Board of Directors

Bruce Howle

BEc, CA, Dip FP
President

Bruce Howle joined the Board of Carers NSW in 2014 as a co-opted member. He is the Managing Principal at KSG with a career in accounting, taxation and assurance spanning a period of more than 25 years. Bruce is a registered tax agent, registered auditor under the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009, registered company auditor and is a registered SMSF auditor, advising on all matters financial to the SME market, not-for-profit organisations and financial service providers. Bruce has a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University, and is a member of Australia and New Zealand Chartered Accountants and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has been actively involved in the governance of a number of local community organisations in various capacities including Treasurer. Bruce has previously held the position of Secretary and was elected as Honorary Treasurer in November 2016.

Michele Ferris

Dip Bus Management, Cert IV Aged Care, Cert IV Leadership and Management, Assoc. Degree in Dementia Care, NSW JP
Vice President

Michele is a current carer whose adult son lives with intellectual disability and vision impairment. Michele works as a Team Leader for a national peak body in dementia care. With a background in aged care and disability service provision of more than 20 years, she has a strong passion for advocacy and for the rights of older people living with dementia, families and carers and supporting people living with disability. Michele was elected as President in November 2022.

Bill Wong

BCom (Liberal Studies), CA
Honorary Treasurer

Bill Wong is a senior executive with a professional career that spans across strategy, risk management and innovation. He is currently the Head of Strategic Excellence for Allianz Australia. His prior experience includes senior leadership positions in Banking, national leadership roles in Management Consulting (including as a Partner in a boutique consultancy) and leading Strategy and Implementation for an Artificial Intelligence start-up acquired by an S&P 400 conglomerate.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies) from the University of New South Wales, is a member of Australia and New Zealand Chartered Accountants and is trained in Prince2 and Lean Six Sigma.

Bill was also a young carer, having acted as a Financial Manager for his late father with very high disability needs and as a carer for his late mother who went through palliative care. Bill was appointed to the Carers NSW Board in May 2024.

Barbara Iordanidis

BLAS
Honorary Secretary

Barbara is a public sector professional with a background in strategy and policy. Barbara has managed state and national government projects, some of which have achieved international recognition for the contribution to sustainable and conscientious use of technology.

Barbara is a spokesperson in public sector innovation and digital transformation. She is a Standards Australia NextGen Graduate and Smart Cities Certified Practitioner.

Barbara was also a young carer and worked closely with Carers NSW to advocate for and raise awareness of carers under the age of 25. Barbara was appointed to the Carers NSW Board in June 2022 and elected as Honorary Secretary in November 2022.

Emeritus Professor Bettina Cass AO

BA (Hons), PhD
Director

Bettina has over 40 years’ professional experience in the research and policy fields and is internationally renowned for her social policy research on issues such as social security, youth and families, disabilities and ill-health, elder care services and the provision of care by family and friend carers and paid care workers. Bettina has been director of several large governmental inquires and reviews, including serving as Commissioner on the NSW and Commonwealth Law Reform Commissions on social policy, as well as consulting for the OECD on social policy issues in Eastern Europe.

In recognition of her extensive contributions to both research and policy reform, Bettina received the Order of Australia in 1989. Bettina is currently Emeritus Professor at the Social Policy Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, Emeritus Professor at the University of Sydney and a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. Bettina was appointed to the Carers NSW Board in April 2019.

Janina Jancu

BA/LLB, MBA, Grad Dip Social Impact, GAICD
Director

Janina is currently the Director of Operations at ReachOut Australia, a not for profit organisation providing mental health support to young Australians and their parent/carers. She has more than 30 years of experience as a senior executive in the not for profit, government and corporate sectors specialising in the areas of education and health.

A qualified lawyer she brings extensive experience in the areas of finance, risk management and corporate governance. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and has served as a Director of UNSW and Parkinson’s NSW, and has acted in an advisory capacity on a number of not for profit boards.

Janina is a carer for her elderly parents and has experience navigating the My Aged Care, NCAT and CHSP/CSP systems. Janina was appointed to the Carers NSW Board in August 2023.

Nathalie Mann

MIPH, MLL, PhD (25’), MBA, B.A.Econ, MBBS (NC), CELTA, AICD
Director

Nathalie is a highly experienced Director, co-founder, and advisor with expertise in health tech, law, AI, and disability advocacy. She co-founded Furthr, an innovative payment-linked loyalty network, connecting major brands with millions of customers through data-driven marketing.

Nathalie holds Board positions across various sectors, including Wheelchair Rugby Australia, Disability Sports Australia, University of Technology Sydney’s Business School, and Pain Foundation Limited.

In these roles, she contributes significantly to governance, risk management, and strategic oversight, with a particular focus on health and disability support. She has previously held leadership roles at PwC Australia and Johnson & Johnson, specialising in innovation, transformation, and strategic development within healthcare.

Earlier in her career, Nathalie held senior positions in public health and infectious disease management, working on initiatives for the Australian Department of Health, where she contributed to pandemic preparedness, chronic disease strategies, and international relations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Nathalie was appointed to the Carers NSW Board in November 2024.

Jennifer Vo-Phuoc

BA, MPH
Director

Jen is a health policy specialist and enthusiast with 15 years of policy and economics consulting as well as strategy and operations experience with governments, corporates, non-profits and start-ups. She is currently Head of Health Policy at Medibank.

Jen holds a Bachelor of Arts (history and economics) and a Masters of Public Health from the University of New South Wales. Her professional experience includes establishing and implementing governance structures, strategy, economics and costing analyses, project management office, stakeholder consultation and management and advocacy across health, disability, carer and social services contexts.

Jen was appointed to the Carers NSW Board in November 2024.