Our Board

Board Charter

Deaf Connect is governed by a Board of Directors and are accountable to the members for the management of the Company’s business and affairs, and as such is responsible for the overall strategy, governance and performance of the Company.

The major roles of the Board include:

Strategic Directions

Oversight of the strategic directions
Providing advice and counsel to executive management on a periodic and ad hoc basis
Ensuring management implement the policies and decision of the Board

Governance

Undertake all reasonable measures to ensure best practice corporate governance including compliance frameworks and control are in place and strategic risk management systems oversight
Monitoring the performance of the chief Executive officer and approving executive management remuneration policies and practices
Reporting to members of the Company

Operating performance

Reviewing and approving annual operating budgets and annual statutory financial statements
Monitor financial results on an ongoing basis
Determining investment strategy perimeters

Operational development

The appointment of the CEO and the approval of succession plans
Endorsing the appointment of the CEO’s direct reports

Information on Directors

Deaf Connect’s company secretary is Amy Wong.

The information on directors is as follows:

		Len Bytheway \| Chair of the Board Len joined the Deaf Connect board in November 2018. Len is a trained teacher of the Deaf with a specialty in deafness technology and accessible media. He is fluent in Auslan and been involved with the Deaf community for over 40 years. Len was the founding CEO of Australian Communication Exchange and started the National Relay Service. Len has 12 years’ experience as a CEO, many more as a senior manager. Through his management consultancy Len has provided advice, support and mentoring to the boards and executive management of many corporate, not-for profit and government agencies. Len is known for his passion, skills and knowledge of education, access technology, media and marketing and corporate management.
		Sarah Lowe \| Deputy Chair Sarah joined the Deaf Connect board in October 2020. Sarah is director of her own business, Cloudmaker Consulting, which is engaged in business planning, marketing, UX Design and communications. Sarah is a passionate senior marketing executive with 20+ years’ experience in not-for-profit marketing and fundraising, corporate marketing and agency account management roles. Sarah is a Founding Member of the National Social Marketing Centre in the UK and a member of the Australian Association of Social Marketing and Australian Market & Social Research Society. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts (Monash University), Bachelor of Commerce (Monash University), and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from RMIT.
		Hannah Britton Hannah joined the Deaf Connect board in November 2023. Hannah is a Deaf professional working in the Australian Public Service at the National Disability Insurance Agency. Hannah is a passionate member of the Deaf community, she is also currently serving as the President of Deaf Sports Australia, and previously served as the Vice President of Deaf Victoria. Hannah holds a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science and Bachelor of Business (Sports Management) from Deakin University as well as Diploma of Interpreting (Deaf Interpreter) from RMIT. Hannah is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
		Steven Hodgetts Steven joined the Deaf Connect Board in 2023. Holding various roles over the last 24 years working in the Aquaculture industry for one of Australia’s largest seafood producers has given Steven a background in WH&S, auditing, and regulatory compliance. Steven has a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Tasmania along with a Diploma in WH&S and Certificate IV’s in Frontline Management and OH&S. Steven brings along his lifetime knowledge of the Deaf community being a second-generation Deaf person and has previous Board experience serving as a Director and President of Tasdeaf between 2008 to 2016. Steven still plays cricket locally and is a current member of the WA Deaf Cricket team.
		Vince Lam Vince joined the Deaf Connect board in November 2020 and has been a director of The Deaf Society since 2017. He is a professional accountant and an independent financial advisor. Vince has a wealth of experience with international and domestic blue chip organisations. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (University of Sydney), Master of Applied Finance (Macquarie University Applied Finance Centre) and professional membership with CPA Australia.
		Stuart Lummis Stuart Joined Deaf Connect board in February 2019. Stuart brings 40 years of experience as a senior executive in ASX-listed groups, government agencies and not-for-profit organisations. Stuart has extensive management experience through his current role as the Chief of Development and Capital Planning for Southern Cross Care and previously as CEO of Brisbane Housing Company. Stuart is Non-Executive Director on the board of several organisations, including Bolton Clarke, Brisbane Markets Limited, Heritage Council of Queensland, the National Trust of Queensland and Mangrove Housing Limited. Stuart is also the Chair of the Property Advisory and Stewardship Committees for the Sisters of St Joseph. Additionally, he is a member of the Property Council of Queensland, sitting on the Social Infrastructure committee. Stuart has a Bachelor of Economics, Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment, Diploma in Project and Construction Management, and is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
		Robin Mack Robin became a member of the Deaf Connect board in February 2019. Robin is the Founder / CEO of Innovation Transformation, where he helps enterprise organisations think and act more like a start-up. Robin holds a MBA from Queensland University of Technology and is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Originally from the United States, Robin has worked in a range of senior leadership roles for global companies around the world.
		Peter Miller Peter is a deaf/hard of hearing person with a life-long passion to work with organisations and individuals to achieve equality, respect and a level playing field so that Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing people can develop their potential and lead fulfilling lives. Peter has worked and volunteered in the Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing communities for more than 30 years. This includes sitting on the boards of Deaf Education Network (DEN), Australian Communication Exchange (ACE) and Deafness Forum. Peter is a Life Member of Deaf Connect after being awarded Life membership of DEN which was taken over by the Deaf Society of NSW. Peter originally graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Queensland and since then has enjoyed successful technical and leadership roles designing and operating mobile and satellite telecommunications networks for Telstra, Vodafone and the nbn which he continues today.
		Timothy Morgan Timothy has over 16 years’ experience in governance roles and 30 years’ experience in the public sector. These experiences provide personal experiences where Timothy can draw down from the challenges he has faced during his career as a deaf person and offer a unique perspective through my Deaf lens. Timothy is passionate about building on the vision of Deaf Connect of standing with the community to build its capacity and offering choices that empower Deaf and hard of hearing individuals to make informed decisions for themselves.
		Jasmine Rozsa Jasmine Rozsa joined the board in 2023. She has over 15 years experience working with the deaf community in service delivery and management. She started her career in the interpreting bookings office at the Deaf Society of NSW and later moved into management of the Deaf Society of NSW Interpreting Service (formerly SLC NSW/ACT). She was responsible for the delivery of high quality and responsive interpreting services, including emergency interpreting services, professional development and mentoring programs for interpreters. She is a Certified Professional Interpreter and ASLIA member. She is a practicing lawyer with a passion for social justice and influencing social change.