Board of Directors

Michael has been involved with industry superannuation funds since the 1980s and is currently Co-Chair of First Super with Mike Radda.

Michael is the Divisional Secretary of the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining & Energy Union – Manufacturing Division and has held this position since late 2005.  He has been with the union for over 30 years, commencing work as a Union Organiser in 1985.

Currently, Michael is a Director of the following:

• First Super since 2008, prior to which he was a Director of TISS (First Super’s predecessor) from 2006 to 2008
• Secure Employees Entitlements Trust Pty Ltd (SEET) since 2006
• ACN 117 909 127 Pty Ltd since 2006
• ForestWorks (Deputy Chair)
• uPoint Pty Ltd
• Industry Super Australia

Previously, Michael was the National Secretary of the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining & Energy Union (from 2011 to 2020). He was also a Director of Utilities Trust Australia (from 2013 to 2015) and, Vice President and Executive of the ACTU as well as several ACTU Committees. He was also a member of the Committee of Management of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI), Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) and, on the Board of Frontier Advisors (from 2006 to 2013) and Super Benefits Administration (SBA) (from 2006 to 2020).

Michael was also involved in the following Federal Government initiatives:

• the Prime Minister’s Taskforce on Manufacturing until its conclusion in late 2012
• the Federal Government’s Manufacturing Leaders Group, which was convened in March 2013 and concluded in 2014
• the Commonwealth Government’s Forest & Wood Products Council (FWPC).

Michael holds an RG146 qualification.

Committees: Investment (Chair), Administration and Marketing, Remuneration, Nomination.

Nominated by: Construction Forestry Maritime Mining & Energy Union – Manufacturing Division.

Mike has over ten years’ experience as a Director of superannuation funds, and he became a Co-Chair of First Super on 1 January 2020.

He has extensive experience in the furniture industry, which has included holding several CEO positions, including Furnishing Industry Association of Australia, Interlink Commercial Furniture, and UCI. He is currently CEO of Herman Miller.

Mike has a:

• Bachelor of Science (Hons)
• Masters in Education
• Diploma of Accounting
• CPA and RG146.

Committees: Investment, Remuneration, Nomination.

Nominated by: FIAA (Vic) now known as the Australian Furniture Association (AFA).

Frank has been a Director of superannuation funds since 2005.

He worked as a Trade Union Official from 1989 to 2019. Initially with the Miscellaneous Workers Union, before moving to the Federated Furnishing Trades Society (FFTS) in 1994 and becoming FFTS Assistant State Secretary in 2002. In 2013 CFMEU-FFTS and CFMEU Forestry Furnishing Building Products & Manufacturing Division merged.

Frank was Divisional Assistant Secretary of Construction Forestry Maritime Mining & Energy Union – Manufacturing Division and the Victorian District Secretary of Construction Forestry Maritime Mining & Energy Union – Manufacturing Division. He is also a member of the Building Industry Consultative Council (BICC).

Previously, he was a Director of Secure Employees Entitlements Trust Pty Ltd (SEET) until 2016 and was a representative on Incolink Fund No. 2 and the Incolink Fund No. 2 Advisory Committee.

Committees: Administration and Marketing, Audit and Compliance.

Nominated by: Construction Forestry Maritime Mining & Energy Union – Manufacturing Division.

Denise is a safety professional engaged in the Pulp and Paper sector with over 18 years’ experience in the forestry industry. Her breadth of experience incorporates policy and system development, hazard management, and fatality investigation.

Key achievements for Denise include development and implementation of risk control standards in the sawmilling sector; fire safety guidelines for sawmills; former Chair of the Victorian State Coroners’ “Tree Felling Safety Group”; and a Gottstein Fellowship to review wood dust exposure standards in Scandinavia. Denise is a member of the Safety Institute of Australia and holds a Graduate Diploma of Hazard Management.

Denise is RG146 compliant, a member of Women in Super, and a Graduate of Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees. She has also completed the course ‘Insurance for the superannuation industry’ and ‘Investment for the superannuation industry’.

Since 2018, Denise has been the Divisional President of the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining & Energy Union. She is the Secretary of the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining & Energy Union – Pulp & Paper Workers District since 2019. Denise is also a board member of ForestWorks.

Committees: Investment, Nomination.

Nominated by: Construction Forestry Maritime Mining & Energy Union – Manufacturing Division.

Julie has over 30 years’ experience in the timber, forest and forest products industry, previously holding Executive Human Resources, Governance, Operational Risk Management and Company Secretary roles with Australia’s largest privately owned timber company. She is currently a guest presenter for the Governance Institute of Australia.

Julie is a member of Women in Super, a Graduate of Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (Advanced Course), and is also a Chartered Secretary. Her tertiary qualifications include:

• Masters of Business Management
• Graduate Diploma of Human Resources
• Diploma with the Australian Institute Company Directors
• Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance.

Julie is currently a Director of Skills Impact and, Super Benefits Administration (SBA).  She has previously held board roles with the Queensland Forest Industry Training Advisory Board and the Maryborough and Wide Bay Institute of TAFE Councils and Forestworks.

Committees: Investment, Audit and Compliance.

Nominated by: KCA (Kimberly Clark Australia).

Candy was appointed as an independent Director of First Super in April 2015. Candy currently holds directorships on the boards of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI), Haven; Home, Safe housing services, and Women’s Health Victoria.

Candy is a Graduate of Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees, a Member of Women in Super, a Graduate Member of the Institute of Company Directors and a Founding Member of EMILY’s List Australia – the support network for Labor Women.

