Nick Ryan is an experienced CEO, board member and senior executive with 30 years’ experience in a range of human services industries including aged care, government, youth services and education.

He has led and advised a variety of organisations from government departments, industry representative bodies, not for profit service providers and charities.

In May 2019 Mr Ryan joined Lutheran Services from an interim position of CEO at Southern Cross Care Queensland.  Prior to this he was CEO of the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency and CEO of Aged Care Queensland (now a part of Leading Age Services Australia).  He has also served on the Boards of the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority and the Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland.

Mr Ryan is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand School of Government and a graduate of the Yarra Theological Union and the University of Canberra.

Susan Emerson is an experienced aged care nurse and thought leader who has worked in innovative roles in the aged and community care setting over thirty years. Susan has worked in clinical and managerial leadership, design, and project coordination for the construction of new aged care facilities and has made a sustained contribution to service and policy thinking in the wider aged care sector – informed by significant international aged care engagement.

Susan is currently an Independent Consultant at the Global Centre for Modern Ageing, represents Australian College of Nursing (ACN) at NACA; a member of the ACQS Expert Advisory Panel: Aged Care Funding Model Development for proposed Unified Aged Care at Home program; appointed as Expert Panel Member: Participating in the Enabling Capabilities for My Aged Care Program for Department of Health; is the Deputy Chair, Board of Palliative Care Association of SA, a Hearing Presenter: Aged Care Royal Commission into Quality and Safety; the Clinical Reference Lead for the Australian Digital Health Agency; a Policy Chapter Member, End of Life Care, for ACN; an Invited Reviewer of the Single Aged Care Quality Framework, Quality Standards and a member of the leadership group for The Lantern Project Australia.  

Shiva is the General Manager, Allied Health and Lifestyle at Warrigal. In his time in aged care, Shiva has worked in a broad range of roles, including physiotherapist, care giver, activities coordinator and Residential care manager. Shiva sits on a number of Peak committees within Warrigal, including Clinical care governance committee (Clinical systems), Wellness and lifestyle (Allied health and lifestyle), Clinical leaders forum (RN’s/ Allied Health), Specialised practice committee (Policies and procedure), Information technology organisational committee and the Service integrated communities (Operations) Leadership group.

Outside of his primary career, Shiva has assisted with start-ups and growth of existing organisations such as Savy – supporting young people in NZ to improve financial literacy, Mport – 3d body scanning technology and Dale Carnegie NSW/ACT.   

Shiva holds a BHSc Physiotherapy and is a member of the Australian Physiotherapist Association.

Andrea is a Physiotherapist of nearly 30 years, having specialised in tertiary health in the areas of neuro, Acquired Brain Injury and Late Effects of Disability for most of that time, in Melbourne, UK, Toronto and Perth. Andrea has worked clinically for the majority of that time, but also scoped and established multidisciplinary teams in the neuro/aged setting. In the last 6 years she led, created and developed large teams of Allied Health in tertiary rehab (State Rehabilitation Service, Fiona Stanley Hospital) and now aged care/disability.

Andrea moved to the not-for-profit aged care/disability provider, Brightwater, over 3 years ago, where she has strategic, governance and operational responsibilities. She has created and led change in process and governance to elevate the human rights of the client, where their dignity, spirituality and choices are at the core of the work, while supporting her teams to ensure they are accountable and thriving in the space of Aged Care Standards and NDIS Quality and Safeguarding.

Tamika is a Senior Manager at the Westpac Group, with experience as a management consultant and corporate finance. She has worked in partnership with a range of aged care providers and funders to support in the development of fit for purpose organisational strategies, in-depth market analysis and operational shifts in response to significant reform in the sector. 

Tamika has significant experience working in the aged care sector, with a range of providers as well as government agencies. This experience has given her unique insights into the development of policy that governs the sector, as well as how this plays out in practice, and impacts older Australians and their families. Tamika is passionate about people having the right to age in a manner that suits their unique desires and needs. 

Tamika holds a Master of Professional Accounting from the University of Technology Sydney and a Bachelor of Psychological Science from the University of New South Wales.

Paul Sadler runs the aged care consultancy business Paul Sadler Consultancy. He was CEO Aged & Community Services Australia (ACSA) from September 2021 to October 2022 and was instrumental in the establishment of the new Aged & Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA). From June to October 2022, he was ACCPA Interim CEO.

Paul was the CEO of Presbyterian Aged Care NSW & ACT from April 2007 to March 2021. Prior to that, Paul was CEO of Aged & Community Services NSW & ACT, held various positions on ageing and disability issues in the NSW Government, including Manager of HACC (Home and Community Care) and Ageing Programs, and worked as a social worker with frail older people, people with disabilities and their carers.

Paul is the Chair of Meals on Wheels Australia . He is a Committee member and past President of the NSW Division of the Australian Association of Gerontology. He is also a Member of the Aged Care Clinical Standard Expert Working Group, Australian Commission on Safety & Quality in Health Care.

Paul holds a Master of Social Work degree with the University Medal on the topic of abuse of older people, and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) majoring in Government and Public Administration.  He is a Fellow of the Australian Association of Gerontology.