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, Chair of CoINVEST Ltd trading as LeavePlus, 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 Assemble and Frontier Advisors.
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 Chair of Suicide Prevention Australia and 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 – Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee and Member – Remuneration Committee.
Tony Clark
Bsc (Hons), MA (Comms), GAICD
Director
Appointed : 18 May 2020
Tony brings extensive communication and stakeholder management expertise delivering major infra-structure projects in the health, education, mental health, ageing and disability sectors.
Tony has also led major transformational programs in the disability sector transitioning to NDIS. Tony is a member of the AICD Faculty and is Chair of International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) and lives in regional Victoria. Tony Also brings the benefit and value of lived experience of disability (blind).
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.
Along with her corporate career, Viv is a tireless advocate for grassroots participation and representation, in civic engagement and participation.
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 2024
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, Interim Chief Financial Officer
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.
Dean Matthews
FAICD
General Manager, Technology and Transformation
Appointed : 20 November 2024
Dean leads the Technology and Transformation business unit at State Trustees. He brings a wealth of executive and leadership experience, with a proven record for leading high-performance teams and successfully delivering transformation programs in complex environments. Dean has previously held senior leadership roles across a range of sectors including retail, FMCG, manufacturing, infrastructure, and logistics.
Prior to joining State Trustees, he worked at Linfox, Australian Pharmaceutical Industries, Lion, Transurban, and Carlton & United Breweries. Currently, Dean serves as non-executive director at Bolton Clarke.
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, Chair of CoINVEST Ltd trading as LeavePlus, 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 Assemble and Frontier Advisors.
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 Chair of Suicide Prevention Australia and 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 – Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee and Member – Remuneration Committee.
Tony Clark
Bsc (Hons), MA (Comms), GAICD
Director
Appointed : 18 May 2020
Tony brings extensive communication and stakeholder management expertise delivering major infra-structure projects in the health, education, mental health, ageing and disability sectors.
Tony has also led major transformational programs in the disability sector transitioning to NDIS. Tony is a member of the AICD Faculty and is Chair of International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) and lives in regional Victoria. Tony Also brings the benefit and value of lived experience of disability (blind).
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.
Along with her corporate career, Viv is a tireless advocate for grassroots participation and representation, in civic engagement and participation.
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 2024
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, Interim Chief Financial Officer
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.
Dean Matthews
FAICD
General Manager, Technology and Transformation
Appointed : 20 November 2024
Dean leads the Technology and Transformation business unit at State Trustees. He brings a wealth of executive and leadership experience, with a proven record for leading high-performance teams and successfully delivering transformation programs in complex environments. Dean has previously held senior leadership roles across a range of sectors including retail, FMCG, manufacturing, infrastructure, and logistics.
Prior to joining State Trustees, he worked at Linfox, Australian Pharmaceutical Industries, Lion, Transurban, and Carlton & United Breweries. Currently, Dean serves as non-executive director at Bolton Clarke.
