About

People

ALONGSIDE OUR COMMUNITY FUNDRAISERS, THE SISTERHOOD FOUNDATION IS POWERED BY A BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AN EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND WESFARMERS HEALTH TEAM MEMBERS WHO VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME AND EXPERTISE TO ASSIST THE SISTERHOOD.

Board of Directors

Emily Amos

Chair

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Emily Amos

Chair

Emily joined the Sisterhood Foundation as Chair in August 2023. Emily has been Managing Director of Wesfarmers Health since April 2022, following Wesfarmers acquisition of Australian Pharmaceutical Industries. Wesfarmers Health is building better lives through better health, by making health, beauty and wellness experiences simpler, more affordable and easier to access.

Emily has extensive health sector and retail experience gained through her time in executive roles at Bupa Australia and New Zealand, Woolworths Australia and Sainsbury’s United Kingdom.

Prior to joining Wesfarmers, Emily was the Managing Director of Bupa Health Insurance and before that, Managing Director of Bupa Health Services. Emily was also a former non-executive director of Adore Beauty and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Lyn Swinburne AO

Deputy Chair

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Lyn Swinburne AO

Deputy Chair

Lyn Swinburne AO is a prominent women’s health advocate and long-standing spokesperson on behalf of Australians personally affected by cancer.

Following her own diagnosis of breast cancer in 1993, Lyn founded Breast Cancer Network Australia – the Pink Ladies, a respected an influential consumer-based national cancer organisation. Her contribution to the Australian community has been recognised with many awards including Melburnian of the Year (2007) and a finalist in the Australian of the Year (2006). In 2015 she was granted an Honorary Doctorate of Social Sciences by Swinburne University.

In 2017, she was named as one of The Financial Review/Westpac’s Australian 100 Women of Influence, where she topped the Social Enterprise Category. She now holds a range of non-Executive positions. These have involved major health organisations including as Board Chair at the Royal Women’s Hospital for eight years, retiring from that role in 2022.

Lyn is a founding Director of the Sisterhood Foundation.

Sarah Davies AM

Director

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Sarah Davies AM

Director

Sarah has had a wide-ranging career from executive roles in tertiary education to private sector consulting in Australia and overseas. For the last 20 years she has held leadership and executive positions in the charity and for-purpose sector. In 2021 Sarah joined the Alannah & Madeline Foundation as the CEO. The Foundation works to make sure children can grow up happy, safe and strong – in both their online and offline worlds, free from violence, and with the support and strategies they need to thrive.

Sarah also serves on a range of Boards and committees. Her current community Board roles include Chair of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) Advisory Board, the Board of Old Parliament House, which manages the Museum of Australian Democracy, and Social Ventures Australia.

Maia Ambegaokar

Director

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Maia Ambegaokar

Director

Maia is a seasoned executive and governance leader with a global career spanning health, education, international development, the arts, and women’s rights. With expertise in strategy, policy, stakeholder engagement, and outcomes measurement, she has supported organizations across Australia and internationally to deliver impactful change.

Her work includes a senior position with the World Health Organization in Geneva, where she guided national governments on health systems reform, and leading a technical advisory group supporing the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on international health assistance.

In Australia, Maia held executive roles at Abt Associates, Social Ventures Australia, and the Centre for Population Genomics. She is also a trusted board advisor and non-executive director, currently on the boards of the Sisterhood Foundation and Musica Viva Australia. Previous governance roles include interrim Co-Chair of the Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative in Canberra and Chair, Friends of Contemporary Applied Arts in London. Maia brings a powerful blend of strategic business insight and deep commitment to human rights and social fairness.

Amanda Lean

Director

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Amanda Lean

Director

Amanda brings over two decades of experience in reputation management and advocacy, with a career spanning senior roles across both government and commercial sectors. She is currently the General Manager of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Wesfarmers Health, alongside her position as Director on the Sisterhood Foundation board.

Prior to joining Wesfarmers Health, Amanda was Director of Public Affairs and Chief of Staff at Bupa Asia Pacific.

Edwina Sharrock OAM

Director

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Edwina Sharrock OAM

Director

Edwina is a Tamworth-based health innovator and entrepreneur with a background in nursing and midwifery. She is the founder and former managing director of Birth Beat, a digital health platform designed to support women and families through pregnancy, birth, and early parenting—particularly those in regional and remote communities. Her work has transformed access to maternal health education, earning her national recognition as one of the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence and NSW Telstra Small Businesswoman of the Year in 2019.

Deeply passionate about women’s health, regional equity, and empowering young women in tech and entrepreneurship, Edwina brings a wealth of experience to both executive and governance roles. She currently serves on the Hunter New England Primary Health Network board, the University of New England’s SMART Regional Incubator Advisory Board and holds leadership positions with Telstra’s Regional Council and Advisory Board. Her commitment to innovation and community impact is reflected in her ongoing work as an ambassador for the Gidget Foundation and volunteer at Tamworth Hospital.

Edwina has a unique blend of clinical insight, entrepreneurial drive and regional advocacy. She brings a strong voice and deep expertise to the table.

Team Members

Katie McLeish

Executive Officer

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Katie McLeish

Director

Katie McLeish brings a wealth of expertise in general management, partnerships and fundraising across the for-purpose sector to her role as Executive Officer with the Sisterhood Foundation. She has had an extensive career in the Not-for-Profit sector spanning health, education, First Nations advancement, social impact, disaster recovery and the Arts.

Katie was previously Chief Operating Officer at Welcome to Country, where she championed economic empowerment for First Nations communities, Director of Philanthropy & Partnerships at the Australian Council for Educational Research and Executive Director Partnerships at Social Ventures Australia. She has also led major fundraising campaigns, for example a $75M capital campaign to renovate the mainstage theatre at New York City Center, when living in New York. As a consultant, Katie has delivered fundraising strategies for organisations including the Royal Children’s Hospital, Country Fire Authority, Grattan Institute and auDA.

Katie brings a blend of operational leadership and purpose-driven vision to her work.

Sheila Oenning

Partnerships Manager and Company Secretary

Sisterhood Foundation internal service partners, supported by Wesfarmers Health

Caitlin Prior – Strategy
David Smith – Legal
Elise van Gelder – Website
Jackie Divitaris – API
Antonella Hellier – Digital, Social and Content Marketing
Jade Waters-Ginnane – Internal communications
James Matson – I.T.
Marle Tyrrell – Sister Club
Natalie Linsdell – External communications
Nicole Kaiser – Finance
Paige Skelley – Brand
Rochelle Quinn – People & Capability