Governance

Leith joined the Y Whittlesea Board in 2023.

She is an astute business owner experienced in operations management, competitive analysis and financial management. She is currently successfully navigating OnTapData as a market leading entity in the data intelligence sector.

Leith has 2 boys who are in their early 20’s and navigating the world independently. They serve as a reminder to Leith how important it is for children and young people to be supported and nurtured throughout their lives.  Leith is passionate about the community and she now has the time and skill set to contribute positively to the Y. She is excited about the programs and services available through the Y and to be working closely with like-minded people to continually improve the Y’s services and make a difference.

Emma is a former elite artistic gymnast, entrepreneur and coach. She represented Australia at international competitions such as World Championship, World Cups and the Olympics for over 10 years and was five times Australian National Beam Champion and World Cup beam gold medallist in 2019. Emma now coaches private gymnastics sessions and in alignment with that owns an athlete brand, Artium Sport. She also has a passion for helping people with the philosophy of ‘always striving to be your best’ which has lead her to opportunities where she coordinates a leadership program at ACU for high atar students, has a podcast called ENbalance aimed to support athlete retirement. Her most significant current project is working with people to empower and transform lives through a health program with the company Simplr Health, where she supports clients on a metabolic restoration protocol.

Emma hopes to make a positive difference with her board position at the Y Whittlesea by having a voice to inspire young people.

Chris is a dedicated and values-driven Chartered Accountant, Finance Executive and Company Secretary with more than 20 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector. Originally from the United Kingdom, where he completed his degree in Financial Economics, Chris moved to Australia and has since built a career partnering closely with Boards and executive teams to strengthen governance, financial stewardship and organisational performance.

Chris brings extensive expertise in board reporting, risk management, compliance and organisational transformation. His experience spans statutory and management accounting, budgeting, audit, and strategic business partnering, underpinned by a disciplined approach to governance and accountability. As a Company Secretary, he has played a key role in supporting effective board governance, enhancing risk frameworks and ensuring high-quality reporting to enable informed decision-making.

Passionate about strengthening governance structures that enable sustainable growth and long-term impact, Chris is committed to supporting organisations that create opportunity, foster social connection and deliver meaningful, lasting outcomes for the communities they serve.

Ru is a qualified CPA with a Master’s in Business Administration, bringing more than 20 years of financial leadership experience across not-for-profit and commercial sectors. She has worked with Y Victoria for 15 years in a range of senior finance roles and has been part of Y Whittlesea for the past six years, contributing strong financial stewardship, strategic insight and governance capability to the organisation.

Throughout her career with the Y, Ru has played an integral role in strengthening financial management frameworks, supporting sustainable growth, and ensuring sound budgeting, reporting and compliance practices. Her experience spans financial planning and analysis, audit, risk management, and organisational financial oversight, enabling boards and executive leaders to make informed, data-driven decisions aligned to long-term strategy.

Prior to joining the Y, Ru worked with Ernst & Young in external audit, where she developed a rigorous approach to governance, accountability and financial controls. She also gained valuable experience within commercial manufacturing organisations, broadening her understanding of operational finance, business performance and strategic resource allocation.

Suzanne is a highly experienced and qualified senior Finance Executive with extensive strategic and operational experience across NFP, Arts, Wholesale/Retail and the IT and telecommunications sectors. She has strong commercial and technical acumen providing the ability to successfully manage business transformations, achieve business KPI’s and integrate financial functions & systems from standalone into various entity structures.

Suzanne is passionate about giving back to ‘for purpose’ organisations, with her last 9 years working for NFP’s such as the Y and CPA Australia. She has also served for more than 8 years as a Board volunteer for Emerge Support Network for Women and Children, an NFP organisation which focuses on supporting families who experience domestic violence.

The Y is a ‘community’, providing services and opportunities that foster growth and wellbeing in a safe and secure environment, with a key focus on supporting the growth of our children and youth. As President, I am committed to ensuring we continue to grow our programs in a sustainable way – both financially and environmentally – so our future generations have the opportunity to flourish and experience the special land we live on.

Christopher has worked domestically and internationally for more than 35 years focusing on risk management, governance and controls, assurance and operations. He has experience delivering services as an external advisor, as a line executive responsible for substantial business operations and as an external director. He has led and participated in consulting, assurance and due diligence projects for a range of companies in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, United Kingdom, China, and Asia. He is currently a director of a regional primary school, several domestic YMCA Entities, the Global Board of the World Alliance of YMCA’s, a Global Investment fund for the YMACA and a Christian Super. He also consults on finance, risk and strategy.

