The Sports Excellence Scholarship Fund (SESF) Committee regularly reviews the corporate governance framework to ensure continued best practice. The committee endeavours to add value to the organisation by bringing to the meetings their broad range of skills and experience. SESF has its own independent Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status and as such, all donations are tax deductible.
Andrew is the Founder and Group Managing Director of the Didasko Group. Didasko works with Australia’s leading Universities and post secondary education providers to supply digital content, systems and academic services to more than 30,000 students across Australia each day.
Andrew is also actively involved in Australian high performance swimming and for more than 12 years was Chair of Melbourne Vicentre – the high performance swimming club based at MSAC.
Andrew sits on a number of sports, academic and corporate Boards where he brings more than 30 years of operational and governance experience.
Nathan Burke is the current coach of the Western Bulldogs team in the AFL Women’s competition. Inducted into the AFL Hall of fame in 2019, the St Kilda Football AFL Player, is a champion of the AFL .
In 2019 he was elevated to Legend status in the St Kilda Hall of Fame, one of only 9 Saints to achieve this honour. He set the club record for most games at his retirement, with 323 games.
Burke not only understands the sporting world, he has three daughters who have been through the School Sport Victoria pathway and represented Team Vic at School Sport Australia Championships.
Mel officially joined Optus in November 2016 and leads the team for all customer-facing marketing and engagement. A self-confessed tech-freak, she is renowned for creating impact for brands with bold and ambitious campaigns in complex and challenging environments.
In January 2020 Optus was recognised as Australia’s strongest brand (Brand Finance) and was awarded ‘Mumbrella Marketing Team of the Year’. In November 2020 Mel was named #3 in CMO50 2020.
Mel has extensive global experience working across a range of brands and sectors on both client and agency side. Mel was the Global Head of Brand for Vodafone in London and previously led brands such as Absolut Vodka, the British Army, Nestle and Fujitsu. Mel has lived and worked across Europe, Asia Pacific, the U.S and the Middle East.
Mel has been a guest lecturer at London School of Economics; a contributor to Fast Company Magazine and a mentor to various U.S-based start-ups.
Mel is a strong advocate for mental health and sits on the board of batyr. And In June 2021, was invited by the National Mental Health Commission to join the Public Stigma Technical Advisory Group for the National Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Strategy.
Peter is a founding member of the SESF board and has contributed an enormous amount to the SESF over the past 10 years.
It is thanks to his tireless efforts that the SESF has able to awards to hundreds of school students across the country, enabling them to continue to participate in their sporting endeavours.
Awarded an AM for significant service to athletics as a marathon runner, administrator, and mentor to young athletes in 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours, Steve is an Athletics Australia Board Member and Athletics Victoria Life Member. Additionally, Steve was also Chef de Mission 2010, 2014 and 2018 Australian Commonwealth Games Team.
Steve began his athletics journey in 1976 at age 14 and achieved various career highlights including Commonwealth Games gold, silver and bronze medals.
Steve has been an instrumental ambassador and mentor for the SESF over the last 8 years. His professional resume is second to none and he has been an exceptional spokesperson for the foundation. He has given an enormous amount of his time in providing guidance and support the next generation of athletes.
With a Bachelor of Sport Development and Graduate Certificate in Marketing, Adele currently works for the Victorian Government’s the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation. Passionate about making sport accessible for all, Adele has 9 years’ experience in the sports industry, having worked at School Sport Victoria, APS Sport and Hawthorn Football Club prior to her current role.
The SESF was founded in 2012. We have strong governance in place across all areas of the charity:
