NCVER company structure

Verity Firth AM

Chair

Appointed: June 2025

Experience: Professor the Hon. Verity Firth AM (Prof. Firth) is the Vice-President Societal Impact, Equity and Engagement at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). She is a Professor of Practice at the School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture. Prof. Firth has over twenty years’ experience at the very highest levels of government and education sectors in Australia. She has strong public policy experience and a proven capacity to drive large-scale reform across a range of organisations.

Prior to her role at UNSW, Prof. Firth was the Pro Vice-Chancellor Social Justice and Inclusion at the University of Technology Sydney (2015-2022). She developed and delivered the UTS Social Impact Framework, a first of its kind for the Australian university sector and founded the UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion. She was instrumental in the establishment of the UTS Human Technology Institute.

Prof. Firth is a Board Director for Teachers Mutual Bank and The Front Project, Chair of Engagement Australia and Deputy Chair of the James Martin Institute. In 2023 she served on the Universities Accord Ministerial Reference Group and was a panellist for the NSW Vocational Education and Training Review. She is currently on the Commonwealth Government’s Australian Universities Accord Implementation Advisory Committee.

Prof. Firth was NSW Minister for Education and Training from 2008 – 2011, where she focused on equity in education, and how to best address educational disadvantage in low socio-economic communities, including rural and remote Indigenous communities.

As NSW Minister for Women (2007-2009) Prof. Firth implemented sector wide strategies to improve women’s recruitment, development and employment in the NSW public sector, and delivered the NSW Government’s first Domestic Violence Strategy.

As Chief Executive of the Public Education Foundation (2011-2014), Prof. Firth led the Foundation’s transformation from a fledgling organisation into a major provider of scholarships and support for teachers and students in public education.

Prof. Firth was the Member for the state seat of Balmain from 2007 - 2011. Before her parliamentary career, Ms Firth worked as a lawyer and was Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney.

Peter Daly

Director

Appointed: October 2022

Qualifications: B.E (Hons), MAICD, FITE

Experience: Peter has more than 20 years' experience in senior executive and Board leadership roles, and a proven history of working successfully with government, unions and industry to build consensus around business and public policy outcomes. He has a deep understanding of developing and implementing strategy, managing risk, communicating complex information and delivering stakeholder and governance value. As a former engineer, Peter has strong knowledge across STEMM disciplines and an interest in the integration and governance of artificial intelligence in organisations.

In addition to NCVER, he is a non-executive director and chair of several other organisations including; President & Chair of Incolink, Co-Chair of Buildskills Australia, Chair of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Employment and Skills Committee and a Director of the Indigenous Plumbing and Sanitation Foundation.

Peter’s prior roles include more than seven years as the past CEO of the Master Plumbers and Mechanical Services Association of Australia; and executive leadership of corporate services, public affairs, public policy, membership and infrastructure divisions across various industry sectors. His passion for all things training and education incorporates several volunteer and philanthropic activities, including the Tournament of Minds program and past service to the governance bodies of three schools. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Kim Eldridge

Director

Appointed: March 2026

Qualifications: Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice (Honours), Bachelor of International Studies, Masters of Politics and Public Policy, Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors

Experience : Kim is the Executive Director, Skills SA within the Department of State Development, responsible for providing strategic leadership across South Australia’s vocational education and training sector to support the State’s economic priorities.

Prior to commencing in the Skills SA role in August 2025, Kim held senior leadership roles across the South Australian Government, including as Executive Director of the South Australian Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence. Kim brings extensive experience in strategic planning, policy development and executive leadership, with a strong focus on building high-performing teams and delivering outcomes in complex environments.

Kim is also the Presiding Officer of the Construction Industry Long Service Leave Board and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). She holds degrees in Law and International Relations from Flinders University, as well as a Master of Politics and Public Policy from Macquarie University.

Elaine Gillespie

Director

Appointed: January 2026

Qualifications: MEd

Experience: Elaine is the Victorian Vice President of TAFE and Adult Provision and Federal TAFE President at Australian Education Union.

As well as holding a Master of Education Elaine has additional qualifications in leadership, vocational education, and frontline management.

She has more than 30 years of experience in teaching, managing and leading teams, curriculum development and implementing quality governance processes in the vocational education sector.

She is a strong advocate for teachers and has extensive stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution skills.

Elaine has extensive experience working in the Victorian education and training sector, including previous roles at Melbourne Polytechnic, Victoria University as well as private providers.

Elaine is a member of the Victorian Skills Authority Advisory Board, and the DEWR Strategic Industry Advisory Committee. She is also a member of the Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) VET Blueprint Project Advisory Group.

John King

Managing Director

Appointed: July 2024

Qualifications: MPA, BA (Hons), LLB (Hons)

Experience: John is an accomplished strategist and leader with extensive public sector and skills policy experience, specialising in data analytics, evaluation, and research.

John has led the development and use of evidence in social policy. In his role as Chief Data Officer at Seer Data and Analytics, he helped community organisations to access and use administrative data effectively. As Executive Director of Analytics, Evaluation, and Research at the Victorian Departments of Health and Families, Fairness and Housing, he pioneered the use of linked data, advanced analytics, and evaluation in health and human services policy and programs.

John previously spent a decade in the Commonwealth, South Australian, and Victorian public services, with a strong focus on skills policy.

Serryn O'Regan

Director

Appointed: January 2024

Experience: Serryn has 30 years’ experience in law and business. She first entered the field of education in 1997 and has an absolute commitment to quality, and to people. Serryn is committed to vocational education and its value to the Australian public and international students. She has long standing expertise in Governance and legal issues facing Boards.

