Our leaders
Our Board of Directors is appointed by the State Treasurer on behalf of the people of Victoria. The Board provides strategic guidance and controls, enabling our risks to be assessed and managed correctly.Â
Our executive leadership team is accountable to the Board for developing and implementing strategic and operational plans.
Board of Directors
Jennifer Acton
LLB(Hons), LLM, BEc, MEc, GAICD
Chair
Appointed : 01 December 2015
The Honourable Jennifer Acton is both our Chair and a Non-Executive Director. She is also Chair of the Port of Hastings Development Authority, a member of the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal and a consultant.
Previously, Jennifer was a Director in the Transport, Water and Education industries. In addition to being a leader in numerous fields, she has more than 20 years’ experience as a Presidential member of industrial tribunals and in the area of national economic policy.
Her work with State Trustees has seen her champion public benefit strategy and sustainable fee reductions. She has also instituted technological solutions to operations, overseen the growth at the Port of Hastings, lectured in employment law, facilitated major industrial outcomes and productivity improvements for the infrastructure, services and manufacturing sectors and conducted peer reviews of decision making.
In 2001 Jennifer was awarded the Centenary Medal for her contribution to Australian society.
Committees: Chair of the Board, Member of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee, Member of the Investment Committee and Member of the External Stakeholder Engagement Transformation Committee.
Angela Emslie AM
AMBEc, MBus, FAIST, MAICD
Director (Non-Executive)
Appointed : 18 May 2020
Angela has a wealth of expertise in governance, strategy, superannuation and investments, having served on a range of superannuation fund and related boards for over 25 years. In addition to her role at State Trustees, Angela is Chair of several organisations including Assemble Communities, Frontier Advisors and Suicide Prevention Australia.
She is also a Non-executive Director at RGA Reinsurance Company of Australia. Previously Angela was Independent Chair at HESTA Super Fund, where she fostered a strong member-focused culture with a commitment to responsible investing.
Other tenures include a Directorship at the UN supported global investor group Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). In 2021 she was honoured with a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her contribution to the superannuation sector.
Committees: Chair of the Investment Committee, Member of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee and Member of the Remuneration Committee.
Tony Clark
Bsc (Hons), MA (Comms), GAICD
Director
Appointed : 18 May 2020
Tony has extensive experience across sectors that include not-for-profit, disability, government and community.
Within the State Government of Victoria, he has worked to deliver complex major health, education and public housing infrastructure and has led major reform around integrating accessibility into major government projects and services. Tony is also a Non-Executive Director and Chair of International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) and has been a Non-Executive Director of Blind Citizens Australia and Senswide.
A significant contributor to the community and volunteer, Tony has overseen the merging of two schools as president and spent 34 years as a Scout Association Leader. Living in regional Victoria, Tony brings the value of a lived experience of disability and is a strong advocate for inclusion and diversity.
Committees: Chair of the Remuneration Committee and Chair of the External Stakeholder Engagement Transformation Committee.
Vivienne Nguyen AM
MAppFin, BComm
Director (Non-Executive)
Appointed : 18 May 2020
Vivienne has an extensive track record as a business executive and a community leader in the corporate, community and government settings. She has held roles at AMP Asset Management and ANZ Banking Group where she was the Head of Risk for the ANZ Margin Lending portfolio and their diversity strategy.
Vivienne became a member of the Order of Australia for significant service to Victoria’s multicultural community and has played a critical role in the Victorian government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She is on the Victorian government’s Anti-Racism Taskforce to help inform and drive the state’s Anti-Racism Strategy, amongst many other interdepartmental committees and ministerial advisory taskforces and councils.
She is a recipient of the Centenary Medal, Victorian Women’s Honour Roll and Rotary International’s Paul Harris Fellow.
Committees: Chair of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee, Member of the Investment Committee and Member of the Remuneration Committee.
Executive Team
Melissa Reynolds
BEc, M.Com, GAICD, Dip Counselling
Chief Executive Officer
Appointed : 12 July 2022
Melissa is an experienced senior executive and non executive director passionate about improving outcomes for clients. She has led significant businesses of varying scales in highly regulated sectors in financial services and utilities.
Melissa has a breadth of strategic and operational leadership experience with deep expertise in customer service delivery, digital transformation and fostering client first cultures. Melissa is an inclusive and open leader who nurtures an environment of collaboration and high performance based on a genuine empathy for clients and a desire to make a positive difference in their lives.
