Our Board

His background provides him a wide understanding of business management and advocacy at all levels of industry and Government. John is currently Chairman of the Northern Co-operative Meat Company, a globally recognised farmer owned Co-operative. He is currently Chairman of the Co-operative Alliance in northern New South Wales and represents the industry at both State and national levels.

John has a strong rural focus and has a particular interest in rural health issues. After being diagnosed with a potentially life threating invasive form of squamous cell carcinoma whilst living in western NSW, John appreciates the importance of support and information for patients having difficulty accessing specialised treatment.

John has a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (UNE) and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Daniel co-founded Melanoma Patients Australia, together with Brent Grace in 2006 and has served on the Board since the organisation’s inception.

Daniel has extensive professional experience in Private Equity and Strategy fields through his work as a management consultant with McKinsey & Co in Sydney and New York, CEO of Sands Group, and now Managing Director of Redwood North, a Private Equity and Real Estate Investment Firm.

Daniel has completed an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York, an LLB/ B.Com (Accounting) from Bond University, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Since her melanoma diagnosis in 2013, she has worked extensively with consumers, health professionals, cancer organisations and researchers to improve outcomes for those people and their families impacted by melanoma. She has co-facilitated the MPA Melbourne Support Group since 2014.

Alison’s board and consumer appointments include:

· Australian Melanoma Clinical Practice Guidelines Panel with Cancer Council Australia and Melanoma Institute Australia
· Victorian Cancer Biobank
· Cancer Council Victoria
· Australia and New Zealand Melanoma Trials Group
· Melanoma Research Victoria
· Victorian Cancer Registry
· Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
· Australian Melanoma Consumer Alliance

She has experience in a range of clinical, policy, research, academic and senior management roles within health and social assistance, having worked in government, higher education, commercial and non-profit sectors. Marie-Claire’s most recent previous roles include: National Clinical Director for 1800RESPECT, the national telephone and online counselling service for people impacted by sexual assault and domestic and family violence and Director of Support Programs for Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

Marie-Claire is currently working as a consultant with health, human services and social care organisations in the areas of strategic planning, psychosocial program innovation and development, quality assurance and improvement. She is also a national director of the Australian Association of Social Workers, currently serving as National Vice-President. Marie-Claire is a 2012 Winston Churchill Fellow. Her research involved an overseas study on the organisation of social work education and workforce planning in the United States, Canada, England and Denmark. She is currently undertaking a doctorate in social work at UNSW in Sydney.

• Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (Ad Hom) 2012
• Mayne Professor, Head of Discipline of Surgery, University of Queensland
• Director, Upper Gastro-intestinal and Soft Tissue Unit, Princess Alexandra Hospital.
• Chairman, Queensland Melanoma Project
• Director, Melanoma Patients Australia

Melanoma interests:
Surgeon involved in the management of patients with all stages of melanoma for 26 years.
Senior surgeon at the Melanoma Clinic at the Princess Alexandra Hospital

Research involvement:
Epidemiology of melanoma in Queensland – Collaboration with the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Epidemiology Unit.
Assessment of the outcomes of patients with high risk primary and secondary melanoma.
Phase I-III trials in the surgical and medical management of patients with stage III and IV melanoma. These include locally based studies as well as collaboration in national and international trials.

She was subsequently diagnosed in mid-2013 at stage IV melanoma.She was treated with Keytruda as part of a trial from October 2013 to October 2015 and has shown no evidence of disease in regular scans since that time.