Governance

The Westmead Institute for Medical Research is a not-for-profit unlisted public company limited by guarantee, incorporated and domiciled in Australia.

The Board

The Board of The Westmead Institute for Medical Research is comprised of 10 directors, led by Chair, Michael Rose AM. It includes appointees of the NSW Government and the University of Sydney.

The Board is responsible for oversight of the policies, strategic direction and management of the Institute.

The Westmead Institute for Medical Research Constitution is available here.

Annual financial statements for WIMR are made available through the Australian Charities & Not-for-Profits Commission.

View the latest Annual Report (2024) or it’s also available as a PDF download.

Michael Rose AM (Chair)
BA/LLB (UNSW), FAICD

Michael is an independent director who serves on the boards of a number of organisations involved in urban infrastructure, urban policy and place making. He is the President of the Art Gallery of New South Wales Trust, Chair of Northwest Rapid Transit (NRT Group), Chair of the Committee for Sydney, Chair of Greater Sydney Parklands and a director of Silicon Quantum Computing Pty Ltd. Michael is also on the boards of Warren and Mahoney Limited and Reconciliation Australia.

Michael is a lawyer by background and the former Chief Executive Partner of one of Australia’s leading law firms. Michael has served on the Boards of a number of Government, arts and not-for-profit organisations. He has a senior advisory role at UNSW and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Michael is also the Chair of the Human Resources and Remuneration Committee and a member of the Board IP & Commercialisation Committee.

Julia Strelitz
BCom, BAcc, CA ANZ

Julia is a Managing Director at Scyne Advisory and was formerly a partner at PwC. She has 23 years of experience supporting the implementation of operational and financial improvements across the healthcare sector. Her expertise lie in costing and funding, data analysis, financial and operational improvements and benefit realisation/program evaluation.

Julia is Chair of the Board Audit and Risk Committee.

Dr. Liz Jazwinska
BSc Hons, PhD, MBA, GAICD

Dr Liz Jazwinska has more than 30 years’ experience in R&D innovation, technology and business development and has held senior positions in Academia, Industry and Government in Australia and Internationally.

Liz has held senior leadership positions in the following sectors: Higher Education (Monash University and RMIT University), Government Funding (A*STAR in Singapore, the Ministry of Science and Innovation in New Zealand and the Australian Research Council) and Industry (Johnson & Johnson Research and GSK).

In 2009 she co-founded the molecular Diagnostics Company SpeeDx and during her career she has led the development of several Governance Boards in the not-for-profit sector. Liz began her career in human molecular genetics at the ANU and during her academic career, Liz established a substantial Academic portfolio and authored more than 62 publications in high-ranking peer-reviewed journals.

Dr Jazwinska holds a BSc (Hons) from Aberdeen University, a PhD from Edinburgh University and an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Liz is an appointee of the NSW Government and Chair of the Board IP & Commercialisation Committee.

Naseema Sparks AM
B Pharm, M Pharm (Pharmacol), MBA

Naseema Sparks AM is an accomplished Chair and Non-Executive Director with expertise in guiding high-growth B2C and B2B companies. She has extensive experience in strategic marketing at both operational and board levels.

Her career began in pharmaceuticals with GSK Australia and Sanofi, transitioning from clinical trials and drug registration to marketing leadership. She later joined PwC as a strategic consultant after completing an MBA from Melbourne Business School.

Naseema's executive roles include Australian Managing Director and Global Partner at M&C Saatchi. Since 2007, she has served on the boards of various NYSE and ASX-listed companies, government bodies, and not-for-profits. She specializes in guiding pre-IPO companies to public listing and currently chairs two pre-IPO firms, Openmarkets Group (fintech) and Homart.

Pharmaceutical Group (Vitamins and Supplements). She also serves on the board of Knight Frank Australia. Naseema is also an Advisory board member, Centre for India Australia Relations (DFAT) and Director, Music in the Regions (NSW Govt).

