Governance Matters

We invite you to get to know the members of the College Board. In this edition, there are bios of three members of the Board. The final six will appear in Edition 13 of The College Courier.

Mr Gary Mack BDSc, LLM, Dip.Ed, GradDipBus (Management), FICD, GAICD

Chair of the Board

Gary is a nationally accredited mediator, collaborative professional and lawyer, practising in family law, employment law, and wills and estates. He has extensive experience in child protection and is an Independent Children’s Lawyer.

He currently serves as President of the Law Society of WA, Director of the Law Council of Australia and a Member of the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia.

Beyond his legal career, Gary is passionate about mentoring young entrepreneurs. Having founded three successful practices, he also served as Chairman of the biotech start-up Signostics Ltd.

Gary has a strong background in not-for-profit governance. A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, he has held leadership roles in various community organisations and previously served as Deputy Chair of the Anglican Diocese of Perth’s Professional Standards Committee. He is also Mayor of the Town of Cambridge.

In his free time Gary enjoys travelling, the theatre and cycling. He is married with three adult children.

Dr Subra Ananthram SFHEA, Cert (MIT), PhD MCom (Curtin), MCom BCom (University of Mumbai)

Vice Chair

Professor of International Business and Innovation in the Faculty of Business and Law at Curtin University. As a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and a senior leader within Curtin, Subra provides academic leadership across Curtin’s transnational campuses.

Subra has held several leadership roles at Curtin, including Dean Learning and Teaching (2022–25), Discipline Lead for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and International Business (2021–22), and Course Lead for several undergraduate and postgraduate programs 2017–21.

An educator with a strong passion for entrepreneurship and innovation, Subra was the academic lead for Curtin Ignition 2018–21 and leads study tours to Silicon Valley.

He has co-authored a freely available, fully online MOOC titled Disciplined Approach to Social Entrepreneurship, offered via the MIT EdX platform.

Subra is a Senior Editor for the Asia Pacific Journal of Management and an Associate Editor for the Higher Education Research and Development journal.

Mrs Joy Shepherd BA, DipEd, SDES, MEd, OAM

Secretary

Joy’s career in education spans several decades and three continents.

After graduating from Melbourne University, Joy taught English, History and Music in government and independent schools before travelling overseas. Whilst in New York, she taught in Harlem and in schools on Long Island. Moving to the UK, Joy worked in government schools and at the Oxford University Department of Educational Studies.

Returning to Australia, she moved into senior management roles, most recently at St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls where she was Principal for 17 years.

Since finishing at St Hilda’s in 2014, Joy has been involved with Teach for Australia and the Department of Education Services WA as a school reviewer.

Joy is married to John, former Dean of Perth, and they have three adult children, one of whom ‘saw the light’ and became a teacher.

She is enjoying her time on the College Board and its Risk sub-committee, and hopes her broad experience in education and independent school governance is beneficial in adding a different perspective to the important work of governors.