Christopher is motivated to ensure the success and sustainability of the Y. He is passionate about mentoring, coaching and developing young people, and has done so over his entire career. He believes that individuals can make a difference when they’re supported.

In his role as Director of the Y Whittlesea, Christopher aims to actively engage with our teams to ensure that we have the maximum impact on the development and opportunities for young people as we help them move towards their potential.

Renee is a values-driven leader with over 25 years’ experience in Human Resource Business Partnering roles in large corporate organisations before transitioning to the Not-for-Profit sector in 2015 as General Manager, People and Culture. She specialises in organisation transformation, systemic change management, and fostering high performance cultures focused on continuous improvement. Her expertise extends to building effective organisations using Systems Leadership, developing capabilities that can adapt to evolving regulatory and market landscapes. Renee is accredited in Systems Leadership, is a Reiss Motivation Profile Master and has a yellow belt in Lean.

Renee’s recent background includes leading operational teams in the Aged Care sector, where she honed her skills in creating adaptive organisational models that enhanced the delivery of quality services and supports for Home Care clients. She is dedicated to guiding organisations through rapid change while prioritising the well-being of both the workforce and clients.

As a mother of two teenagers, Renee is enthusiastic about inspiring and empowering young people and recognises the significance of building vibrant sustainable community organisations that offer purpose and belonging. In her role as a Board Director and Chair of the HR and Risk Subcommittee at The Y Whittlesea, she emphasises the creation of a robust organisational culture through thoughtful and strong governance.

Suren brings more than 35 years of experience in Information Technology, specialising as an Enterprise and Solution Architect with deep expertise in digital transformation. Throughout his career, he has led complex technology and business transformation initiatives, delivering large-scale, high-impact programs across diverse sectors.

Having worked in senior roles including Senior Consultant, Enterprise Solution Architect and Project Manager, Suren has guided organisations through significant change programs, partnering closely with executive leaders to design and implement future-ready solutions. His work has strengthened operational capability, improved systems integration, and enabled long-term strategic growth.

Suren has played pivotal roles in multi-year transformation programs, including the replacement and integration of enterprise CRM platforms, finance systems, higher education and university solutions such as Student Management and Learning Management systems, as well as integrated Independent Software Vendor (ISV) solutions. His experience spans complex stakeholder environments requiring strong governance, disciplined delivery frameworks, and collaborative engagement across business units and vendor teams.

He brings to the Board a strategic technology lens, sound governance capability, and a deep understanding of how digital innovation can enhance organisational effectiveness, sustainability, and community impact.

With more than 20 years’ experience in education, including over a decade in early childhood education as the founder and owner of Early Learning services, Pru brings extensive sector expertise and a deep commitment to supporting children, young people, and their families. A certified HR practitioner (AHRI), Master of Education and Bachelor of Commerce graduate, and MAICD, Pru combines strong governance capability with strategic leadership and operational insight.

Throughout their career, Pru has been driven by a passion for creating pathways that enable all people to thrive, particularly within early learning, schooling, and inclusive environments. Joining the Board of Y Whittlesea reflects this longstanding commitment to strengthening opportunities for children and young people across the community.

A collaborative and inclusive leader, Pru values diversity of thought and experience. As a mother of four, she holds a deep personal appreciation for the vital role that supportive, empowering programs play in helping young people flourish. She is dedicated to advancing The Y’s mission to build safe, connected, and resilient communities.

Narelle is an experienced Principal who has dedicated the past decade to leading Mount Evelyn Christian School with passion and enthusiasm. In addition to her leadership role, she has worked as a sessional adjunct lecturer with the National Institute of Christian Education, where she also completed her Master’s degree in 2005.

Before becoming a Principal, Narelle spent 13 years teaching in the Senior School at MECS, developing a deep commitment to education and student development. She has also contributed to the broader community by serving on the board of Cottage By the Sea, a children’s charity that provides respite holidays and support for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Now at DCC, Narelle continues to bring her wealth of experience, dedication, and vision to her role, striving to create an enriching and supportive learning environment for students. Her leadership is characterised by a strong commitment to education, student wellbeing, and community service.