Naseema is a member of the Board IP & Commercialisation Committee.

Professor Katherine Belov
BSc (Hons), PhD

Katherine Belov AO, BSc (Hons) PhD, University of Sydney Member Appointee Director
As Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global and Research Engagement), Professor Belov has responsibility for pivotal areas of the University’s Research Portfolio related to academic research partnerships, centres and institutes. She leads the Office of Global Engagement, oversees the University’s multidisciplinary initiatives and stewards relations and agreements with the University’s affiliated research institutes. She also focuses on developing the University’s national and international partnerships to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Professor Belov is one of Australia’s leading geneticists and leads a team of researchers using immunogenetics to study immunity and health in Australia’s native wildlife, including Tasmanian devils, koalas, wallabies, platypus and bilbies.

In recognition of her research discoveries, she is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of NSW. She was awarded the Fenner Medal by the Australian Academy of Sciences in 2014, the Crozier Medal by the Genetics Society of Australasia (2013) and the MJD White Medal by the Genetics Society of Australasia (2021).

Kathy is a trustee of the Australian Museum, where she chairs the Science Advisory Board. She serves on scientific advisory boards at Taronga Zoo and is a board member of Science Australia Gender Equity (SAGE). She is co-chair of the International Advisory Committee of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities Advisory Committee of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities.

Kathy is an appointee of the University of Sydney.

Professor John Prins
MBBS PhD FRACP FAHMS

John is Dean, Faculty of Medicine & Health at the University of Sydney and is a respected endocrinologist and an accomplished senior leader with extensive experience in health, medical research, and higher education. He has held senior roles across clinical, academic and commercial organisations, including as Head of Melbourne Medical School, Director and CEO of the Mater Research Institute, and most recently as CEO of Health Translation Queensland and Chair of the Australian Health Research Alliance.

John is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. He is an active clinician-scientist with a strong track record in commercialisation and is a highly respected voice in health research translation.

John is an appointee of the University of Sydney.

Amanda Larkin

Amanda Larkin started as Acting Chief Executive, Western Sydney Local Health District in July 2025 bringing significant experience in health service management providing strategic leadership and sound governance to large-scale health services.

As Chief Executive of South Western Sydney Local Health District from 2011 to 2023, she led more than 15,000 staff to achieve safe, equitable and quality health care for the growing and diverse population stretching from Bowral to Bankstown. Under her leadership, SWSLHD saw the development of precincts at Liverpool, Campbelltown and Bankstown involving collaboration between local government, universities and other educational institutions and stakeholders to drive research and capital development opportunities.

In 2023, Amanda was appointed Lead of NSW Health’s response to the Special Commission of Inquiry into Healthcare Funding. Amanda has worked extensively with management committees and boards of non-government organisations and currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Western Sydney University. She has been recognised with Honorary Doctorates from the University of New South Wales and Western Sydney University for her outstanding contributions to healthcare in the west.

Amanda is an appointee of the NSW Government and Member of the Board Audit & Risk Committee.

Phil Rowland
BCom VPM

Phil Rowland is the Chief Executive Officer of CBRE in Australia and New Zealand, a role that he has held since January 2019 when he moved to Australia from offshore.

His current responsibilities centre around growing and diversifying CBRE’s service platform in Australia & New Zealand across Capital Markets, Leasing, Property Management and Advisory in all established and emerging asset classes. Prior to his current role, Phil has held various positions over the last 25 plus years in Asia, US, and Europe in the advisory sector. Most recently he was CEO of Global Workplace Solutions, Asia Pacific for CBRE, leading a diversified business across 18 countries serving corporate occupier across a wide spectrum of industry sectors.

Earlier in his career Phil specialised in real estate advisory with EY, serving clients in the US and Europe on strategic planning, real estate and facilities outsourcing, development studies, corporate portfolio and location strategies and performance improvement. Phil is a Board Member of the Property Council Australia as well as a member of the Property Champions of Change.

