Board & Executive

B.Bus.(Marketing), FAICD, FAMI, CPM, CMgr, FIML

David is an experienced Company Director with over 40 years of commercial experience gained in Australia and internationally from a diverse range of activities, having worked for private, public and international companies.

David applies his considerable expertise in management, governance, marketing and property development to his role as Chair of SYC. Joining the SYC Board as a Member in 2006, David Hallett has been Chair of SYC since 2010, during the period of its substantial and sustainable growth of revenue and scope across Australia. With wide ranging commercial experience David is a member of the Finance, Audit & Risk and Governance Committees, as well as Growth & Assets Committee.

As a professional Company Director, he divides his time between management of various business interests, managing real estate investments, business coaching, mentoring and consulting to SMEs.

David is Executive Director of Hallett & Co Pty Ltd, Hallett Consulting, Halland Investments Pty Ltd and is Principal Consultant to Halation Agency Pty Ltd.

His community leadership activities currently include roles as Chairperson of the Advisory Committee of Prince Alfred College, Trustee of the Prince Alfred College Foundation, Guardian of the Art Gallery of South Australia Foundation. He previously served as Chairperson of the Seymour College Foundation and Vice President of Triathlon SA.

David resides in Adelaide, South Australia.

LLB, BComm, FAICD

Arabella Branson has practised as a lawyer in the area of commercial transactional and advisory law since 2000. For nine years she practised in a specialist South Australian corporate and commercial law firm, including more than two years as partner. She has now established her own commercial advisory practice.

A member of the Law Society of South Australia, Arabella has been on our board since 2007 and resides in South Australia. She is chair of the Governance Committee and a member of the Finance, Audit & Risk Committee.

B.E. Civil (Hons), Grad. Dip. Municipal Eng, Dip. Mgmt, MAICD.

Paul Di Iulio has extensive experience in executive management and leadership roles, gained through a career in local government. With a background in civil engineering, he has worked with the Campbelltown City Council for 30 years, Chief Executive Officer for the past 13 years. He is also the President of the Norwood Football Club and a Director of the Adelaide Cemeteries Authority.

Paul has been a board member since March 2011 and is a member of the Growth & Assets, Information & Communications Technology and Governance Committees. He resides in Adelaide, South Australia.

FAICD

Patrick Tapper has been a board member since January 2011, and is a member of the Finance, Audit & Risk Committee, the Growth & Assets Committee, and is Chairperson of the Information and Communication Technology Committee.

Patrick has had over 30 years experience in the telecommunications, technology, media, and entertainment industries, most notably as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of national broadband company, Internode.

Patrick is currently Chairman of BenchOn, an Australian based innovative start-up that offers a digital platform that has revolutionised and streamlined the way organisations collaborate with their contingent resource and supply chain partners.

He is a former non-executive director of ASX-listed finance company, Silver Chef Limited, former non-executive director of Redflow Limited (ASX:RFX), former Chairman of Acurus Pty Ltd., former Governor of the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) in South Australia, and a former Chairman at Executive Boards Australia.

Patrick is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and resides in the Gold Coast, Queensland.

BA Accounting, MBA, FCA, FAICD

Catherine Schultz joined our board in March 2012 as an accomplished Chief Executive Officer with 30 years’ experience in the services industry and over 15 years’ working at the Executive, CEO and Board level. She currently runs her own Management Consultancy business, Catherine Schultz Consulting and a member of Aquinas College Council. She was previously Chairperson of the Adelaide Cemeteries Authority (ACA) Board and a Director of the State Procurement Board (SPB). In her time as GM/CEO of Wallmans Lawyers (2001-2011), she doubled revenue and increased Net Profit Margin. Catherine brings significant financial, human resources and general management know-how to our board. She has been involved in significant change and project management and is an experienced auditor and advisor on risk, governance and compliance.

Catherine is Chairperson of the Finance, Audit & Risk and Growth & Assets Committees and a member of the Information Communication Technology Committee. Catherine resides in Adelaide, South Australia.

Masters in Business Coaching, Grad. Cert. Management, Adv.Dip. Business Management

Lisa Apthorpe is the Director of People and Culture for McDonald’s Australia Ltd. She has extensive experience in Operations, Talent, Learning and Development and HR gained in over 20 years of working at McDonald’s and has held several Management and Leadership roles in these areas.

She is currently responsible for HR, Talent, Learning and Development for the company which includes holding the position of CEO for the McDonald’s Registered Training Organisation.

Lisa is also Head of Franchising for McDonald’s, a position held since 2018 and includes responsibility for Franchising policy and process and strategic planning and growth.

Lisa is a member of the Governance Committee. She resides in New South Wales.

GAICD

Over 25 years, Mark Hoffman-Davis has been an accomplished, personable and dynamic leader, executive and company director across multiple industries. He previously led a commercial facility services firm, where he grew the organisation into a national industry leader with over 2,000 personnel.

Now leading SYC as Chief Executive Officer since January 2021. Mark first joined SYC’s Executive team in 2018, overseeing the employment services, education and training programs, as well as other corporate service functions including human resources, information technology and payroll.

As CEO, he is dedicated to growing the organisation’s capacity to affect positive change for the thousands of Australians SYC works with every year. Having strengthened and expanded SYC’s Executive Team, Mark is well-positioned to lead the organisation to expand its reach and impact across its diverse range of services and programs.