Karen is a passionate leader of human rights, cultural diversity and community inclusion for each and every person in our society. Her professional career has evolved to include numerous leadership roles in difference capacities within the disability sector in both Australia and overseas over the past 30 years. From the early days of deinstitutionalization to supporting people to have individualized community-inclusive lives, Karen has taken on strong advocacy roles to lead change on systemic issues to ensure all people with disabilities will have the same opportunities as every other person in society. Karen’s growth mindset has led her to achieve numerous qualifications that meet the disability sector needs including in person-centred practice models of support, leadership, training, business management, business governance, risk and auditing. Presently, Karen is a member of AICD, Institute of Community Directors and Woman on Boards.

Ru is a qualified CPA with a Master’s in Business Administration, bringing more than 20 years of financial leadership experience across not-for-profit and commercial sectors. She has worked with Y Victoria for 15 years in a range of senior finance roles and has been part of Y Whittlesea for the past six years, contributing strong financial stewardship, strategic insight and governance capability to the organisation.

Throughout her career with the Y, Ru has played an integral role in strengthening financial management frameworks, supporting sustainable growth, and ensuring sound budgeting, reporting and compliance practices. Her experience spans financial planning and analysis, audit, risk management, and organisational financial oversight, enabling boards and executive leaders to make informed, data-driven decisions aligned to long-term strategy.

Prior to joining the Y, Ru worked with Ernst & Young in external audit, where she developed a rigorous approach to governance, accountability and financial controls. She also gained valuable experience within commercial manufacturing organisations, broadening her understanding of operational finance, business performance and strategic resource allocation.

Sandra is the Director of Whittlesea Tech School, where she has transformed it into an outward-focused and innovative hub for the region. Passionate about future-focused learning, she is dedicated to preparing students for the modern world and workforce. In her role, she collaborates with schools across the area, with a particular interest in supporting students with additional needs and those who do not fit conventional education models.

Before leading the Tech School, Sandra spent many years in the university sector as a lecturer, specialising in Microbiology and Immunology. Her academic background includes a PhD in Microbiology, along with degrees and postgraduate qualifications in Biotechnology, Secondary Education, and Tertiary Education.

Beyond academia, Sandra has also been involved in small business and consulting, bringing a diverse skill set to her leadership. Her expertise, combined with her commitment to inclusive and innovative education, continues to shape opportunities for students in the region.

Amiinah joined the Y Whittlesea Board in 2023. She is a lawyer, working primarily in financial services regulatory and funds management areas of law. Amiinah strives to give back to the community by contributing to not-for-profit organisations, especially to the ones that seek to enable a fairer, more inclusive, and democratic voice of underrepresented groups and perspectives.

In a volunteering capacity, Amiinah assisted Refugee legal as a pro bono lawyer for over a year in 2021. She is also the membership manager and co-lead of the Partners and People Portfolio of the Digital Law Association, whose mission is to advance diversity at the intersection of emerging technology, law and policy by giving a voice to underrepresented groups such as indigenous people and women.

Amiinah was born in Mauritius, coming to Australia in 2013, and is also the proud mum of a 4 year old boy. Amiinah hopes to further represent the voice of young people at the Board level at Y Whittlesea.

Shoeb is a commercial finance professional with close to two decades of experience working with large, member-owned and mutual organisations. His career has been shaped by a strong focus on financial governance, commercial strategy, and long-term sustainability.

Shoeb spent over 10 years at RACV, holding a range of senior finance and commercial roles across the organisation. In these roles, he led strategic decision-making across capital investment, risk management, and digital transformation initiatives within a complex, member-focused environment. He has also held various roles with CPA Australia, Australia’s largest professional accounting body, contributing to the advancement and governance of the accounting profession.

Shoeb is a strong advocate for the profession and an active mentor within the CPA mentoring program. He values mentoring and guidance and is passionate about sharing his knowledge to support organisations like the Y to be strong, sustainable, and well-governed, delivering enhanced value and positive outcomes for the communities they serve.

Shoeb holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting, Finance and Business Law) and is a Fellow of CPA Australia.

Kirrilee Torney is a communications and marketing leader with more than twenty years’ experience across the sport, community and not-for-profit sectors.

She previously served as General Manager, Brand Communications at Gymnastics Australia, leading national marketing, media and digital engagement across a federated system. Her experience spans strategic campaigns, stakeholder engagement and organisational communications.

Prior to this, she held senior roles in community services and local government, strengthening community trust through strategic campaigns and storytelling.

Kirrilee is passionate about the role sport plays in building connection and belonging, and brings a collaborative and people-centred approach to governance.