Our Board

Gippsland Grammar is overseen by a Board of volunteers from a number of different stakeholder groups within the School community. The School Board meets eight times per year and is responsible for the appointment of the Principal and the Business Manager.

Brendan Shepherd - Chair

Brendan Shepherd has been associated with Gippsland Grammar for many years as he is himself an Old Scholar and is a current parent. Mr Shepherd has been on the Gippsland Grammar Board since 2016 and also served on the School’s Audit Committee and the Gippsland Grammar Foundation. Mr Shepherd is a Principal Accountant of Phillipson’s in Sale and Traralgon and through this role has provided tax and business services to clients for more than 30 years across the Gippsland region. Mr Shepherd is known for his ability to build strong relationships. Mr Shepherd enjoys surf lifesaving and swimming and lives in Sale with his family.

Bishop of Gippsland, The Right Reverend Doctor Richard Treloar

Richard Treloar was consecrated as the 13th Bishop of Gippsland 2018 after serving as Vicar of Christ Church South Yarra and President of Christ Church Grammar School since 2007. Prior to that Richard was Chaplain of the University of Melbourne’s Trinity College and Stewart Lecturer at Trinity College Theological School for nine years.

He was member of the Melbourne Grammar School Council for seven years from 2008 and he also represented the Anglican and Uniting Churches of Australia on the Faith and Order Standing Commission in the World Council of Churches for more than a decade. In 2012 Richard was appointed to Liturgy Commission of General Synod and in 2019 he was also appointed to the Trinity College Board. As an Honorary Research Associate of the University of Divinity, Richard has published a number of articles in Australian and international refereed journals and edited volumes, along with his PhD thesis (Monash University).

Richard lives in Sale with his wife and two children, who are both current Gippsland Grammar students.

Andrew Reynolds

Originally from Adelaide, Andrew Reynolds moved to Bairnsdale in 1997 and is a co-owner and Partner of Wards Barristers & Solicitors Pty Ltd, where he undertakes legal work in the areas of commercial, conveyancing, wills, estates and trusts.

Andrew is a long serving volunteer in the East Gippsland community, with past committee roles with APEX, Eastern Victorian Group Training and East Gippsland Institute of TAFE. Andrew’s interests include gardening, boating on the Gippsland Lakes and motoring. He lives in Bairnsdale with his wife and two children, who are both current Gippsland Grammar students.

Helen Rose

After graduating with Business degree specialising in hospitality management, Helen Rose has spent her career in the private and public business sector working for large hotels, government, retail, wine and community organisations. She has a diverse and rich skill set in corporate management and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Governance Institute of Australia and the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers.

For the past 20 years, Helen has also consulted to a select group of organisations, engaged to deliver confidential services in the areas of corporate governance, company secretarial services, financial and business operations, board and committee management, human resources and general administration.

Helen lives in East Gippsland with her and husband and her three children, who are all Gippsland Grammar Old Scholars.

Fiona Reed

Fiona Reed joined the board of Gippsland Grammar in 2021 and is a non-executive director with experience on several boards. She is the Chair of the Mary Jane Lewis Foundation of which she has been a scholarship trustee since 2008 and is a member of the Flinders Golf Club governing Committee. Previously, Fiona has been on the RACV Superannuation Board and the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club Board. She also reported to the Council of La Trobe University.

Fiona has broad and deep experience as a senior executive in large organisations across a range of sectors. She has also worked as a management consultant for two global consulting firms: Accenture and Mercer. Fiona began her career as a secondary teacher and she was most recently the Executive Director of Human Resources at La Trobe University.

David Gittins

David Gittins lives with his family in Traralgon and has a background in business, spending the past 20 years owning several vehicle franchises across Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley for Ford, BMW, Honda, CJD, Hyundai, and Kia. David’s career began with Ford Australia as a graduate trainee and he has a Diploma of Business. David was also the founding chair of Life Education in Doncaster/Templestowe and he is a life member of APEX Australia. David was president of Gippsland TAFE for six years and served on the TAFE board for 14 years. He served as Regional Chair of BMW Dealer Council and is currently chair of Clifton Waters, chair of the Anglican Diocese Finance committee, trustee of the Anglican Diocese and director of the Anglican Corporation of Gippsland. David is also director and major shareholder of Traralgon Harley Davidson and a director of Stawell Hospital and Regional Health.

Ann Wootton

Ann Wootton is an experienced senior and executive manager of private and public companies in both Australia and the US. She recently retired with her husband to Gippsland where Ann grew up and attended St Anne’s & Gippsland Grammar School. The organisations that Ann managed provided risk management and compliance software and professional services to Australian and global organisations. Ann has a good understanding of the governance and risk management challenges facing organisations and her broader skills include strategy and planning; project and operational management and financial and people management. Ann currently serves on several community not-for-profit boards.

Ian Nethercote

Ian Nethercote has been involved in the electricity and coal mining industry for about 40 years and held the role of Chief Executive of Victoria’s largest power station and open cut mine for more than 13 years. During this time he provided oversight and overall business direction and strategy in addition to managing the finances, technical/maintenance aspects, market and human resources. He was also the Chairman of the Loy Yang Marketing Management Company until his retirement in 2012.
Ian has served as a member of many organisations, including the Monash and Federation University Councils, the National Low Emissions Coal Council, the Energy Futures Forum of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, and the Energy & Transport Sector Advisory Council. He is currently a Director of Latrobe’s biggest Ever Blokes BBQ Committee which he Chaired from 2012 - 2018.

Ian Nethercote holds Engineering Qualifications and is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia, a Fellow of Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders. In 2018 Ian was awarded Member of the Order of Australia for ‘Significant Service to Electricity Supply in Victoria through industry reform and restructuring, to education and to the community of Gippsland’.

Neela McGilton

Neela McGilton has a commercial strategy background with more than 10 years' experience with Australian universities. Prior to the higher education sector, Neela worked in corporate finance at KPMG and Ernst & Young in Asia and Europe with focus on restructuring and transactional advisory. She currently leads the Partnerships team at Invest Victoria, which is the economic development arm of Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance.

Neela grew up in Malaysia and completed her degree in Finance in the US before working across four continents and eight countries before finally settling in Melbourne. She holds a Master of International Business from Melbourne University and a Bachelor of Business from University Nebraska-Lincoln, USA. Neela has a wide breath of experience in the public sector, consultancy, not-for-profits and multi-national corporations in both Australia and overseas and her professional success to date is built on her ability to leverage her financial and analytical skills to deliver on strategic business outcomes. Growing up in a rural town, Neela is passionate about regional communities and the role education and skills plays in the economic development of regions.