Serryn is a former Worldwide Director of a renowned charity based in Washington DC, which engages 1 billion people worldwide annually. In that role, she forged a partnership with the United Nations and directed an educational program with 10,000 member organisations in 190 countries.

Serryn is a member of the ASQA Stakeholder Liaison Group, and the DEWR VSL Provider Reference Group. She is an appointed associate member of the Future Skills Organisation (FSO), the Jobs and Skills Council (JSC) for technology, business and finance, and was nominated by Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA) to sit on the Strategic Steering Committee of FSO.

Chloe Read

Director

Appointed: April 2021

Qualifications: MA (Hons), MCom, ANZSOG Executive Fellow

Experience: Chloe is the current Managing Director, TAFE NSW. Prior to this appointment she was joint Deputy Secretary, Education and Skills Reform, NSW Department of Education. Chloe has a strong background in public sector education, having worked in this setting for the last 18 years across Tasmania and New South Wales. She joined the NSW Department of Education in 2014, and has worked in a number of senior roles, most recently as the joint Chief People Officer. With a background across policy, project, IT and leadership roles, Chloe brings business and technical knowledge and is focused on ensuring our schools and services have what they need to support world class education for all learners across the state of NSW.

Barry Sandison AM

Director

Appointed: January 2023

Qualifications: B.A. Business Management

Experience: Barry is currently a Research Fellow with the Australian National University’s College of Health and Medicine and the Paul Ramsay Foundation. He's had a long interest in the better use of data to respond to key social issues.

Prior to leaving the Australian Public Service in mid-2021, he was the CEO of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare for 5 years. During his tenure as CEO Mr Sandison’s priorities were, sharpening the Institute’s strategic focus, growing the awareness of the Institute’s impressive capabilities, and broadening the range of health and welfare data products managed by the Institute. With over 38 years' experience in the public sector across more than 13 agencies, his expertise covers a wide range of health and welfare related work, with previous roles in both policy and service delivery.

Prior to joining the Institute, Barry was a Deputy Secretary within the Australian Government Department of Human Services for 6 years, where he undertook roles in both the Centrelink and Medicare elements of the Department and provided leadership for its strategic information management function. Prior to this role, he held senior executive roles in various other Commonwealth Departments involved in social policy.

Barry is known across the Australian Public Service and with State/Territory agencies for his interest and leadership in data and information management. He has continued this interest and expanded it to focus on supporting the Not For Profit sector to enhance its data capabilities.

He is also on the Board of Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety, the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Advisory Council  and “Raw Potential”, a small Canberra based not for profit providing support to vulnerable youth. Barry's also on several advisory committees and consults on the better use of “people data”.

Barry was named in the King's Birthday 2026 Honours List as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to public administration, particularly in health and welfare.

Managing Director

John King

Executive Assistant - Olivia Richards

Phone: +61 8 8230 8650

Chief Product & Data Officer

Melissa Banelis

Executive Assistant - Olivia Richards

Phone: +61 8 8230 8650

Responsible for NCVER's products and services, stakeholder engagement and experience, and data.

Chief Information & Technology Officer (CIO/CTO)

Sascha Meier

Phone: +61 8 8230 8639

The CIO/CTO hybrid role provides strategic and technical leadership across NCVER’s technology landscape, ensuring that digital initiatives, IT operations, cybersecurity, and data governance are aligned with business objectives. This role is responsible for driving innovation, modernising systems, safeguarding information assets, and delivering reliable, secure, and cost-effective technology services that support organisational performance and stakeholder trust.

Chief Operations Officer (COO)

Peter Brass

Phone: +61 8 8230 8414

Executive accountability for NCVER’s corporate operations, ensuring our financial management, governance, risk, planning, projects and business services work effectively and efficiently.

Executive Manager People & Capability

Danielle Slater

Phone: +61 8 8230 8452

Responsible for human resources and business support services.

AskNCVER Manager

Shaer Fattah

Phone: +61 8 82308616

Responsible for the delivery of deep insights and bespoke consultancy services for evidence-based decision making ​– including customised data and analytics, advisory services and the co-design of tailored research.

ByNCVER Manager

Nicole O'Malley

Phone: +61 8 8230 8656

Responsible for the release of statistical publications, associated data products and data services.

MyNCVER Product Manager

Janine Xavier

Phone: +61 8 8230 8676

Responsible for the development of self-service data products to enable deeper insights into VET data.

Data Collection Manager (Acting)

Andrea Lindsay

Phone: +61 8 8230 8444

Leading the team responsible for the custodianship of Australia’s national VET data collection ecosystem, ensuring the integrity, governance, and accessibility of NCVER’s data intake functions.

Engagement & Experience Manager

Andrea Lindsay

Phone: +61 8 8230 8444

Responsible for guiding NCVER to deliver clear, consistent communications ensuring a high-quality experience for all stakeholders and users of NCVERs products and services.

NCVER VET Data Streamlining Lead

Dani Llewellyn

Phone: +61 8 8230 8687

Responsible for leading the development of the VET Information Standard, national policy changes and the development of broad resources that will support the sector transition to the VET Data Streamlining Program on behalf of NCVER.

Technology & Cyber Security Manager

Steve Berno

Responsible for operation, maintenance and enhancement of NCVER's core IT systems and platforms; cyber security strategy, operations and compliance; applications development and specialist applications support; as well as the IT/desktop environment across NCVER.

VET Data Streamlining Program Manager (Acting)

Jess Tovara

Phone: +61 8 8230 8673

Responsible for managing NCVER's VET Data Streamlining Program (VDS).