GESB - Our Board

Seven directors sit on the Board, overseeing the strategic direction and management of a global investment portfolio of $9.5 billion (as at 2 October 2009) on behalf of GESB's 310,000 members. The Board is led by Phil Harvey who was reappointed as Chairman in March 2008.

Under the State Superannuation Act 2000, the Board has responsibility for GESB's schemes and Fund. It sets and monitors achievements against declared objectives and ensures that GESB complies with superannuation related legislation and policies. The Board sets high standards of governance, with a focus on risk, return, diversification, liquidity and sustainability to meet the needs of members.

GESB's operational scope includes investment management, in-house administration of the defined benefit, accumulation and retirement schemes and management of its financial advice subsidiary. This requires a high and varied level of Board expertise and experience, gained across diverse industry and government environments.

In order to achieve the best practice operating standards outlined by the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA), the Board undertakes continuous education, ensuring that they meet and maintain educational and technical competencies that enable them to effectively discharge their duties in a knowledgeable and prudent manner.

Our Board Members

As at 5 October 2009

Members of the Board include an independent Chairman, three Employer Directors appointed by His Excellency the Governor in Executive Council, and three Member Directors, which are appointed via elections conducted by UnionsWA. Currently, all the Board directors are non-executive directors, appointed for a maximum of five years and eligible for reappointment. A vacancy exists on the board following the expiry of Harvey Collins term in October 2009.

Phil Harvey - Chairman

CEO Michele Dolin with Chairman Phil Harvey

Mr Harvey was appointed to the Board as Chairman in March 2003, for a term of five years. In March 2008 his appointment as Chairman was extended for three years. Mr Harvey is currently the Chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee and the CEO Performance Committee of the GESB Board.

In his activities outside GESB, Mr Harvey is Chairman of LNG Ltd, Deputy Chairman of Cool Energy Ltd and a board member of WA-ERA.

Mr Harvey attended Perth Modern School and completed degrees in engineering and commerce at the University of Western Australia. He has worked in many aspects of energy planning and supply and was appointed Deputy Commissioner and a board member of SECWA in 1986. In 1994 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Alinta Gas where he retired from full-time employment in 2001.

He is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and was formerly a fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Australia.

Matt Farrell - Deputy Chairman & Member Director

Mr Farrell was first elected to the Board in 1996 and is serving his fifth three-year term as a Member Director which will expire on 7 February 2011. Mr Farrell is currently Deputy Chairman of the GESB Board and has been a member of its Audit and Risk Committee since 1996, serving as its Chairman from December 2001 to June 2005. He is also a member of the CEO Performance Committee.

Mr Farrell is a former Vice-President and industrial advocate of the State School Teachers' Union of Western Australia. In 2001 he was made a life member of the Australian Education Union.

Mr Farrell retired in 2004 after a long career as a lecturer of mathematics in Technical and Further Education (TAFE).

Mr Farrell holds a Bachelor of Science degree, a Diploma of Education and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Applied Physics. He also holds a Company Directors Course Diploma, is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a member of the Australian Institute of Physics.

Michael Court - Employer Director

Mr Court was appointed as an Employer Director for the period 10 March 2009 until 24 November 2013.

Mr Court is currently an Executive Director of the Department of Treasury and Finance, where he heads the Economic Business Unit which provides advice to the Government on economic and financial policy issues. This includes responsibility for financial arrangements with the Commonwealth and the statutory reporting on State finances. Prior to working in the Department of Treasury and Finance, Mr Court worked in the Australian public service in Canberra, including with the Commonwealth Treasury and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Mr Court has an Honours Degree in Economics from Murdoch University and represents Western Australia on the Australian Statistics Advisory Council.

Richard Alder- Employer Director

Mr Alder was appointed to the GESB Board for a term of five years on 26 February 2008. Mr Alder has 36 years experience in the securities industry. He was managing partner in the Perth office of JB Were and Son for 16 years until his retirement in 2003. Prior to this, he spent six years in JB Were's London office providing him with an extensive global understanding of investments.

Mr Alder's responsibilities at JB Were and Son included representing the firm within the corporate sector, advising professional investment and superannuation funds on their investment strategy and facilitating the placement of new and existing capital for ASX listed companies. During his period at JB Were and Son, Mr Alder was involved in the role played by the firm in facilitating the capitalisation of local companies, such as WA Newspapers, Alinta Gas and Wesfarmers.

Mr Alder is a consultant to Australia's largest listed investment company, Australian Foundation Investment Company Limited. He has also been active within Perth industry associations, including ASFA, Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) and the Securities Institute of Australia (now the Financial Services Institute of Australasia). Mr Alder is also active in honorary roles at the Murdoch University Foundation, the Murdoch Veterinary Trust and the Lions Eye Institute.

Mr Alder is currently a director of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Western Operations and a trustee of the JP Stratton Trust.

Derek Spray - Member Director

Mr Spray was first elected as a Member Director of the GESB Board in 2003 for a term of three years. Mr Spray's third three year term will expire on 9 July 2012. He is currently a member of the Corporate Governance Committee.

Mr Spray is currently a special projects consultant with the Department of the Attorney General and is a Community and Public Sector Union/CSA councillor.

He has more than 40 years experience in the IT industry and has broad industry experience which includes the insurance and banking sectors. His areas of expertise lie in information systems management, business operations management, product management and consultancy. He is a director of Civil Service Holdings, Civil Service Insurance Agency and CSA Services (trading as Union Financial Services).

Robert Lewtas - Member Director

Mr Lewtas was first elected as a Member Director to the GESB Board for a term of three years commencing on 15 August 2006. His second three year term will expire on 14 August 2012. He was recently appointed a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Mr Lewtas is currently the Finance and Administration Manager of the WA branch of the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union.

His executive experience includes a 20 year career in TAFE administration and nine years in facilities management at Murdoch University before joining the Union in 2005. While at Murdoch University he was also a small business owner/operator.

Previously he has served on boards for the South Coast Regional Chamber of Commerce (past President), the South Coast Business Development Organisation and Rockingham Community Financial Services Limited Board which owns and operates the Rockingham Community Bank Branch, a franchise of Bendigo Bank Limited.

Mr Lewtas has completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.