Avant Mutual Board

Associate Professor Beverley Rowbotham
MBBS (Hons 1) MD, FRACP, FRCPA, FAICD

Associate Professor Rowbotham is the Chair of AMGL and AGHL and is a Director of AIL, DHF and the Avant Foundation. She is Director of Haematology and a member of the Executive Advisory Committee at Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology. She is the Chair of the AMA Federal Council, the National Pathology Accreditation Advisory Committee and is a past President of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. Dr Rowbotham is an Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, and is a member of the MBS Review Taskforce and other government committees. Dr Rowbotham is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is a Director of RCPA Quality Assurance Programs Pty Limited, AEIOU Foundation for children with autism and Genome One.

Special responsibilities: Director of Avant Foundation Limited and The Doctors’ Health Fund Pty Ltd. Member of the Remuneration Committee and Nominations Committee.

Mr Peter Beck 
BSc, FIA, FIAA, FSA, FASFA

Mr Beck is a Director of AMGL, AGHL and AIL. Mr Beck is an actuary by profession and has over 30 years’ experience in banking, insurance, superannuation and investments working in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, South Africa and the United Kingdom. He was formerly CEO of Pillar Administration, CEO of CommInsure, and Group General Manager, Strategic Development and Group Appointed Actuary at Colonial.

Special responsibilities: Chair of the Risk Committee, Chair of the Audit Committee and member of the Group Investment Committee.

Dr Penny Browne
MBBS, Dip Obst RCOG, FRACGP, MHL, GAICD

Dr Browne is a Director of AMGL and AGHL. She is a GP, GP supervisor and senior staff specialist at the Hornsby-Brooklyn GP unit, NSW. Dr Browne has significant governance experience and is currently a non-executive director for Doctors Health Advisory Service NSW. She has extensive medico legal experience was formerly the inaugural chief medical officer at Avant. Dr Browne is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Special responsibilities: Member of the Risk Committee and the Audit Committee.

Dr Jan Dudley
MBBS, FRANZCOG, GAICD

Dr Dudley is a Director of AMGL and AGHL. She is a VMO Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at both the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick and Prince of Wales Private Hospital in Randwick, where she is Chairman of Obstetrics. Dr Dudley has significant governance experience at local hospital level, and was formerly a long standing and highly respected member of Avant’s Medical Experts Committee. Dr Dudley is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.    

Special responsibilities: Member of the Group Investment Committee.

Associate Professor Gillian Farrell
MBBS, FRACS

Associate Professor Farrell is a Director of AMGL and AGHL. She is plastic and reconstructive surgeon who works as a Senior Oncological Surgeon at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and is a member of the Council of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons. She is the ASPS Clinical Lead of the Australian Breast Device Registry, a member of the TGA Breast Implant Expert Working Group and TGA Advisory Committee on Medical Devices and a Clinical Advisor to the Prostheses List. She is an Associate Professor at Monash University.

Special responsibilities: Director of The Doctors’ Heath Fund. Member of the Audit and Risk Committees.

Dr William Glasson 

MBBS (Qld), FRANZCO, FRACS, FRACGP, FRCOphth, DipAppSc(Opt), GAICD 

Dr William Glasson is a Director of AMGL and AGHL. Dr Glasson is a practising ophthalmologist working in urban, rural and regional Australia as well as in East Timor.

Dr Glasson is the former Federal President of the Australian Medical Association and was awarded the Gold Medal for his services in 2017. He has been awarded an Order of Australia for his services to rural and regional medicine. Dr Glasson has significant skills and knowledge in finance, management and governance. He has served on a number of Boards, including the Medical and Allied Professional Superannuation Fund, Cancer Australia, St John Australia, Australian Medical Association, Royal Australia and NZ College of Ophthalmologists Board and QLD Urban Indigenous Health.

Special responsibilities: Member of the Audit Committee, Nominations Committee, Remuneration Committee and Risk Committee.

Dr Steven Hambleton
MBBS, FAMA, FRACGP (Hon), FAICD

Dr Steve Hambleton is a Director of AMGL and AGHL. He is a former Federal President of the Australian Medical Association (AMA May 2011 to May 2014) and was awarded the Gold Medal for his services in 2015.
Dr Hambleton is a current member of the Implementation Advisory Group for the Health Care Home and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care Atlas of Clinical Variation working group and is Co-Sponsor Clinical Programs with the Australian Digital Health Agency. He is also Deputy Chair of the Medicare Benefits Schedule Review Taskforce.

Special responsibilities: Member of Group Investment Committee.

Mr Peter Polson
BCom, MBL, PMD

Mr Polson is a Director of AMGL and AGHL and is the Chair of AIL. He has an extensive background in banking, insurance and financial services. He was formerly Managing Director of Colonial First State Investments, and with the Commonwealth Bank Group as Group Executive responsible for all Investment and Insurance Services. Mr Polson is the current Chairman of the Board of Challenger Financial Services Group Limited, Challenger Life Limited, IDP Education Pty Limited and the Chairman of Very Special Kids.

Special responsibilities: Chair of the Group Investment Committee, member of the Remuneration Committee and the Nominations Committee.

Mr Duncan West
ANZIIF (Snr Assoc.), CIP, FCII, BSc (Econ), GAICD

Mr West is a Director of Avant Group Holdings and Avant Insurance.

He has over 30 years’ experience in insurance, with a particular focus on risk pricing and underwriting, reinsurance, claims and distribution management in both general insurance and life insurance.

He has worked in the UK, India and Australia, including as CEO of Vero Insurance and CGU Insurance. Most recently, he was Executive General Manager of Retail Wealth for NAB.

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute. He was formerly Director and President of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance.

Special responsibilities: Chair of the Remuneration Committee, and member of the Risk Committee and the Audit Committee.