Board of Directors

The Sonic Healthcare Board of Directors is comprised of individuals experienced in public company management and stewardship. As a group, they bring to the company a broad skill base encompassing medical, financial, legal, management and corporate expertise. In view of the fact that Sonic Healthcare specialises in providing medical diagnostic services, the Board is committed to ensuring that its membership includes medical practitioners.

Sonic’s Board of Directors currently consists of seven non-executive directors (all of whom are considered independent, including the Chairman), including three medical doctors; and two executive directors, being the Chief Executive Officer (a pathologist) and the Chief Financial Officer.

Dr Colin Goldschmidt

MBBCh, FRCPA, FAICD

CEO and Managing Director
Executive Director, appointed January 1993

Dr Goldschmidt is the CEO and Managing Director of Sonic Healthcare. He is a qualified medical doctor and pathologist who completed his medical training in Sydney. Dr Goldschmidt became CEO of Sonic in 1993 and has led Sonic’s global expansion by committing the Company to a unique model of Medical Leadership, which incorporates operational and cultural attributes focussed on care for staff and highest quality service to doctors and patients. He is a member of Sonic’s Risk Management Committee and holds memberships with numerous industry, medical and laboratory associations.

Professor Mark Compton AM

Chairman
BSc, MBA, FAICD, FCHSM, FAIM, FRS (NSW)

Non-executive, independent Director, appointed October 2014 (Chairman from November 2015)

Prof. Compton has extensive senior executive experience in healthcare services. He is currently Adjunct Professor in Management (Healthcare Leadership) at Macquarie University (Macquarie Business School), and Non-executive Chairman of not-for-profit organisations St Luke’s Care and the Order of St John (St John Ambulance). His previous experience includes Chief Executive Officer of each of St Luke’s Care, Immune Systems Therapeutics Limited and the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. He was also Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the formerly ASX-listed companies SciGen Limited and Alpha Healthcare Limited. Prof. Compton has also held a number of non-executive director roles, including as Non-executive Chairman of ASX-listed Next Science Limited from May 2021 (Non-executive Director from 2018) to 23 August 2023, and for formerly ASX-listed Independent Practitioner Network Limited (2004-2008). He was also Chairman of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Non-executive Director of Macquarie University Hospital and Chairman and Chancellor of St John Ambulance Australia (having served as a volunteer for more than 45 years). In recognition of his work in the healthcare sector and his service to the community, he was awarded the Centenary Medal of the Commonwealth of Australia, appointed by Her Majesty the Queen as a Knight in the Order of St John in 2004 and as Bailiff Grand Cross in 2017, and was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in January 2010. He is a member of the Audit Committee and the Remuneration and Nomination Committee.

Emeritus Professor Christine Bennett AO

MBBS, FRACP, Master Paed, GAICD

Non-executive, independent Director, appointed September 2022

Professor Bennett is a specialist paediatrician with over 40 years of healthcare industry experience across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. She holds a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Sydney, a Master of Paediatrics from the University of New South Wales, and is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Professor Bennett is an experienced non-executive director in for-profit and social enterprises and is currently a Non-executive Director of ASX-listed Regis Healthcare (since March 2018), Patron of Research Australia (since 2022), and Convenor of the Champion of Change Health Group for gender equality (since 2019). Her previous Board non-executive director roles include Telstra Health, HeartWare Limited, Symbion Health Limited and Chair of Sydney Children’s Hospital Network. In December 2021, Professor Bennett retired from and was awarded Emeritus Professor by The University of Notre Dame Australia where she was Deputy Vice Chancellor, Enterprise & Partnerships and Dean, School of Medicine, Sydney for over ten years. Her prior experience has included being Group Executive and Chief Medical Officer for MBF and then Bupa Health and Care services; CEO and later Chair of Research Australia; Managing Director of Total Health Enterprise Ltd; Partner in Health and Life Sciences for KPMG Australia; CEO of Westmead Hospital and Community Health Services; General Manager for the Royal Hospital for Women; and Head of Planning in NSW Health. Professor Bennett has an active commitment to and involvement in medical professional issues, public policy and medical research. In 2008 she was appointed as Chair of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission producing a long-term blueprint for reform of health and aged care in Australia. Professor Bennett was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2014 Australia Day Honours in recognition of her distinguished service to medicine and health care leadership. Professor Bennett is a member of the Risk Management Committee (since 1 October 2023).

Christopher Wilks

BCom, FAICD

CFO and Finance Director
Executive Director, appointed December 1989

Mr Wilks became Finance Director and Chief Financial Officer of Sonic Healthcare in 1993. He has a background in chartered accounting and investment banking and was previously a partner in a private investment bank. Mr Wilks has held directorships in a number of public companies and is currently a Nonexecutive Director of Silex Systems Limited (since 1988), a listed company divested by Sonic in 1996.