In her most recent executive role, Melissa was General Manager of Trustee Services at State Trustees. Prior to this, she was Chief Customer Officer at AGL and has previously held senior executive positions at NAB, Sensis, Esanda Finance and Westpac.
Josephine Brown
MBL, MAICD
General Manager, Financial Administration
Appointed : 19 August 2019
Josie leads the Financial Administration business unit at State Trustees. Before this role, she served as the Acting Executive General Manager for Client Services, overseeing VCAT Administration, Deceased Estates, Trusts, and Powers of Attorney. Throughout her tenure at State Trustees, Josie has held various senior management and executive positions.
With over 28 years of experience in the financial services industry, Josie has gained extensive expertise across diverse areas of banking and finance. Prior to joining State Trustees, she spent 14 years at NAB, where she held several senior roles, including Regional Executive for Retail Banking, National Sales & Marketing, and Workplace Relations.
Josie is also an alumna of Leadership Victoria’s Folio Community Leadership Program.
Andrew Tennant
GAICD, BA (Hons)
General Manager, Professional Services
Appointed : 19 August 2019
Andrew is responsible for the Professional Services business unit, which provides a range of specialised services to safeguard and improve State Trustees client’s financial wellbeing. These include the areas of taxation, financial planning, legal services and client property, assets and cashflow. Andrew comes to State Trustees from the financial services industry after a career at ANZ and NAB, where he undertook a variety of senior management roles across Finance, Retail District Management, National Sales Effectiveness, Workforce Planning, National Sales Strategy, Product Management and Internal Audit.
Brett Comer
BBus (Acct), FCA, GAICD
Chief Financial Officer and General Manager, Corporate Services
Appointed : 27 June 2022
Brett is responsible for the Corporate Services function at State Trustees comprising Finance & Investments, Legal, Risk, Compliance & Assurance, Information Services and the Client First transformation program. Brett is a values- driven leader with extensive experience in delivering relevant and sustainable outcomes in collaboration with his team and stakeholders for the benefit of customers and the community. Brett has held executive roles at Bupa Australia and New Zealand, Monash IVF Group and Camp Australia, leading significant transformation and change programs at both a functional and enterprise-wide level. He is also a director of Kids Under Cover, a charity that works to prevent youth homelessness.
Select a team
Board of Directors
Jennifer Acton
LLB(Hons), LLM, BEc, MEc, GAICD
Chair
Appointed : 01 December 2015
The Honourable Jennifer Acton is both our Chair and a Non-Executive Director. She is also Chair of the Port of Hastings Development Authority, a member of the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal and a consultant.
Previously, Jennifer was a Director in the Transport, Water and Education industries. In addition to being a leader in numerous fields, she has more than 20 years’ experience as a Presidential member of industrial tribunals and in the area of national economic policy.
Her work with State Trustees has seen her champion public benefit strategy and sustainable fee reductions. She has also instituted technological solutions to operations, overseen the growth at the Port of Hastings, lectured in employment law, facilitated major industrial outcomes and productivity improvements for the infrastructure, services and manufacturing sectors and conducted peer reviews of decision making.
In 2001 Jennifer was awarded the Centenary Medal for her contribution to Australian society.
Committees: Chair of the Board, Member of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee, Member of the Investment Committee and Member of the External Stakeholder Engagement Transformation Committee.
Angela Emslie AM
AMBEc, MBus, FAIST, MAICD
Director (Non-Executive)
Appointed : 18 May 2020
Angela has a wealth of expertise in governance, strategy, superannuation and investments, having served on a range of superannuation fund and related boards for over 25 years. In addition to her role at State Trustees, Angela is Chair of several organisations including Assemble Communities, Frontier Advisors and Suicide Prevention Australia.
She is also a Non-executive Director at RGA Reinsurance Company of Australia. Previously Angela was Independent Chair at HESTA Super Fund, where she fostered a strong member-focused culture with a commitment to responsible investing.
Other tenures include a Directorship at the UN supported global investor group Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). In 2021 she was honoured with a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her contribution to the superannuation sector.
Committees: Chair of the Investment Committee, Member of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee and Member of the Remuneration Committee.
Tony Clark
Bsc (Hons), MA (Comms), GAICD
Director
Appointed : 18 May 2020
Tony has extensive experience across sectors that include not-for-profit, disability, government and community.
