FOUNDATION BOARD
The Foundation was originally incorporated on the 30 June 1976 as Geelong Grammar School Endowment Fund Limited. On 11 April 1984 the Fund changed its name to Geelong Grammar Foundation Limited. The Foundation now has two main functions. It invests and allocates funds on behalf of the School and it raises funds to support and resource Geelong Grammar School. The Foundation is run by a Board of between 7 and 18 Directors with the Principal of the School, the Chairman of the School Council and Executive Director of the Foundation serving ex-officio. Directors serve up to three terms of three years, with a third of the Board retiring each year.
The major committees working under the Geelong Grammar Foundation are the Allocations and Investment Committee, Biddlecombe Society Committee and the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee is responsible for making recommendations for new appointments to the Foundation Board. Appointments are made with the objective of ensuring that the composition of the Foundation Board provides as much breadth as possible in terms of expertise and interests.
FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBERS
Penelope McBain
Chair
Mrs McBain is a past parent.
She is a member of the School Council, a member of the Nominations Committee, a member of the Audit Finance and Risk Committee and she sits across all Foundation sub-committees.
She was a Founding Director of Melbourne IVF and, prior to her retirement, a Consultant Gynaecologist at the Royal Women’s Hospital for 25 years.
Vanessa Mahon
Deputy Chair
Ms Mahon is a current parent.
She is an Australian Lawyer and Company Director. She is a Director of a private family investment company and practises in Community and Commercial Law.
Mary Morton (Cl’85)
Deputy Chair
Mrs Morton is an Old Geelong Grammarian and current parent.
She is a Co-President of the Biddlecombe Society Committee, member of the Major Gift and Scholarship Fundraising Committee and was President of the Old Geelong Grammarians Association from June 2000 to May 2002. She is on the Marcus Oldham College Foundation Board and is the owner/co-founder of PR and marketing agency, ID Collective.
Rebecca Cody
Ms Cody is the Principal of Geelong Grammar School and a current parent.
She is an ex officio Director of the Geelong Grammar Foundation.
Justin Arter
Mr Arter is a past parent and a member (Chair) of the Allocations and Investments Committee.
He is a University of Melbourne Law and Commerce graduate.
He has been working in financial markets for over 35 years and in August 2020 became CEO of Cbus Super, one of Australia’s largest public offer superannuation funds. He is the former country head of BlackRock in Australia and former CEO of Victorian Funds Management Corporation. He was a member of the Geelong Grammar School Council from 2006 to 2015.
Andrew Cochrane
Mr Cochrane is a past parent of Geelong Grammar School and current member (chair) of the Positive Education Advisory Committee.
With a background in design, architecture and sustainable development, he has worked in the property industry for over 20 years and more recently at the intersection of the environment and wellbeing.
Jacinda Dixon
Mrs Dixon is a current parent.
Mrs Dixon has a unique advisory perspective: her extensive experience in portfolio construction and deep knowledge of financial markets is coupled with a background in tax; she holds a Masters of Law (Taxation) from Melbourne University. For over 20 years Mrs Dixon has advised some of Australia’s most interesting family groups and for-purpose organisations on the responsible stewardship of their resources. Mrs Dixon has served as an Allocations and Investments Committee Member since February 2020 and joined our Foundation Board in November 2022.
Elissa Gale
Executive Director
Mrs Gale is the Executive Director of the Geelong Grammar Foundation (ex officio) and the Head of Advancement at Geelong Grammar School.
She has spent most of her career in University Advancement. She relocated from Sydney in 2016 to join the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne, following roles with Western Sydney University and the University of Wollongong.
Jim Gall (Cu'91)
Mr Gall is an Old Geelong Grammarian and past parent.
After more than two decades in various Chief Executive roles within the marketing, media and advertising industry, and as Chair of various Clemenger Group companies across Australia and New Zealand, Jim returned to Euroa to run his family agricultural enterprise in late 2022.
He became a Director of Geelong Grammar Foundation Limited in March 2023.
Paddy Handbury (M'72)
Mr Handbury is an Old Geelong Grammarian and a past parent.
He is Chairman of School Council and an ex officio Director of the Geelong Grammar Foundation.
Jin Hao
Mrs Hao is a current parent.
She is a current Director of the Golden Age Group which operates in the property development, financial capital and hospitality industries.
Michael Stapleton (P'91)
Mr Stapleton is an OId Geelong Grammarian and a current parent.
He is Managing Partner of FSSA Investment Managers and is a Director of Manan Trust in Hong Kong.