Meet the CEFC Board
Steven Skala AO, Chair
Mr Skala has a distinguished career of service on the boards of public, private, not-for-profit and government organisations, with more than 35 years of experience in the law, business and banking sectors.
He is the Vice Chairman, Australia of Deutsche Bank, a position he has held since 2004. Mr Skala has also served as a partner focusing on corporate, banking and commercial law in two leading Australian law firms for more than 20 years.
Mr Skala is a part-time member of the Foreign Investment Review Board, and will also join the Technology Investment Advisory Panel, which will be established to advise the Australian Government on the preparation of future Low Emissions Technology Statements, in support of its Technology Investment Roadmap.
A former Chairman of Film Australia Limited, Hexima Limited, Island Food Company Limited and Wilson Group Limited, Mr Skala is also a former Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the Channel Ten Group and Max Capital Group Limited.
Active beyond banking and commerce, Mr Skala is Chairman of the Heide Museum of Modern Art, Deputy Chairman of the General Sir John Monash Foundation, a Director of The Centre for Independent Studies, and a Member of the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
His other not-for-profit roles have included being Chairman of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Deputy Chairman (Vice President) of the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Director of the Australian Ballet and a Founding Panel Member of Adara Partners.
In 2010, Mr Skala was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to the arts, business and commerce, and to the community. He has Arts and Law (Honours) degrees from University of Queensland and a Bachelor of Civil Law from University of Oxford.
Mr Skala was appointed to the CEFC Board with effect from 7 August 2017 for five years.
Leeanne Bond
Ms Bond is one of Australia's leading engineers, with over 30 years’ experience. She has been a professional company director for 16 years, and as an executive, helped establish the Worley business in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Papua New Guinea.
Ms Bond is the independent non-executive chair of Synertec Corporation Limited and Mining3, and a non-executive director of Snowy Hydro Limited, Aurecon Group Pty Limited and QADO Services Pty Ltd. She is also an advisory board member for the University of Queensland Master of Sustainable Energy, and the Australian National University Battery and Grid Integration Program.
Ms Bond has previously been a board member of public, private and government entities, including Liquified Natural Gas Limited, Coffey International, Tarong Energy Corporation, Territory Generation, the University of Queensland JKTech Pty Ltd, Seqwater, the Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence, the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland and the Queensland Building and Construction Commission. She was also chair of Brisbane Water.
Ms Bond has a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and an MBA from the University of Queensland. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of Chief Executive Women. Ms Bond is a Chartered Professional Engineer, an Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.
Ms Bond was the first female President of Engineers Australia in Queensland, was also Deputy Chair of the Board of Professional Engineers and has served on the national board of Engineers Australia. Ms Bond was named Australian Professional Engineer of the Year in 2007 by Engineers Australia. She is a member of Chief Executive Women.
Ms Bond was appointed to the CEFC Board with effect from 7 August 2017 for five years.
Philip Coffey
Mr Coffey has extensive experience across the financial services sector, with a distinguished career in senior roles in banking, including funds management, balance sheet management and risk management.
Mr Coffey served as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Westpac Banking Corporation from April 2014 until his retirement in May 2017. As the Deputy CEO, Mr Coffey was responsible for overseeing and supporting relationships with key Westpac stakeholders, including industry groups, regulators, customers and government. He was also responsible for the Group’s Mergers & Acquisitions function.
Prior to this role, Mr Coffey held a number of executive positions at Westpac, including Chief Financial Officer and Group Executive, Westpac Institutional Bank. Mr Coffey successfully led operations in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom and Asia. Mr Coffey is a non-executive Director of Macquarie Group Limited and Macquarie Bank Limited, and a non-executive Director of Lend Lease Corporation Limited.
Mr Coffey began his career at the Reserve Bank of Australia and has also held executive positions at Citibank. Mr Coffey holds a Bachelor of Economics (Hons) from the University of Adelaide and has completed the Executive Program at Stanford University Business School. He is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Senior Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia.
Mr Coffey was appointed to the CEFC Board with effect from 1 February 2018 for five years.
Laura Reed
Ms Reed has more than 20 years’ experience in the energy infrastructure sector, including as Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director of Spark Infrastructure from 2008 until May 2012.
Before joining Spark Infrastructure, Ms Reed spent nine years at Envestra Limited (now known as Australian Gas Networks) in a number of senior financial roles including Chief Financial Officer.