Within the State Government of Victoria, he has worked to deliver complex major health, education and public housing infrastructure and has led major reform around integrating accessibility into major government projects and services. Tony is also a Non-Executive Director and Chair of International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) and has been a Non-Executive Director of Blind Citizens Australia and Senswide.
A significant contributor to the community and volunteer, Tony has overseen the merging of two schools as president and spent 34 years as a Scout Association Leader. Living in regional Victoria, Tony brings the value of a lived experience of disability and is a strong advocate for inclusion and diversity.
Committees: Chair of the Remuneration Committee and Chair of the External Stakeholder Engagement Transformation Committee.
Vivienne Nguyen AM
MAppFin, BComm
Director (Non-Executive)
Appointed : 18 May 2020
Vivienne has an extensive track record as a business executive and a community leader in the corporate, community and government settings. She has held roles at AMP Asset Management and ANZ Banking Group where she was the Head of Risk for the ANZ Margin Lending portfolio and their diversity strategy.
Vivienne became a member of the Order of Australia for significant service to Victoria’s multicultural community and has played a critical role in the Victorian government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She is on the Victorian government’s Anti-Racism Taskforce to help inform and drive the state’s Anti-Racism Strategy, amongst many other interdepartmental committees and ministerial advisory taskforces and councils.
She is a recipient of the Centenary Medal, Victorian Women’s Honour Roll and Rotary International’s Paul Harris Fellow.
Committees: Chair of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee, Member of the Investment Committee and Member of the Remuneration Committee.
Executive Team
Melissa Reynolds
BEc, M.Com, GAICD, Dip Counselling
Chief Executive Officer
Appointed : 12 July 2022
Melissa is an experienced senior executive and non executive director passionate about improving outcomes for clients. She has led significant businesses of varying scales in highly regulated sectors in financial services and utilities.
Melissa has a breadth of strategic and operational leadership experience with deep expertise in customer service delivery, digital transformation and fostering client first cultures. Melissa is an inclusive and open leader who nurtures an environment of collaboration and high performance based on a genuine empathy for clients and a desire to make a positive difference in their lives.
In her most recent executive role, Melissa was General Manager of Trustee Services at State Trustees. Prior to this, she was Chief Customer Officer at AGL and has previously held senior executive positions at NAB, Sensis, Esanda Finance and Westpac.
Josephine Brown
MBL, MAICD
General Manager, Financial Administration
Appointed : 19 August 2019
Josie leads the Financial Administration business unit at State Trustees. Before this role, she served as the Acting Executive General Manager for Client Services, overseeing VCAT Administration, Deceased Estates, Trusts, and Powers of Attorney. Throughout her tenure at State Trustees, Josie has held various senior management and executive positions.
With over 28 years of experience in the financial services industry, Josie has gained extensive expertise across diverse areas of banking and finance. Prior to joining State Trustees, she spent 14 years at NAB, where she held several senior roles, including Regional Executive for Retail Banking, National Sales & Marketing, and Workplace Relations.
Josie is also an alumna of Leadership Victoria’s Folio Community Leadership Program.
Andrew Tennant
GAICD, BA (Hons)
General Manager, Professional Services
Appointed : 19 August 2019
Andrew is responsible for the Professional Services business unit, which provides a range of specialised services to safeguard and improve State Trustees client’s financial wellbeing. These include the areas of taxation, financial planning, legal services and client property, assets and cashflow. Andrew comes to State Trustees from the financial services industry after a career at ANZ and NAB, where he undertook a variety of senior management roles across Finance, Retail District Management, National Sales Effectiveness, Workforce Planning, National Sales Strategy, Product Management and Internal Audit.
Brett Comer
BBus (Acct), FCA, GAICD
Chief Financial Officer and General Manager, Corporate Services
Appointed : 27 June 2022
Brett is responsible for the Corporate Services function at State Trustees comprising Finance & Investments, Legal, Risk, Compliance & Assurance, Information Services and the Client First transformation program. Brett is a values- driven leader with extensive experience in delivering relevant and sustainable outcomes in collaboration with his team and stakeholders for the benefit of customers and the community. Brett has held executive roles at Bupa Australia and New Zealand, Monash IVF Group and Camp Australia, leading significant transformation and change programs at both a functional and enterprise-wide level. He is also a director of Kids Under Cover, a charity that works to prevent youth homelessness.
