The Board

Vanessa has been a member of our Board since 2009 including the additional roles of Treasurer from 2011 and then Deputy Chair, before being appointed Chair in May 2020.

As a senior Chartered Accountant with extensive experience in providing high level financial advice and accounting services to directors and management of diverse, small to medium businesses and organisations, Vanessa brings to the Board valuable financial consulting, governance and management skills as Chair of the Foundation's Investment, Finance and Risk Management Committee.

Vanessa is currently self-employed in accounting public practice, having previously been a principal in a national publically listed accounting practice, and has over 20 years experience in the financial services industry. She is passionate about utilising her skills to help her community, having volunteered on various not for profit boards over the last ten years.

Prof Peter Dargaville MB BS (Tas) 1985, FRACP 1996, MD (Melb) 2000 Staff Specialist, Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care, Royal Hobart Hospital, Hobart, Tasmania Professorial Research Fellow in Neonatology, Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania. Prof Dargaville trained in Neonatology at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, and at the University of California, San Francisco. He returned to Hobart in 2004, and was Director of Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care at RHH until March 2015. He now continues in a combined clinician-researcher role at the Royal Hobart Hospital and Menzies/UTAS. The major focus of his research is the development and implementation of new therapies for neonatal lung disease.

Prof Dargaville is the Chief Investigator of an NHMRC-funded multinational clinical trial investigating a technique of surfactant therapy (the “Hobart Method”) in premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome. He holds two other NHMRC project grants investigating ways to optimise mechanical ventilation and minimise lung injury. A further emerging research theme is that of supplemental oxygen therapy, with the hope of developing an automated control device that may effectively regulate oxygen delivery in the newborn infant with respiratory disease. Prof Dargaville is the current Chair of the Research Foundation's Scientific Research Advisory Committee.

Craig Watson is the Executive Director of Services – South for the newly formed Tasmanian Health Service (THS), responsible for the Royal Hobart Hospital as well as the other southern area operations and current statewide services through the establishment phase of the THS.

Prior to his present role Craig has held a number of senior and executive positions in a variety of state agencies during a 25 year career in the Tasmanian public service.

Anna Grant joined the Board of Governance of the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation in April 2015.  Anna brings to the Board a strong background in non-government board positions having previously been Director of Variety Children’s Charity Tasmania and served as Chair of that Board for two years.  Anna also served as a Director on the National Board of Variety the Children’s Charity until July 2015.  Anna also previously held the position of Community Member for the University of Tasmania Human Research Ethics Committee (Tasmania) Network.

Anna is a Partner at Butler McIntyre & Butler Lawyers specialising in Family Law. Anna serves on the Southern Law Council of  The Law Society of Tasmania and since 2010 has been the Coordinator of the practical components of the Family Law Practice for the post-graduate course for legal graduators conducted by the University of Tasmania.

Anna brings to the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation experience and understanding of governance and the research sector, drafting and implementing policies and objectives, skills in developing and implementing events and a commitment and passion to achieving results that will enable the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation to continue to meet and exceed its goals.

Anthea is the General Manager and part-owner of the Salamanca Wharf Hotel, a boutique apartment hotel in Hobart.   Prior to this she held the position of Group Marketing and Sales Executive for Blundstone where she was responsible for product and market development across the group.   Anthea was the National Marketing Manager for J. Boag & Son, where she was responsible for the development of all Boag’s brand campaigns, including the famous “Who is James Boag?” campaign.

She is a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute, and was awarded Tasmanian Marketer of the Year in 2007.  She is also a Board member of the Big Monkey Theatre Company and is the Chair of the Tasmanian Leaders Program.

Robert worked with Shadforths Ltd for over 27 years as a Private Client adviser and Director and has extensive experience in investment markets. He currently holds a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment, a Certificate in Financial Markets from the Securities Institute of Australia and a Diploma of Financial Planning (Deakin University). He is a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) practitioner, an accredited derivatives adviser, a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FFIN), a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD) and a member of the Stockbrokers Association of Australia - Master Stockbroking (MSAA).

During his time at Shadforths, Robert was authorised to provide personal financial advice in relation to the following financial services:

• Financial planning and investment strategies to professionals and business owners.
• Share market trading and investment placement.
• Investment strategies for trustees of Self-Managed Superannuation Funds.

Robert is currently Managing Director of Bensam Investments Pty Ltd, a private investment company and is Chairman of Pure Foods Tasmania Pty Ltd.

Therese has extensive leadership and governance experience built through over 25 years in Executive positions in Government, Business and the Not for Profit sector. She has held Executive positions in the Tasmanian Departments of Education and Economic Development.  Most recently Therese was CEO of Colony 47 for 10 years. 

She has in depth knowledge and experience in policy, planning, philanthropy, performance and has led significant organisational change and managed complex operations.

Committed to community and social justice, Therese also has extensive experience in governance as a Director and Chair on a diverse range of Boards, including, Health, Education, Arts and Culture, Botanical Gardens, Heli-Rescue Services.

Professor Tracey Dickson (BSc Hons PhD) is the Associate Dean Research, for the College of Health and Medicine at the University of Tasmania.

She leads a research group in the Menzies Institute for Medical Research and has a national and international reputation, and over 15 years’ experience, in the field of neurodegenerative disease research. She has successfully led previous NHMRC project grants, ARC Discovery projects and currently oversees a large multi-disciplinary Translational research program focussed on transitioning a novel Motor Neuron Disease drug targets along the preclinical to clinical pipeline.

Professor Dickson was recently awarded the Academic Mentoring Award at Menzies for recognition of the significant and ongoing contributions she has made to the career and professional development of staff and students.  The RHH Research Foundation was delighted to welcome Tracey to its Board in December 2018, a role in which she makes a significant contribution through a combination of expertise, insight and good humour.