CIS is indebted to the distinguished members of its Board of Directors — among whom are counted CEOs, senior academics and highly qualified and experienced business leaders — for their support and expert guidance in the direction and financial security of the organisation.
Nicholas Moore AO
Chairman
Nicholas Moore is a former Chief Executive Officer of Macquarie Group Limited. He retired in 2018 after 32 years at Macquarie, including 10 years as CEO. Nicholas has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of NSW (UNSW). He was admitted as a solicitor and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. In 2017, Nicholas was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business from UNSW. He is Chair of Screen Australia, The Centre for Independent Studies, The Smith Family, Willow Technology Corporation, the National Catholic Education Commission, the Financial Regulator Assessment Authority and the Markets Taskforce Expert Advisory Panel (within the Commonwealth Treasury) and Aldus Group. He is a member (and former Chair) of the UNSW Business School Advisory Council, a non-executive director of QBiotics Group, and a member of the Council of the National Gallery of Australia. In November 2022, Nicholas was appointed Special Envoy for Southeast Asia by the Commonwealth Government. Nicholas was previously Chair of the Sydney Opera House Trust, PCYC NSW, and has held directorships at Sydney Airport and Hills Motorway.
Chris Roberts
Deputy Chairman
Chris Roberts is Deputy Chair of the CIS. He is Chairman of Orora Ltd, which demerged in Dec 2013 from Amcor Ltd where he had been chairman for 13 years. He is also a Director of Control Risks Plc and was formerly non-executive director of Telstra, Australian Agriculture, Petaluma Wines, MLC Life, and Email Ltd. His executive roles included CEO of OrlandoWyndham Wines and Arnotts Ltd.
Philippa Stone
Deputy Chairman
Philippa Stone is a partner of Herbert Smith Freehills, a major international law firm, where she specialises in equity raisings and mergers and acquisitions. She is Joint Global Head of the firm’s Capital Markets group. She is also a member of the Takeovers Panel and the incoming Chair of the Law Council of Australia’s Corporations Committee. She is also a Panel member of Adara Partners, a for-purpose financial advisory firm whose fees go to provide natal care, education and other assistance in disadvantaged communities in Nepal and Uganda. She was a member of the Commonwealth Government’s Business Regulation Advisory Group on the CLERP 9 reforms and a member of the ASX’s Appeals Tribunal, as well as a non-executive director of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, a member of the International Air Services Commission and a non-executive director of Airservices Australia. She was also a director of David Jones Limited prior to its takeover by Woolworths.
Michael Rennie
Deputy Chairman
Michael Rennie is a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Co now based in Dubai. He is a member of the Firm's global board and Global Leader of the Organisation Practice. Previously he was the Managing Partner for McKinsey and Company in Australia and New Zealand.He has worked with some of the World's best CEOs and management teams across 15 countries on their individual, team and organisational performance. With 29 years consulting experience he has worked behind the scenes on a number of Australia's most noted corporate transformations. He has a strong interest in Government policy and community issues. He has led five major economic policy projects for two Australian Prime Ministers and was a member of the Board of the Economic Planning Advisory Commission. He has been long time Chairman of the Inspire Foundation and a Board member of the Salvation Army and currently the Hunger Project. Michael has law degrees from the University of Western Australia, studied languages and history in Switzerland and has an MA in Economics and Philosophy from Oxford where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He is married with three children.
Greg Lindsay AO
Director and Founder of The Centre for Independent Studies
Mr Lindsay is the founder and was the Executive Director for 42 years. After stepping down at the beginning of 2018 he has continued his involvement by becoming a Director of the CIS. While studying philosophy at Macquarie University in the early 1970s, Mr Lindsay became interested in the ideas underpinning a free and open society. A maths teacher by training, Mr Lindsay taught for some years at Richmond High School in Western Sydney, and while there, founded the Centre in 1976. Since then, he has overseen the development of CIS into Australia's largest independent think tank covering the three major policy areas – economic, social and international. He has been active in the international liberal movement and is a former President of The Mont Pelerin Society (www.montpelerin.org).
