Senior Leadership Team
Jessica Parker
Head of Partnerships and Immersion Experiences
Nicole Lovelock
Head of Marketing and Impact
Chief Executive Officer
Philippe Magid
Philippe joined The Hunger Project Australia as Chief Executive Officer in May 2022. He was previously the CEO of the Reach Foundation, a youth-based not-for-profit and Bangarra Dance Theatre, Australia’s national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company.
Philippe has also held executive positions across tech, digital and the arts sectors, including Air BnB and The Australian Ballet. Passionate about the data and the transformational power of CRM, he was also the Chair of the global Tessitura Network, which supports all major arts organisations’ knowledge building (2016 – 2019).
Some of his highlights so far include working with the our local team, community of investors and global colleagues to develop of a new 5-year strategic plan for the organisation, with an ambitious goal to triple our impact to ensure we are meeting the needs of our community partners around the world; visiting our work across five countries in Africa and being there to help turn on the electricity at Kachindamoto Epicentre in Malawi.
In his spare time, you’ll find Philippe on his gravel bike or seeking out the best (yes, he is originally from Melbourne) coffee. He is based in Sydney, where he lives with his partner, teenage son and much-loved dog, Dash.
Kirsten Forrester
Head of Finance
Staff
Elisa Simunovich
Risk Compliance and Operations Manager
Jacquie Love
Trusts & Foundations Manager
Josie Lenoble
Immersion Experiences Manager
Lucinda Dunn
Program and Grants Manager
Melissa Kumar
Philanthropy Manager
Stephanie Giovanni
Finance Assistant
Talia Smith
Program and Grants Manager
Simone Tison
Partnerships Manager
Board of Directors
BA, Grad Dip Fin Mgt
(appointed director 9 February 2022 appointed Chair July 2022)
Mary Reemst
Mary is a director of the Asylum Seekers Centre and the Sisters of Charity Foundation. She is also a board member of the Future Fund Board of Guardians, a director of three companies in the Atmos Renewables group and a member of the CEFC Rewiring the Nation Investment Advisory Committee.
Mary has over three decades of experience in the banking industry. Her career included significant experience in front line client facing roles, risk management as Head of Credit at Macquarie Group Limited and most recently as Chief Executive Officer of Macquarie Bank Limited.
Mary was formerly a director on the Macquarie Bank Board and a member of Macquarie Group and Macquarie Bank Executive Committees.
BA (Psych), MBA
(appointed 15 November 2018)
Christine Khor
Christine is the Managing Director of Chorus Executive and is founder and CEO of Peeplcoach. Christine is a member of the Future Pathways Advisory Council, a Rio Tinto initiative.
Christine has been named a Telstra Business Woman of the Year Finalist, Women Leading Tech Finalist and Chief Executive Women Winner.
(appointed 21 July 2021)
Jacinta McDonell
Jacinta is the founder of Human Kind Project, A Founders Path and W1LL. Jacinta is also on the board of Boutique Fitness Studios.
Jacinta was also the co-founder of Anytime Fitness. She has significant entrepreneurial experience in the wellness industry and in using best practice systems to innovate brands.
Kate Howitt
Kate Howitt has over 20 years’ experience as a professional investor, including four years ranking in the top 30 of Citywire’s quantitative assessment of the world’s 1,700 female portfolio managers.
From 2007 to 2022 Kate was a portfolio manager of Australian equities funds in Fidelity International. Previously Kate was an analyst / portfolio manager with AMP Capital, and a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group in Sydney.
Kate received her Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and her Bachelor of Arts from St John’s College, the second-oldest liberal arts college in the USA.
In 2014 Kate co-founded 9 Degrees, which has grown to become Australia’s leading operator of indoor boulder climbing gyms.
Having retired in 2022 from hands-on portfolio management, Kate is now a member of the Finance and Strategy Committee of the University of New South Wales, and of the Investment Committees of: UNSW, the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, and River Capital, a multi-asset boutique fund manager. Kate is a Senior Advisor with the Boston Consulting Group.
BA, MBA
(appointed 4 November 2020)
Patricia Akopiantz
Patty is a co-founder of Assembly Climate Capital which invests in companies and ideas that can significantly impact climate change. Patty is the Chair of Environmental Leadership Australia and she also serves on the boards of Belvoir Theatre Company, KPMG and Sea Forest.
Patty has significant experience across the consumer-
facing landscape, having spent over 35 years as an ASX Board Director and senior manager in companies including Coles Myer, Energy Australia, Ramsay Healthcare, AMP, McKinsey, David Jones and P&G.
BSc, BE (Hons),
(appointed 22 November 2010)
Roger Massy-Greene AM
Roger is also a member of the global board of The Hunger Project.
He is the principal shareholder and Chair of Eureka Capital Partners, a private investment company. He is a director of Illawarra Coke Company and OneVentures Pty Ltd.
Roger previously served as the Chair of Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy. He co-founded and served as Chair of Excel Coal Limited and its predecessor Resource Finance Corporation Ltd until its acquisition by Peabody Energy.
He serves as Chair of Eureka Benevolent Foundation, a family foundation focused on overcoming socio-economic disadvantage. He is a director of Australian Education Research Organisation, a company established by the Australian federal and state governments to promote evidence-based teaching practices in schools. Roger previously served as the President of the Cranbrook School Council.
BE, BSc, PhD Engineering
(appointed 4 June 2014)
Simon Blackburn
Simon is a Senior Partner in McKinsey & Company’s Sydney office, and has been with McKinsey for 25 years. He is also on the board of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research. His experience spans organisation, strategy, operations, information technology, and marketing & sales.
Simon was previously on the board of Parents as Teachers National Centre, and the Massachusetts STEM Collaborative.
BEc (Hons), LLB
(appointed 1 January 2018)
Steven Harker AM
Steve is currently Chairman of the Investment and Executive Committees at Future Now Capital. He is also a Director of SurePact and the ASX Refinitiv Charity Foundation.
Prior to that Steve was CEO, then Vice Chair, of Morgan Stanley Australia for 21 years. Steve also spent 15 years with BZW in various roles including Global Head of Equities based in London.
He has served on the Boards of Westpac, the Future Fund Board of Guardians, the Banking and Finance Oath, the Australian Financial Markets Association and Ascham School.
Youth Board
Isabel Kordic
Rachel MacNeill
Sascha D’Arcy
Sky Austin
Sophia Lang
WA Development Board
Jillian Formentin
Chair
April Jorgensen
Deborah Protter
Griff Morris
Holly Gatenby
Joshua Hurst
VIC Development Board
Claire Whitbread
Chair