Board of Directors

Simon has had an executive career in finance and strategy roles, principally in technology based companies.  Simon is now an investor in, and a director of, a number of private technology companies including Sendle, Profectus Group, Agility CIS and MyPlanManager.  Simon and his wife, Anna, have five children, including three daughters, the youngest two of whom are at MLC.

Building on a career as a cardiothoracic surgeon at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria has now combined her clinical knowledge with an executive career, as the National Chief Medical Officer for Healthscope Ltd. With over 25 years’ experience across both the public, private and not-for-profit health sectors as well as, aged care, Victoria’s experience spans clinical, Executive and Director roles.

Victoria has extensive Board experience and in addition to the MLC Board, is currently a Director on the Medical Indemnity Protection Society and Opal Aged Care.

Abi Cleland has extensive global experience in strategy, M&A, digital and running businesses. This has been gained from senior executive roles at ANZ, Amcor, Incitec Pivot and as Managing Director of 333 Management, after starting her career at BHP working in Australia and Asia.

From 2012 to 2017, Abi set up and ran an advisory and management business, Absolute Partners, focusing on strategy, innovation and building businesses leveraging disruptive change, for large corporates and entrepreneurial businesses.

Over the last 5 years Abi has focused on being a Director for leading ASX companies; Coles, Computershare, Orora and Sydney Airports as well as Chairing a fintech company.   Abi is also a Director of Swimming Australia.

Dr Susan Dickinson, PhD (Melb), MEd(EdAdmin), MMus, Cert.Management Excellence (HBS),  GradDip Adolescent Health & Welfare (School of Medicine and Dental Sciences, Melb), GradDipTheology (Trinity School of Divinity) AMusA, FACE, MACEA, MAICD, is the immediate former Principal of Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak, and is a truly accomplished woman in her own right.  

Dr Dickinson began her teaching career with the Victorian Department of Education, later transferring to the Catholic and Independent Schools Sector.

In addition to her role as Principal, Dr Dickinson has contributed to an impressive list of groups, Committees, Boards and Director-ships. She has been a Member of the Board of State Executive of AHISA, a Member of various committees of the PAVCSS (Catholic Principal's Association), Chairperson of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV), Deputy President and Director of the Invergowrie Foundation and Chair of the Invergowrie Grants Committee, Director of the Board of Mary Ward International (MWIA) and Chair of Mary Ward International Grants Committee, former Director of Mount St Joseph Girls' School Altona West.

Dr Dickinson worked over 15 years with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) as Chairperson and Chief Examiner for all music studies at VCE level and remains actively interested and involved in curriculum design and development.

She is currently a member of the Education and Strategy Board for MACS, and a Director of Pathways. 

Gabrielle’s experience as an entrepreneur, advisor and banking specialist to the not for profit and institutional sectors provides her with relevant industry insight and technical abilities. She is currently the Director of her own businesses and has previously acted in an advisory capacity to the Board of YMCA Victoria Inc and as a Senior Associate within Institutional Banking at NAB. Gabrielle is a Past President of the MLC Old Collegians’ Club.

Carmel is Group General Counsel and Group Executive Legal & Governance at the Commonwealth Bank.  Prior to joining CBA in 2020, Carmel held various senior executive positions at Telstra over 20 years, most recently as Group General Counsel and Group Executive Legal & Corporate Affairs where she was responsible to the CEO and Board for Legal, Government Relations, Media, Communications, Regulation, Compliance, Sustainability, Rural & Regional Affairs.  She has also been the Telstra Company Secretary.  Carmel has taught law at Monash University and is the author of 2 legal textbooks. Carmel is a member of Chief Executive Women (CEW). Carmel and her husband, Peter, have 3 children, with both daughters currently attending MLC.

Claire Rogers is a strategic leader with deep expertise in driving growth, innovation, and transformation across a broad range of financial services and for purpose entities. A social innovator with entrepreneurial skills, she has successfully led large and small organisations across multiple industries to achieve growth through digital. 

Previously chief executive of World Vision Australia, the country’s largest not-for-profit organisation, and with extensive global and local experience in multiple financial services divisions of ANZ including a stint as Head of Digital Banking, she has consistently led organisations to deliver on their purpose and commercial potential.  

Claire is a director of Melbourne Business School (MBS), and Duty of Care Pty Ltd, a SaaS start-up in accreditation management. She was also the Chairman of Ridley College, Melbourne from 2009 to 2016. She is currently assisting several digital and new business start-ups to achieve scale and Managing Partner of CEO Mastermind Advisory Services.

Claire is a member of Chief Executive Women (CEW), the AICD and Scale Investors, an angel investor network focused on female founders.

Brian is an experienced Director and Executive.  Having held senior management and executive level roles over an extended period in both private and public companies in the property and construction space, he is a specialist strategy and risk advisor engaged by Boards and Management teams to design and deliver organisational and project level transformation strategies. Brian’s skill set provides further strategic insight and guidance to the College in an exciting period of development.
Brian and his wife have been MLC parents since 2001. Their eldest daughter completed Year 12 in 2014 and they currently have two other daughters at MLC, both having commenced at MLC Kindle.

Diana Vernon commenced as MLC’s eighth Principal in April 2014. Prior to her arrival at MLC, Diana was Headmistress for seven years at the prestigious City of London School for Girls (CLSG).

On leaving University Diana joined an academic publishing house, before spending seven years in corporate public relations working both in-house and for agencies. Passionate about education and the opportunities and support provided for the next generation, Diana became a Governor of a local, state sector secondary school in London. It was this involvement that led her to retrain and pursue a teaching career. She trained as a Biology teacher and has taught Biology from ages 11 – 18 and Business Studies from 16 – 18.

Diana has a Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology from St Mary’s College, University of Durham and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from King’s College, University of London. While in her previous headship roles, Diana was Vice-Chairperson of the Independent Schools Education Board from 2006 – 2014, Chair of the London Schools' Fee Assistance Consortium, designed to encourage broadening access to top independent schools across London, and Chair of the East London Schools Consortium, a group of independent and state-sector girls' school heads who work together to identify additional opportunities for students across their schools.

The Principal is appointed by the Board, is the Chief Executive Officer of the College and is responsible for its management and development.

Adam is the Chief Financial Officer of APA Group, one of Australia’s largest energy infrastructure businesses. Adam has also held senior executive roles at Transurban, Melbourne Airport and BlueScope Steel, spanning finance, strategy, corporate development and operations. He has served on several subsidiary and joint venture boards in Australia, the USA and India and was an advisory board member of FM Global, the largest commercial property insurer in the USA.

Adam and his wife Jodie, an MLC alumni, have two children, one of whom currently attends MLC.