Mark is a career investment banker, having focused predominantly in the natural resources sector. Mark has spent most of his career with McKinsey & Company (both in Australia and overseas), companies he founded, led and then sold - GEM Consulting and Azure Capital, and in several senior executive roles at Macquarie Group (one being the Chairman and Global Head of the Natural Resources Group). He is currently the Deputy Chairman and Lead Independent Director at Fortescue Metals Group. He also chairs the Board of the University of Western Australia Business School, chairs the Hospital Benefit Fund (HBF) Investment Committee, is a member of the Senior Advisory Board of Appian Capital, is a member of the Board of The Centre for Independent Studies and is a senior adviser to EY (Oceania). Mark holds a Bachelor of Commerce (First Class Honours and University Medal) from the University of Western Australia, an MBA from Harvard Business School (Baker Scholar) and an Honorary Doctor of Commerce from the University of Western Australia.
Melinda Conrad
Melinda Conrad is a Non-Executive Director of ASX Limited, Caltex Australia Limited, and the Stockland Corporation Limited. She is also a Non Executive Director of The George Institute for Global Health and is a member of the ASIC Director Advisory Panel and the AICD Corporate Governance Committee. Ms. Conrad has over 25 years of expertise in consumer-related industries, including as a retail entrepreneur and CEO, and roles at Colgate-Palmolive and Harvard Business School. She is a former Board member of OFX Group Limited, David Jones Ltd, The Reject Shop Limited, APN News & Media Ltd, the Garvan Institute Foundation, and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. Melinda has an MBA from Harvard Business School, a BA from Wellesley College, and is a Fellow of AICD.
Sir Rod Eddington AO
Sir Rod Eddington AO is non-executive Chairman (Australia & New Zealand) of J.P. Morgan and non-executive Chairman of Lion. Rod's career began in transport and aviation and he went on to become CEO of Cathay Pacific, Ansett Airlines and British Airways, before retiring in late 2005 and returning to Australia. Sir Rod was Western Australia's Rhodes Scholar in 1974 and holds a Doctorate from Oxford University in the Department of Engineering Science. In 2005, Rod was awarded a Knighthood by the British Government for service to civil aviation, and in 2012 an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for service to business and commerce. In 2006, he completed a study for the British Government on the links between transport and the economy. In addition to maintaining non-executive directorships with 21st Century Fox, China Light & Power Holdings and John Swire & Sons, Sir Rod also serves as a member of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), Chairman of Victorian Major Events Company and President of the Australia Japan Business Cooperation Committee. Sir Rod was also the Chair of Infrastructure Australia until 2014.
Sir Bill English KNZM
Sir Bill English retired from politics in 2018 after 27 years. He was Minister of Finance in NZ in 1999 and 2008-2016 and Prime Minister 2016-2017. Bill is currently a director of Wesfarmers, a director of several private technology and export companies, and runs a family business. Bill has consulted with Australian federal and state governments and New Zealand businesses operating trans-Tasman. He has ongoing interest on sound economic policy and Social Investment, a data driven approach to measuring social impact and improving the lives of the most vulnerable. Sir Bill is married to Dr Mary English, a medical practitioner in Wellington, and they have six adult children.
Dr Peter C Farrell AM
Dr Peter Farrell AM, Ph.D., DSc is founder and Chairman of ResMed. Dr. Farrell has served as CEO for Resmed as Vice President, Research and Development, and as a Managing Director at various subsidiaries of Baxter International, Inc. He was a Foundation Director of the Graduate School for Biomedical Engineering at the University of New South Wales where he currently serves as a Visiting Professor and as Chairman of the UNSW Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Dr. Farrell holds a B.E. in chemical engineering with honours from the University of Sydney, an S.M. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and bioengineering from the University of Washington, Seattle and a D.Sc. from the University of New South Wales for research contributions relating to treatment with the artificial kidney. Dr. Farrell was named 1998 San Diego Entrepreneur of the Year for Health Sciences, Australian Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001 and US National Entrepreneur of the Year for 2005 in Health Sciences. In 2010, he was named Chairman of the Executive Council of the Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine. In 2012, he joined the Board of Trustees of the Scripps Research Institute. Dr. Farrell is a director of NuVasive, Inc. Dr. Farrell was President of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Arts, San Diego (2009-2011). In 2011 Farrell was named a Gordon Fellow by UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering and in 2012 was admitted as a Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.