Phil is also Chair of the Westmead Institute of Medical Research Foundation Companies.

Professor Philip O'Connell
BSc, MBBS Hons., PhD

Professor Philip O’Connell is Executive Director of the Westmead Institute for Medical Research. Prior to taking up this appointment in 2020 he was Director of Transplantation, University of Sydney at Westmead Hospital. He is director of the Centre for Transplant and Renal Research and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. He has research interests in clinical islet transplantation, the development of biomarkers of renal allograft dysfunction and biomarker enrichment for clinical trials. He is leading the Institute-wide initiative in Precision Medicine. He is a past president of The Transplantation Society.

The Westmead Institute for Medical Research Foundation Group

The Westmead Institute for Medical Research Foundation Group is a structure of legal entities established to support the advancement of medical research at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research (WIMR). The group operates with a focus on driving sustainable funding, supporting research innovation, and ensuring long-term impact for both local and global health outcomes. It comprises the following entities:

  1. The Westmead Institute for Medical Research Foundation Company Pty Ltd (ACN 631 123 272) – Acting as the trustee for The Westmead Institute for Medical Research Foundation Trust, this entity oversees the public ancillary fund aimed at raising and managing charitable contributions for WIMR’s initiatives. The Constitution is available here.
  2. The Westmead Institute for Medical Research Foundation Investments Pty Ltd (ACN 631 119 689) – Serving as the trustee for The Westmead Institute for Medical Research Foundation Investments Trust, this private ancillary fund manages investments to generate ongoing financial support for the Institute’s strategic priorities. The Constitution is available here.

The Westmead Institute for Medical Research (WIMR) is the sole shareholder of both The Westmead Institute for Medical Research Foundation Company Pty Ltd and The Westmead Institute for Medical Research Foundation Investments Pty Ltd.

This structure ensures that the WIMR Foundation Group operates in alignment with WIMR’s mission, providing a dedicated financial and governance framework to support its research initiatives. The trusts exist to manage donations, investments, and philanthropic contributions that sustain WIMR’s research and innovation efforts.

Governance

The The Westmead Institute for Medical Research Foundation Company Pty Ltd (ACN 631 123 272) is governed by a Board of Directors, which includes:

  • Phil Rowland (Chair)
  • Deborah Bright (Burgess) (Director)
  • Professor Philip O’Connell (Director)
  • Simon Hall (Director and Company Secretary)
The Westmead Institute for Medical Research Foundation Investments Pty Ltd (ACN 631 119 689) is governed by a Board of Directors, which includes:
  • Phil Rowland (Chair)
  • Professor Philip O’Connell (Director)
  • Simon Hall (Director and Company Secretary)
 

Trusts

The trusts within the WIMR Foundation Group, namely The Westmead Institute for Medical Research Foundation Trust and The Westmead Institute for Medical Research Investments Trust, are governed by carefully defined deeds. These deeds establish their purpose, including supporting eligible charitable activities, managing donations and investments, and ensuring compliance with Australian regulatory requirements. Both trusts operate on a not-for-profit basis and are subject to ongoing auditing and oversight to maintain their public and private ancillary fund statuses.

Details about the WIMRF Group and its entities can be accessed on the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) Register

 
 
 

Company Secretary

Simon Hall
BSc Hons., MBA, GAICD

Simon Hall is the Company Secretary of WIMR and Chief Operating Officer, responsible for driving operational excellence and strategic initiatives to support the world-class medical research of the institute. He oversees the WIMR Foundation, IP & Commercialisation, Finance, People & Culture, Scientific Platforms, Communications, ICT, Research Support Services, Research Governance, Facilities and Operations.

Simon joined WIMR from the Medical School of the University of Melbourne, with a background in transforming corporate services across academic divisions of Australian universities and driving revenue growth through international markets for UK institutions.

Policies

The use of animals in medical research