ABOUT PORTLAND DISTRICT HEALTH
Board of Directors
Drawn from our local community, our Board provides independent governance and strategic leadership - ensuring Portland District Health remains safe, sustainable and accountable to the people it serves.
GOVERNANCE
Overseeing our health service
The Board of Directors' primary function is to oversee the governance of Portland District Health. The Board is committed to ensuring the services provided by Portland District Health comply with the requirements of the Health Services Act 1988 and the Objectives, Vision, Mission and Values of the service.
The Board consists of up to 12 members appointed by the Governor-in-Council on the advice of the Minister for Health following nominations received by Portland District Health. Each member is appointed for up to a three-year term and is eligible for re-nomination when the term ends. Portland District Health's Board of Management meets monthly throughout the year.
Portland District Health by-laws enable the Board to delegate various responsibilities. These by-laws are supported by executive delegations and operational responsibility which enables executives and staff to perform their duties through specific delegated authority.
The registered office of Portland District Health is 141 Bentinck Street, Portland VIC 3305.
Meet the Board of Directors
The Board is supported by sub-committees covering finance and audit, quality and safety, and community advisory.
Emeritus Professor Peter Matthews
Director / Chair
Appointed: July 2021
Qualifications: MBA, AICD, Grad Dip (Arts Administration), Dip Arts (Dance), Bachelor (Agriculture Engineering)
Occupation: Arts Consultant and Board Director
Sub Committees: Governance Remuneration & Nominations, Community Advisory, Finance, Audit & Risk, People & Culture
Emeritus Professor Peter Matthews has more than 25 years’ experience in governance, much of it as Chair including Kyneton District Health, Central Highlands Rural Health, the Audit and Risk Committee of Macedon Ranges Shire Council, Tasdance, Australian Poetry, and Westside Circus. He has a long association with regional Victoria, including born in Mildura, raised in the Goulbourn Valley, and lives in Woodend, as well as CEO, Regional Arts Victoria and Professor of Creative Arts and Head, Arts Academy, University of Ballarat (now Federation University). His work in the arts includes Australia Council, Australian Dance Theatre, Sydney Dance Company, Australian Bellet School, Melbourne Theatre Company, and jumguest artist at the Julliard School (New York) and University of Michigan while a Churchill Fellow. Peter has formal qualifications in engineering, performing arts, management, and governance.
Mr Andrew Long
Director
Appointed: June 2021
Qualifications: CSA CPA AICD
Occupation: Accountant CSA CPA AICD
Sub Committees: Finance, Audit & Risk (Chair), Governance, Remuneration & Nominations
Andrew is currently Executive Manager Corporate Services and Finance at Southern Stay. Prior to joining Southern Stay, he was the Chief Financial Officer at Lyndoch Living and prior to that at the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation. Andrew brings a wide range of experience including finance, corporate services, NDIS, health, medical research, reporting, governance, strategic planning, financial and investment management, project, and policy areas. Andrew is passionate and committed to the service sector and being part of organisations that make a difference to the lives of people in South West Victoria.
Dr Lucy Cuddihy
Director
Appointed: June 2021
Qualifications: BAppSc (Adv Nursing), DN, MBA, GAICD
Sub Committees: Clinical Governance (Chair), People & Culture
Dr Lucy Cuddihy has held senior roles in health management in Victoria for over 20 years. She was the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer at Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria from 2005 to 2018 and held a number of other executive roles before leaving in 2020. Lucy is a Registered Nurse and worked for 23 years in paediatrics and holds post basic qualifications in Paediatric Intensive Care and Neonatal Paediatrics. She completed a Doctor of Nursing at La Trobe University, Melbourne in 2005 and holds graduate qualifications in Organisational Change and Development and a Master of Business from RMIT, Melbourne, Victoria. Dr Cuddihy has served on expert advisory panels to the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, advisory boards within the Deakin University, Faculty of Health and was a member of the Victorian Health Service Review Council. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Deakin University, School of Nursing and Midwifery and has Board appointments at Casterton Memorial Hospital and Barwon Child and Family Services.