Ms Reed is Chair of Epic Energy, which owns the Moomba to Adelaide gas transmission pipeline in South Australia, as well as a director of Canadian Utilities, Plus ES Partnership, ATCO Australia Pty Ltd and ATCO Gas Australia GP Pty Ltd. In addition, she is Chair of ERIC Alpha Holdings Pty Ltd and its subsidiaries, which owns the NSW government’s 49 per cent stake in Ausgrid.
Ms Reed is a Director and a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee and the Safety, Risk and Compliance Committee of Ausgrid.
Ms Reed holds an MBA from Deakin University and a Bachelor of Business (Accounting). She is a fellow of Certified Practising Accountants Australia.
Ms Reed was appointed to the CEFC Board with effect from 1 February 2018 for five years.
Andrea Slattery
Mrs Slattery is a recognised leader in Australia’s financial services, superannuation, investment and retirement sectors, having led the transformational growth of the Self-Managed Super Fund sector as founder and former Managing Director/CEO of the SMSF Association.
An experienced non-executive director, Mrs Slattery has served on boards and advisory committees in listed, commercial, government and not-for-profit sectors. Her expertise also includes infrastructure, government and consumer relations, energy and innovation, including 28 years’ experience in strategy, governance, culture, entrepreneurship and transformational change as a non-executive director, managing director, advisor and business owner.
Mrs Slattery is a non-executive director of AMP Limited, AMP Bank, including the Chair of the AMP Limited and AMP Bank Audit Committees, a non-executive director of Argo Global Listed Infrastructure (LIC) and the Deputy Chair of the Woomera (Prohibited) Area Advisory Board.
Mrs Slattery was previously on the boards of the ASX-listed Centrepoint Alliance, AMP Life, National Mutual Life Australasia (NMLA)and the South Australian Cricket Association. She has also served as a member of several Australian Government Advisory Committees, including the Innovation Investment Partnership, the Industry Working Group, the Stronger Super Peak Consultative Group, the Future of Financial Advice, and the Federal Opposition’s Infrastructure and Innovation and Superannuation Industry Partnership.
Mrs Slattery was named Australian Woman of the Year in the Australian Women in Financial Services Awards in 2014.
Mrs Slattery was appointed to the CEFC Board with effect from 1 February 2018 for five years.
Samantha Tough
Ms Tough has had a distinguished and varied career in the energy, resources and engineering industries as both a director and senior executive. Ms Tough is Chair of Horizon Power, Chair of the COAG National Energy Selection Panel and is a Director of Saracen Mineral Holdings Ltd. Ms Tough is also Pro Vice Chancellor of Industry Engagement with the University of Western Australia.
Ms Tough was previously Chair of Retail Energy Market Company Ltd, Structerre Pty Ltd, Molopo Energy Ltd, Aerison Pty Ltd and Southern Cross Goldfields Ltd. She is also a former director of Synergy, Cape plc, Strike Resources Ltd, Murchison Metals Ltd and Ox Mountain Pty Ltd. Ms Tough's executive roles include General Manager North West Shelf at Woodside Energy Ltd; Director Strategy for Hardman Resources Ltd; Senior Vice President Natural Resources at the Commonwealth Bank and Project Director for the Pilbara Power Project.
Ms Tough completed a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Jurisprudence at the University of Western Australia and worked as a barrister and solicitor before progressing to the commercial sector. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ms Tough was appointed to the CEFC Board with effect from 7 August 2017 for five years.
Nicola Wakefield Evans
Ms Wakefield Evans is a non-executive director of Macquarie Group Ltd, Lend Lease Corporation Ltd, Metlife Insurance Limited and the national board of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is also a member of the Takeovers Panel, on the board of the University of New South Wales Foundation and a Director of the Goodes O’Loughlin Foundation Limited. She is also a former non-executive director of Chief Executive Women, BUPA, Asialink and Asialink Business.
Ms Wakefield Evans has almost 30 years of legal experience. She was a partner of King & Wood Mallesons for 20 years before retiring from the partnership in September 2013.
During her time at King & Wood Mallesons, Ms Wakefield Evans held a variety of part-time and full-time management positions, including Managing Partner, Practice and Managing Partner, International (located in the Hong Kong office) with responsibility for the development and growth of the international practice and the Hong Kong, China and London offices of King & Wood Mallesons.
Ms Wakefield Evans' key areas of industry expertise include resources and energy, infrastructure, airports, financial services, technology and media and communication.
Ms Wakefield Evans was appointed to the CEFC Board with effect from 7 August 2017 for five years.