Dr Katharine Giles

MBBS (Hons), MBA, GAICD

Non-executive, independent Director, appointed September 2022

Dr Giles holds a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (Hons) and an MBA (Dean’s Honours list) from the University of Western Australia. She is a registered medical practitioner with the Medical Board of Australia. After initially practicing as a medical doctor, Dr Giles moved to commercial pursuits which combined science, medicine and health. Dr Giles is currently Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of OncoRes Medical (since 2017), which is developing a novel imaging technology to improve cancer outcomes. Dr Giles is also a Venture Partner at Brandon Capital Partners (since 2012), a venture capital firm dedicated to developing and supporting Australian life sciences businesses. She was previously an Investment Manager with Stone Ridge Ventures, a fund manager specialising in seed-to-early-stage technology investment. Dr Giles has start-up experience in medical apps, diagnostics and fitness devices and has served on the boards of private health care related technology companies. She is a member of the Curtin University Commercialisation Advisory Board and has recently been appointed to the board of the Australian Government’s National Reconstruction Fund./p>

Professor Suzanne Crowe AO

MBBS (Hons), FRACP, MD, FAICD

Non-executive, independent Director, appointed April 2020

Professor Crowe is a qualified medical specialist and physician-scientist, holding medical and MD degrees from Monash University, and an internal medicine specialist qualification in Infectious Diseases from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Professor Crowe’s current positions include Non-executive Director of ASX- and NASDAQ-listed Avita Medical, Inc. (from January 2016), and Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Monash University, Melbourne (from 2020). She was a Non-executive Director of St Vincent’s Health Australia Ltd from January 2013 until October 2021. She retired from Burnet Institute as Associate Director in 2018 following a 30-year research career, having played an integral role in Burnet’s development as a global research organisation. Professor Crowe retired as Principal Specialist in Infectious Diseases at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne in 2019 after 35 years of service. She has served as a Member of the Prime Minister’s Science Engineering and Innovation Council (India/China Working Group), as Head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Reference Laboratory for HIV Resistance Testing and as an HIV advisor to WHO for 25 years. She was appointed a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences in 2015, and an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2020, in recognition of her distinguished service to health and aged care administration, clinical governance, biomedical research, and to education. Professor Crowe is Chair of the Risk Management Committee (effective 17 November 2022, member since 23 September 2021) and a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee (since 1 October 2023).

Lou Panaccio

BEc, CA, MAICD

Non-executive, independent Director, appointed June 2005

Mr Panaccio is a Chartered Accountant with extensive executive management experience in business and healthcare services. Mr Panaccio is currently on the boards of ASX- and NASDAQ-listed Avita Medical, Inc. (Non-executive Chairman from July 2014), ASX-listed Rhythm Biosciences Limited (Non-executive Director from August 2017) and ASX-listed Adherium Limited (Non-executive Chairman from February 2022). He is also a Non-executive Director of Unison Housing Limited, Non-executive Chairman of Azure Health Technology Limited, NeuralDx Limited and Magellan Stem Cells Pty Ltd (from August 2023). Mr Panaccio was the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Melbourne Pathology (acquired by Sonic in 1999) for ten years to 2001, the Chief Executive Officer of Monash IVF until 2009, the Executive Chairman of Health Networks Australia until 2017 and a Non-executive Director of Haemokinesis Limited until October 2022. Mr Panaccio is a member of the Audit Committee, the Remuneration and Nomination Committee, and the Risk Management Committee.

Neville Mitchell

BCom, CA

Non-executive, independent Director, appointed September 2017

Mr Mitchell is a qualified Chartered Accountant with international healthcare and finance experience. He was Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary of ASX-listed Cochlear Limited (until March 2017), a world leading medical device developer, manufacturer and seller of hearing devices. Mr Mitchell is a Non-executive Director and Audit Committee Chair of ASX-listed companies Fisher and Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited (from November 2018) and Sigma Healthcare Limited (from February 2023). He was formerly a Nonexecutive Director of ASX-listed Osprey Medical, Inc. (from July 2012 until May 2022) and QBiotics Group Limited (from November 2017 to May 2023). He has also performed roles with a number of industry and government committees. Mr Mitchell is Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Risk Management Committee.

Paul Alexander

BEc, CA, FFin

Company Secretary

Mr Alexander has been the Deputy Chief Financial Officer of Sonic Healthcare Limited since 1997 and Sonic’s Company Secretary since 2001. Prior to joining Sonic, Mr Alexander gained 10 years’ experience in professional accounting practice, and was also Financial Controller and Company Secretary of a subsidiary of a UK-headquartered multinational company for two years.

Kate Spargo

LLB (Hons), BA, FAICD

Non-executive, independent Director, appointed July 2010

Ms Spargo has gained broad business experience as both a legal advisor, having worked in private practice and government, and as a director. Ms Spargo has been a director of both listed and unlisted companies over the last 20 years and her current directorships include the ASX-listed companies Adairs Limited (from May 2015), Sigma Healthcare Limited (from December 2015) and Bapcor Limited (from 1 March 2023). Ms Spargo also holds non-executive director roles with CIMIC Group Limited (from September 2017), the Future Fuels Cooperative Research Centre, Geelong Football Club Limited and Jellis Craig. Ms Spargo was previously a Non-executive Director of Fletcher Building Limited and Xenith IP Group Limited (from April 2017 until 15 August 2019). Ms Spargo is Chair of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee.