Board members

John Atkins AO 
Anglicare WA Chair

John joined the Anglicare WA Board as Chair in 2018. With an extensive career in law and commerce, spanning 40 years, John is well-respected and highly regarded across the political and corporate divide. He has significant experience in the Commercial and Community sectors as a non-executive director of public, listed, and unlisted organisations including a five-year tenure as Chair of Lotterywest, ten years on the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA Board, and nine years as founder and Deputy Chair of the Committee for Perth.

Simon Axworthy

Simon brings to the Anglicare WA Board a focus on strategy and analytics. Currently, he oversees the development of conservation and reforestation projects for Rio Tinto. These commercial projects generate positive outcomes for both communities and climate, while preventing the deterioration of important biodiverse landscapes. Previously, Simon has been a Partner at Azure Consulting and a Senior Manager at Bain & Company in their Californian office.

Nicole Casley

Nicole is a Nyoongar and Ngadju woman with extensive family links throughout WA. Over the past 25 years, Nicole has worked in a variety of roles across State and Federal Government, in commercial legal practice and as a native title lawyer representing traditional owner groups across the state.  She is currently the CEO of Native Title Services Goldfields, the native title service provider for the Goldfields region under the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth).

Her professional experience has had a strong focus on advocacy and social justice, and she has dedicated her career to improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Nicole sits on a number of Boards and advisory groups, and maintain memberships of numerous Aboriginal organisations, including the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council, the Karri Karrak, Whadjuk, Gnaala Karla Boodja and Ballardong Aboriginal Corporations, the Aboriginal Family Law Service, and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance. 

Rt Revd Dr Ian Coutts

Rt Revd Dr Ian Coutts, spent 23 years as a social worker with a CQSW qualification, mostly working in the UK. Primarily working in child protection, diversion from youth custody, domestic violence and residential care. He has worked with Kinship Care, CAMHS, the Church of England Children’s Society, and Wandsworth Social Services Dept. He was Principal Social Worker in Birmingham Education Department for one year, and later a Guardian Ad litem and occasional national trainer on recognising the signs and significance of domestic violence.

Janine Freeman

Janine brings to Anglicare a commitment to advocating for working people and their families, having been the State MP for Mirrabooka and a senior official in the WA trade union movement.  Her passion for community has seen Janine volunteer and work in the not-for-profit community legal sector.

Andrew Friars

Andrew is a part of the leadership of EY’s Asia Pacific Advisory Business and has worked around the world as a Management Consultant for almost 30 years.

Andrew has led many Strategy Implementations and the resulting transformations in critical areas such as Operations, Customer Service, Contact Centres, Risk, Finance, HR, Sourcing, Procurement and IT.

Jane Harries

Jane is an experienced executive and brings to the Board more than 25 years' experience as a human resources business professional. She has worked in corporate and consulting capacities, both in Australia and internationally.

Prior to joining the BGC Australia executive leadership team, Jane established a human resources strategic advisory and executive coaching practice, plus held a number of executive leadership and executive director roles across a variety of organisations and sectors, including Wesfarmers Chemicals Energy & Fertilizers.

Jane has extensive strategic human resources experience particularly in the areas of talent, organisational development and succession.

Rob Kirkby

Rob is a retired audit partner with Ernst and Young having worked as a partner for over 25 years in both Australia and Hong Kong, with extensive experience in the government and not-for-profit sectors including providing advice on governance.

In addition to a Bachelor of Commerce (UWA), Rob is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and New Zealand.

Sue Robertson

Sue brings over 40 years’ experience working in the disability sector to the Board of Anglicare. From 1984 to July 2014, she was the Managing Director and co-founder of EDGE Employment Solutions, an employment agency for job seekers with disabilities. During this period, EDGE secured more 5500 award wage jobs for over 2300 workers with disabilities.

In 1987, Sue was co-winner of the Australian Society for the Study of Intellectual Disability’s National Research Prize for her research in employment of people with disabilities. In 2005 she was awarded the Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year for the Western Region. In 2008 she won the List Inspire Woman of Influence Award which acknowledged her as an inspiring woman in a key leadership role in the Western Australian community. She entered the Disability Employment Australia Hall of Fame in 2011.

Sue has served on national Boards and advisory councils in the disability sector and as a Board Member of the Disability Services Commission. She also served as a Director in the aged care sector.

Sue has presented at numerous international conferences related to employment and disability and has published in international journals on this topic.

Sue currently mentors young CEOs in the arts and human services sectors.