Board
Chris Altis | Board Chair
Chris holds a Bachelor of Commerce, and Master of Arts (Public Policy) from the University of Melbourne and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Chris has 30 years’ experience in the health sector, working in a policy and advisory capacity at a Victorian and national level.
As Chair of the North Richmond Community Health Service, he oversaw the establishment of Melbourne’s first medically supervised injecting facility. He was also the founding Executive Manager of The New Daily Pty Ltd, a national online news service.
He currently holds other non-executive director roles including Austin Health (appointed 2015), Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network (appointed 2021), and ESTA Triple Zero (2021).
Wendy Jones | Deputy Board Chair
Wendy Jones is an experienced and passionate tourism and hospitality industry practitioner, with a background in association management. She has worked extensively with executive teams and boards across the tourism industry, the environment sector and community.
Wendy’s previous management roles have included CEO of the Restaurant and Catering Association of Victoria, Tourism Training NT and Keep Australia Beautiful Victoria, in addition to being an owner-operator in the hospitality sector. She has also previously held numerous board positions across the industry in both Victoria and Northern Territory.
Wendy holds a Master of Business (Human Resource Management) Charles Sturt University and a Bachelor of Arts University of Melbourne. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Robert Broggian (Elected Director)
Robert Broggian has 35 years of experience in both the hospitality and Vocational Education and Training (VET) sectors. Over the years, Robert has held roles as a small business owner and Academic Director within a private RTO, and currently serves as the Manager Quality Assurance and Risk at William Angliss Institute.
Robert holds a Bachelor of Hospitality (Management) along with post graduate qualifications in Education. Robert is also a graduate of William Angliss Institute having completed his Advanced Diploma of Hospitality (Management) in the 1990’s.
Robert has an extensive network within the VET sector and is Co-Secretary of the ‘Quality In Education and Training’ (QuIET) Network.
Robert is also a Director of ‘Club Italia Sporting Club’ (a medium sized sporting, entertainment and gaming venue in Sunshine) and a Director of ‘Nepean Country Club’ (resort) on the Mornington Peninsula.
Grant Dreher (Chief Executive Officer)
Grant brings with him 25+ years of leadership experience in vocational and higher education, to the role as CEO of William Angliss Institute. Prior to this Grant was the CEO of TasTAFE and before that was with Victoria University for 11 years, where he was the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Vocational Education and Pathways. He has a strong understanding of regional issues facing TAFE from his time in Tasmania and at Bendigo and Goulburn Ovens Institutes of TAFE. He has deep industry knowledge of vocational and higher education and the importance of it to learners and industry.
Throughout his career, Grant has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to advancing educational outcomes, fostering strong partnerships with industry and Government, and ensuring that educational programs remain relevant, innovative, and aligned with workforce needs. He has strategic vision and forward-thinking approach which drives his student at the centre approach.
John Gavens
John Gavens has more than 30 years’ experience in the provision of internal and external audit, assurance, strategic, risk management, probity, compliance, fraud and governance advice. John provides strong strategic thinking capability combined with sound technical skills.
John has been responsible for audits across many sectors with particular emphasis on public sector agencies, local government and not-for-profits. John was an approved service provider to the Victorian Auditor General for over 20 years and was a member of the Australian Auditing and Assurance Standards Board for 7 years. For CAANZ, he is currently a member of Professional Conduct and Oversight Committee and provides voluntary advisory support to members.
John’s board experience includes the TAFE, water, coastal asset management, health and the disability sectors. He is also an independent member of several audit committees. John is a fellow of Chartered Accountants ANZ, a graduate member of Australian Institute of Company Directors, has a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) University of Melbourne and a Master of Arts (Accounting) University of Kent at Canterbury.
Natalie O'Brien
Natalie O’Brien is Chief Executive of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), where she is responsible for the strategic direction of the business. She also has oversight of planning and future management of the new Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCEC) opening in 2026.
Natalie is a former CEO of Food + Wine Victoria, producers of the internationally acclaimed Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. Prior to joining MCEC, Natalie ran her own strategic design agency for five years. During this time, she took on part-time CEO roles with Wine Victoria as well as Ballarat Regional Tourism.
Natalie was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2019 Australia Day Honours list for significant service to tourism, wine and the community. Prior to Food and Wine Victoria Natalie spent 12 years between Tourism Victoria and the City of Melbourne in events, marketing, and cultural development roles. In March 2024, Natalie was appointed to the Board of the Melbourne Convention Bureau, for a term of three years.
Brenda Richardson
Brenda Richardson has over 25 years’ experience in the Manufacturing and Information Technology industries. As well as IT, her career has included a broad range of roles in Logistics, Process Re-engineering, Change Management and Strategy.
Brenda has considerable experience in Higher Education, including 11 years on the Council of the University of Tasmania. Brenda is the former Deputy Chair of the Geelong Cemeteries Trust (Class A). Her board experience also includes roles in Built Environment, Audit and Risk, Community Engagement and serving on advisory committees.
Currently self-employed, Brenda specialises in bridging the gap between technical and non-technical communities.
Brenda holds a Bachelor of Science (with Honours) majoring in Mathematics and Computing as well as a Master of Business Administration. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Kirra
Kirra is a committed education and community leader with over 20 years of experience across the education, health, and community sectors. As a lecturer and academic with undergraduate qualifications in social science and two postgraduate qualifications in teaching and education (wellbeing), she brings a strong focus on inclusive and culturally safe learning environments. Of First Nations and Holocaust-survivor descent, Kirra draws on lived experience to advocate for equity and opportunity - particularly for Aboriginal, refugee, disability and marginalised learners.
Kirra is an experienced Board Director who holds multiple State and Commonwealth ministerial appointments. She is a Victorian Government Board Director for the Department of Education’s Merit Protection Boards. Additionally, she serves on two boards with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
Kirra was awarded a Federal Member of Parliament Australia Day Award for service to education and the community and was selected as an Australian representative on the International Study Tour to Oxford-Cambridge. She is passionate about strengthening connections between education and industry to ensure students from all backgrounds graduate with the skills to thrive in Australia’s hospitality, tourism, food, hotel management and events industries.
Peter Sexton
Peter Sexton is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Chartered Accountant. Peter has 40 years’ experience in external audit across Australia, the UK and Indonesia, auditing publicly-listed companies, large proprietary companies and not-for-profits, helping businesses achieve an appropriate level of best practice in financial reporting and risk management.
Peter’s contribution as a Director leverages his financial reporting and management experience, particularly his interest in behavioural management and the importance of strategy, execution, culture and structure in growing a successful business.
Peter is also a Director and Chair of the Audit Committee for Australian Securities Ltd, a member of the Finance and Audit Committee for the National Trust (Victoria), and a Director, Treasurer and Chair of the Finance, Risk & Audit Committee for Montsalvat Ltd, a cultural and tourism precinct in Eltham, Victoria that has practical and meaningful exchanges with the Australian artistic community, providing educational opportunities in all forms of the arts for people of all ages and stages of life.
