic Developer CEDA.  

 

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Emma Olivier

Emma is the founder and CEO of Twenty Percent, a Disability Inclusion Advisory working with Corporate Australia. 

With over 30 years consulting experience and having been born without a left hand, Emma understands from her own lived experience the challenges and opportunities of having a disability in corporate Australia.

Her extensive experience includes working in varied industries in Australia and overseas.  As a managing director at Accenture, she was the executive sponsor for disability inclusion in ANZ Accenture for three years.

Emma is active in the community at the local and state levels. She is Victoria's first one-armed surf lifesaver and volunteers with Starfish Nippers, the life-saving skills program for children with a disability. She was appointed to Life Saving Victoria's Audit, Finance and Risk Committee in 2019.

Emma has been a member of Bayside Council’s Disability Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee since its inception. In 2021, she was a nominee for Bayside Council’s Citizen of the Year. She has served as a board director of Leadership Victoria since 2021 and on Scope Australia’s Audit and Risk Committee, one of Australia’s largest disability service providers since 2023. 

 

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Neil Plummer

As a Director with Out of the Box Executive, Neil assists organisations to capture opportunities and mitigate their risks through the energy, climate and circular economy transition. Improving organisational strategy, governance and risk management is also a focus.

As an experienced climatologist, and former head of Climate Services in the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), Neil currently provides climate research services to Victorian Government. Within the BoM his responsibilities included climate and water prediction services and climate change. Neil also worked on international projects, including climate services and disaster risk reduction for Pacific Islands.

Neil trains entrepreneurs and start-up businesses on strategy, leadership, and business planning, including through Deakin University. He is a board member of Geelong Sustainability and supports communities, businesses and governments to take climate action and transition to renewables.

Neil is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company of Directors and has Masters degrees in both Business Administration and Science, a Graduate Diploma in Computing and a Diploma in Meteorology.

 

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The Hon. Gordon Rich-Phillips

Gordon served as a Member of the Parliament of Victoria from 1999 until his retirement in 2022 representing the Eumemmerring Province and the South Eastern Metropolitan Region.

Gordon was Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council and chaired the Select Committee inquiry into the lease of the Port of Melbourne, and the Select Committee inquiry into the restructure of Victoria's fire services.

A Cabinet Minister in the Baillieu/Napthine Government, Gordon served as Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Aviation Industry and Minister for Technology.

In 2008, Gordon was elected inaugural Chairman of the Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration and between 1999-2010 served on the prestigious Public Accounts and Estimates Committee.

Prior to being elected to Parliament Gordon was Aviation Manager in the Department of State Development working to build Victoria's tourism and business investment performance and worked for IBIS Business Information in a range of economic research and analysis roles.

Gordon is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Bachelor of Business from Monash University. A pilot since the age of 16, Gordon holds a Commercial Pilot Licence and has flown extensively throughout much of south east Australia.

 

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Executive Team

Wannon Water's executive team comprises:

  • Andrew Jeffers, Managing Director
  • Ian Bail, General Manager Strategic Services
  • Kellie King, General Manager Community & Corporate Services
  • Simon Hermans, General Manager Assets & Service Delivery
  • Steven Waterhouse, General Manager People & Business Services
  • Andrew Dilley, Chief Information Officer
  • Joanne McBain, Executive Strategy & Innovation
  • Anna Stow, Executive People & Resilience

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