Our Board
Youth Focus has a diverse and talented group of individuals on their Board who give their time generously to assist in the strategic development of the organisation. Our Board is made up of:
Geoff Rasmussen
Chairman
Geoff is a co-founder and Managing Director of Azure Capital, an independent Perth based corporate advisory firm specialising in mergers, acquisitions and equity/debt financing. He is also the Chairman of the Azure Foundation which supports a number of West Australian and national not for profit organisations. In 2011 Geoff was voted one of Australia’s 20 best investment bankers in the East Coles corporate survey. Previously, Geoff was also a founding director of Poynton and Partners and GEM Consulting, where he worked in both the management consulting and corporate advisory roles. Geoff started his career as a management consultant with McKinsey and Company.
David Gray
Deputy Chairman
David is a partner in law firm Freehills. David specializes in takeovers, equity capital markets and general corporate acquisitions, reconstructions and disposals. He has worked for Freehills in its Melbourne, London and Perth offices and David is a member of Freehills’ national head office advisory team. He is lead lecturer in the Perth Mergers and Acquisitions Course run by the Financial Services Institute of Australia and is one of the facilitators at the AICD company directors’ course.
Graham Addison
Treasurer
Graham Addison is a Director of Australian Red Cross Blood Services, Fellow of Institute of Chartered Accountants, Fellow of CPA Australia and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Fellow of Chartered Secretaries Australia. Member of the Risk Committee, Australian Red Cross Blood Services. Member of the Audit and Finance Committee, Australian Red Cross Blood Services.
Jenny Allen
Director / Chief Executive Officer
Jenny has been the Chief Executive Officer of Youth Focus Inc. since 2000, and recently was appointed to the Board of Suicide Prevention Australia, the national peak body for suicide prevention in Australia. Her extensive working experience spans across Asia and Australia, in the fields of sales and marketing in both public and private sectors. In 2008 Jenny was awarded the Ernst & Young “WA Social Entrepreneur of the Year” award for her contribution as an entrepreneur in the social sector
in Western Australia and in 2009 her dedication to the prevention of youth suicide was recognized at the Bartercard Commerce & Industry Awards as she was awarded the Local Chambers Business Person of the Year.
Kellie Benda
Director
Kellie has spent most of her career as an investment banker but upon her return to Perth joined the corporate sector where she is currently the Executive Director of Marvic Packaging Australia. Kellie has extensive experience advising Boards and companies and holds, or has held various directorships. She is presently on the Board of Methodist Ladies’ College, The Art Gallery of Western Australia and Ready to Work.
Charles Elders
Director
Charles is the founder and director of Avoca Insurance Brokers. Avoca operates as a niche boutique broker providing services to the SME market. He has had extensive experience in the insurance industry which has spanned over 28 years including practice in Europe. He is also a committee member of the Hawaiian Ride for Youth having played a leadership role with the event for a number of years.
Peter Harold
Director
Peter has been the Managing Director of Panaromic Resources (formerly known as Sally Malay Mining) since March 2001. He is a process engineer with over 20 years corporate experience in the minerals industry specialising in financing, marketing, business development and general corporate activities. During the past three years Peter has also served as a director of Uranium Resources PLC (Non-Executive Director), Alloy Resources Limited (Non-Executive Chairman) and Territory Uranium Company Limited (Non-Executive Chairman).
Valerie Davies
Director
Valerie is the Principal of One.2.One Communications Pty Ltd a consultancy that specialises in strategic communication and issues management .A past winner of the WA Telstra Businesswoman of the Year Award, Valerie has substantial knowledge, understanding and practical experience within business – not only in management but at Board level as a non-executive director. A current member of the Board of HBF Health Funds Inc., she recently retired from the Boards of Iluka Resources Ltd and Tourism Australia.
David Flanagan
Director
David Flanagan is the Managing Director of Atlas Iron. He has over 18 years experience in a variety of mining and exploration roles in Australia, West Africa and Indonesia. David was the 2009 winner of the WA Business News “First Among Equals” at the 40under40 awards and voted Australia’s Best Mining Executive 2008 by Resource Stocks. David listed Atlas Iron in December 2004 and has grown the Company from a grass roots explorer to an iron ore exporter in a region typically dominated by multinational mining companies. Atlas Iron, through access to shared rail and port, is the first company to be serviced by a true third party infrastructure agreement in the history of iron ore mining in the Pilbara. The Company became the first Pilbara iron ore junior to move into production in December 2008. Atlas Iron was voted Digger of the Year at this year’s Diggers & Dealers Conference in Kalgoorlie. David was the 2010 National Winner in the Listed Category of the Australian Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards. He was recently presented with the inaugural Governor’s Award for Giving and a $100,000 donation to the charities of his choice – Youth Focus and Leukemia Foundation.