His experience is demonstrated through his motivational people management practises, advanced human resources knowledge and strong financial performance management skills. He is innovative and has a unique ability to design, develop and implement fit-for-purpose business systems and integrated technological solutions. Mark’s change management skills are a clear standout, as is his successes and experience in sales, marketing and tendering processes

Mark is a Graduate of the AICD Company Directors Course and currently resides in Adelaide, South Australia.

B.Com, FCPA, MAICD

Simon Matthews is responsible for all facets of our financial management, property portfolio and facilities management. He has a particular focus on transparent reporting and building on our success to create funding for future growth and opportunities. He first joined SYC in 2006 as Financial Manager, quickly progressing to Chief Financial Officer in 2008, a position he held for four years before leaving SYC in 2012. He then re-joined SYC in July 2015.

Simon brings diverse experience and is well credentialed at delivering strategic financial advice and management, having started his career in accounting firms before changing to commercial finance roles in various industries. Since his commencement with us in 2006 he has filled senior financial management roles in the not for profit sector, adding further dimension to his financial experience and expertise.

Simon holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of SA and is a Fellow Certified Practising Accountant.

BMgt (HRM), MAHRI

Melissa leads the People Operations team providing a strategic focus in the areas of Human Resources, Payroll, Employee Training, Volunteers and Placement Students. Melissa and her team are committed to our people and their ongoing development.

Melissa’s journey with SYC started in 2011 when she joined as an Employment Broker at Job Prospects. Upon completion of her Bachelor of Management, Human Resource Management in 2012 she began working in the Human Resources team. As a talented and dedicated professional, Melissa held several Human Resource roles, before becoming General Manager of People Operations in 2019 and progressing into her role of Chief People Officer in 2021

As Chief People Officer, Melissa is passionate about bringing out the best in people and providing opportunities for people to grow within their roles and teams. Melissa is dedicated to ensuring SYC remains an employer of choice because of the positive and supportive culture and our commitment to our Mission.

BSSc, GCertForPsych, DipMgmt, GAICD

Liz is driven by a passion for empowering people to live independent, prosperous lives.

Her role focuses holistically on the people who engage with our services. She believes in creating great outcomes in their lives, through providing services that are welcoming, accessible and responsive to individual needs at every stage.

Liz leads SYC’s thinking behind the ways in which we engage with people, partners, and local communities. She ensures a balance between innovation and integrity to put evidence-based solutions into practice. Liz has oversight of Communications and Marketing, Partnerships, Data and Insights and Development.

Liz is also currently the Chief Operating Officer for Health & Disability, Home and Justice. In this role she is the strategic and operational lead for the services provided in these portfolios.

Liz joined SYC as a graduate in 2005 and has held roles that have encompassed many facets of SYC’s operations. She has worked from frontline service delivery to program management, on to Senior Management. Then in 2015, Liz joined the SYC Executive Team as the General Manager of the HYPA Division. Liz brings a wealth of experience in service development, and an authentic understanding of best-practice in supporting young people.

Within her top character strengths you find humour, hope, zest and curiosity. Liz is naturally energetic, relishes continued learning, and works with a positive future vision.

AdvDipInfTech

Dan has oversight of our Risk Management Framework and Integrated Management System, leading the organisations focus on security, quality and compliance.

Dan is a strategic thinker, experienced leader and efficient project manager. He has led SYC’s extensive digital transformation agenda, cyber security reforms and our organisational wide technology response to the impacts of COVID-19.

Prior to SYC, Dan has held positions including Service Delivery Manager, Delivery Lead and Service Desk Manager. He holds an Advanced Diploma in Information Technology, is ITIL Foundations Certified and is a Microsoft Certified Desktop Technician.

Dan is truly passionate about technology in all its forms, is a motoring enthusiast and enjoys playing guitar.

As Chief Operating Officer, Stacey has executive oversight of SYC’s employment, education and learning programs. She brings a wealth of leadership experience and a proven record of strong contractual and financial performance.

Stacey joined the organisation in 2009 as a Site Manager when SYC expanded into the employment services market in Victoria. She moved to Adelaide in 2013 and became a high-performing Regional Manager in employment services, before moving back to Melbourne in 2018 as our Victorian State Operations Manager.

Now based in Melbourne, Stacey has a focus on the strategic growth of SYC. She is well placed to expand our national reach and support more Australians to increase their skills and move into employment.

Stacey is passionate about empowering others to perform to their highest potential and deliver a superior level of service. She is well known for her positive outlook and measures her success by the success and development of others.

B.A (Hons), B.SW, M.SW

Joe was born in Liverpool, UK and emigrated to Adelaide in 1986. He holds a B.A Honours in Political Science (Adelaide University), Bachelor of Social Work (Flinders University) and a Masters of Social Work (LaTrobe University).

He has an extensive background in working with marginalised communities, working in youth work, residential care and managing Social Work teams in Juvenile Justice and Child Protection for the Victorian Department of Human Services.

Before joining SYC Joe was an Assistant Director and Acting Director for the Department of Education Skills and Employment. There he undertook the role as an Account Manager for a range of activity including ParentsNext, Entrepreneurship Facilitators and the Local Jobs Program.

Prior to this, Joe devised and coordinated employment and training programs for the South Australian State Government for a range of cohorts including young people and refugees. He also lived and worked in the APY community for sustained periods during his role as Section Manager for the APY Lands Regional Office for the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Joe managed the Governors Aboriginal Employment Industry Cluster Program for the South Australian Government achieving record employment outcomes for Aboriginal people. He was the architect behind the current iteration of the South Australian Government Aboriginal Traineeship Program.

Joe has served on a number of boards including as President of the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, and Clubs and Societies at the University of Adelaide.