Mr Paul Wright
Director
Appointed: July 2022
Qualifications: B.Com
Occupation: Accountant
Sub Committees: Finance, Audit & Risk, Community Advisory
Paul is a Senior Accountant with Discovery Coast Accounting and has over twenty years of experience in dealing with a vast array of industries. Paul up until recently was Chairman of the Board of Seaview House Residential Care Inc. Having worked with the Not for Profit and DGR sectors he understands the importance of strong corporate governance. Being raised and local to Portland with a strong interest in Health Care, Paul is looking forward to using his experience and skills for the long-term benefit of the Local Community.
Ms Louise Cameron
Director
Appointed: July 2025
Qualifications: MBA, Masters Human Resource, B. Education Training & Development. AICD
Sub Committees: Community Advisory (Chair), People and Culture (Chair)
Louise Cameron has over twenty years in executive and governance roles across education, aged care and community, and brings experience in driving organisation success through strategic direction, with a unique perspective of combining expertise on both corporate and industry governance. Louise was Chairperson, for the Victoria Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation Land Management Network, Board Member South West Sports Academy, Council Representative for Barwon South West Adult Education Council and Board Member for Lyndoch Living. Being raised and currently living in the South West area, she understands the need for and importance of quality health and education services to regional communities.
Ms Kristin Michaels
Director
Appointed: July 2025
Qualifications: MBusLaw, MSF, GradCert(OrgCoaching), FAICD
Occupation: CEO Advanced Pharmacy Australia
Sub Committees: Finance, Audit & Risk, Governance, Remuneration & Nomination (Chair)
Kristin Michaels FAICD is an experienced health-sector executive with more than 20 years in chief-executive and governance roles. She has led Advanced Pharmacy Australia as Chief Executive Officer since 2015, guiding national medicines-policy initiatives and professional-practice programs. Previously, Kristin served as Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Melbourne Medicare Local (2012-2015) and Eastern Ranges GP Association (2002-2012), where she managed large multidisciplinary teams, multimillion dollar budgets and over 30 care programs across primary, community and acute settings. Kristin’s qualifications include a Master of Business Law, Master of Strategic Foresight and Graduate Certificate in Organisational Coaching, executive programmes at Melbourne Business School, Monash and Harvard Business Schools. She was admitted as a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2014. Kristin’s key skills cover strategic planning, corporate governance, policy, advocacy, stakeholder engagement and prudent financial stewardship.
Jennifer (Jenny) Barr
Director
Appointed: July 2026
Qualifications: BN, GradDip Ad.Nursing (Critical Care), MMedSc, RN, MACN PhD Candidate
Sub Committees: Clinical Governance, Community Advisory
Jenny is a Registered Nurse, Community Engagement and Person-Centred Care leadership professional who brings substantial experience from across health services, health professional education, medical regulation and graduate research. Jenny currently serves as a community member of the Victorian Board of the Medical Board of Australia, appointed by the Minister for Health since 2017 and is Chair of one of Victoria’s two Registration Committees. She currently leads the Person-Centred Value-Based Health Care project at Royal Melbourne Hospital and her focus in practice and research is building capacity and capability for improving partnership and engagement with patients, carers and community at all levels within health care delivery. Jenny’s previous leadership experience in community engagement at Royal Melbourne Hospital is on a background of intensive care nursing, tissue donation coordination at the Victorian Donor Tissue Bank and person-centred health professional education in a university setting. Jenny’s current Cotutelle PhD candidature is a joint scholarship program with Deakin University (School of Nursing and Midwifery), Australia, and the University of Copenhagen (Department of Public Health), Denmark, providing opportunities for global networking and collaboration.
Dr Seema Bajia
Director
Appointed: July 2026
Qualifications: MBBS FRACS Masters in Surgery, Masters in Public Health
Sub Committees: Finance, Audit & Risk, Governance, Renumeration & Nomination, People & Culture, Clinical Governance
Seema is an experienced clinician, with medical administration experience at facility and district level in NSW and more recently in Victoria in Barwon South West region and in Bendigo Health as executive Director of Medical Services. She has 20 years’ experience as a senior surgeon which supports a strong understanding of a clinician’s perspective and provides a strong basis in patient focussed leadership in health. Seema completed a Masters in Public Health in 2022, and Harvard Business School Program of Leadership Development in 2026 and has a history in clinical governance and Quality Improvement activities as a clinician and in her health leadership roles.