Candy was a Victorian Government Minister for seven years, with a total of 15 years’ parliamentary experience. Her ministerial portfolios included Housing, Local Government, Energy and Resources and Ports. Prior to this, Candy was Assistant National Secretary of the ALP and Chief of Staff to the Premier of Victoria.

Prior to this, Candy has held the following roles:

• Director of Leonards Hill Wind Operations
• President of the Eastern Regional Organisation for Planning and Housing
• Board Member and Vice President of the Collingwood Community Health Centre
• Member of the Victorian Women’s Advisory Council to the Premier
• Member of the Monash University Council
• Director of Hepburn Community Wind Park Co-operative
• Chair of safe steps Family Violence Response Centre
• Chair of PrimeSafe (food safety industry regulator).

Candy holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Western Australia.

Committees: Audit and Compliance, Investment, Remuneration (Chair), Nomination (Chair).

Janet became a First Super Director in 2017 as an employer representative.

Janet holds a Bachelor of Law (Hons) and a Masters in Law (Hons), as well as further industrial relations qualifications from the University of Sydney. She has over 17 years’ experience in industrial and employment law and ten years’ experience in the timber industry. Janet is also a Graduate of Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (Advanced Course).

Janet previously served in a voluntary role as Director, Deputy-Chair and Co-Chair of the Board at the Kirribilli Centre (2015-2019) and is a past volunteer at the Kingsford Legal Centre. She is also a Director of Timber Trade Industrial Association (TTIA). Janet is a member of Women in Super, AIST and the Law Society of New South Wales.

Committees: Administration and Marketing, Audit and Compliance, Remuneration, Nomination.

Nominated by: TTIA (Timber Trade Industrial Association)

Scott has seven years of governance experience and is a former Director of Australian Super, Cbus, a former executive member of the ACTU, and former National Secretary of the Australian Workers Union.

He has extensive experience in the manufacturing industry and has previously been the National Secretary and Assistant National Secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union. Scott has worked as a service person for Alcoa at its alumina refinery in Western Australia for 18 years. Scott is currently a contractor for Workers Capital, and a Director of Frontier Advisors.

Committees: Investment.

Nominated by: Construction Forestry Maritime Mining & Energy Union – Manufacturing Division.

Tim was appointed to First Super’s Board as an Independent Director in September 2017. He joins the board with extensive experience as an executive and non-executive Director and Chairperson in the Indigenous community housing sector, including leadership, strategy, corporate governance, business management and the development of culturally appropriate policies and processes.

Since 2003 Tim has been on the Board of Aboriginal Housing Victoria (AHV), serving as Chair between 2003 and 2018.

Tim is currently the CEO of a successful Aboriginal managed health clinic. The facility has a unique model, serving indigenous and non-indigenous people in regional Victoria, an initiative which he was instrumental in establishing in 1999.

Tim has also served with distinction on a myriad of boards and similar bodies, including:

• Current Chair of Martang Pty Ltd
• Member of the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council
• Aboriginal Stakeholder Group of the Victorian Premier and Aboriginal Affairs Minister.

Tim has a Diploma from the Australian Institute of Company Directors (2011) and a Diploma of Management, University of Ballarat. Tim is also a Graduate of Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees.

Committees: Audit and Compliance (Chair), Administration and Marketing.

Robyn was appointed to the First Super Board effective from 1 July 2019.

Ms Burns has had a long and successful career as a senior executive at Borg Manufacturing. An accountant by trade and a previous small business operator, she has overseen the expansion of Borg Manufacturing as it has developed into one of the principal employers on the NSW Central Coast and a major national building products manufacturer.

Ms Burns holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) and a Diploma of Management. Ms Burns is also a Graduate of Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees.

She brings a wealth of experience in board management, project and financial management and risk control and organisational development.

Committees: Administration and Marketing (Chair).

Nominated by: Australian Cabinet and Furniture Association (ACFA).

Dean is the CEO of the Australian Cabinet and Furniture Association (ACFA), a position he has held since February 2014. He has been involved in the furnishing and cabinetmaking sector since the age of 17, starting his apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker in 1986.

Dean has been a member of First Super since 1997. He is passionate about manufacturing in Australia and believes there are still many opportunities for small businesses to fulfil their potential in the sector. He played a role in the merger of the Furnishing Industry Association of Australia (FIAA) and the Cabinet Makers & Designers Association (CMDA), with the merged entities forming ACFA.

Currently, Dean represents the manufacturing industry on many committees, including the Furnishing Industry Reference Committee for the cabinetmaking training package, and as the chair of the Australian Standards committee BD-089. Previously, Dean has been involved in numerous WorkCover committees and initiatives to improve employee safety in the sector.

Dean holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Australian Institute of Business South Australia. Dean is also a Graduate of Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees.

Committees: Administration and Marketing.

Nominated by: Australian Cabinet and Furniture Association Ltd.

Anthony is a Production Worker – Paper Machines at Australian Paper, as well as the on-site Secretary of the Maryvale Sub-Branch of the CFMEU Pulp & Paper Workers District.

Before joining Australian Paper in 2002, Anthony worked as a glazier and scaffolder for more than 10 years. Since turning his focus to the pulp and paper industry, he has become a passionate advocate for the use of Australian-made paper. As a result of First Super’s strong links to the industry, Anthony has a long-standing professional relationship with the Fund.

In addition to being Maryvale Sub-Branch Secretary, Anthony is also Junior Vice President of the CFMEU Pulp & Paper Workers District, and a Member of the Manufacturing Division Executive Committee. His experience across boards and committees extends to current positions on the Maryvale Friendly Society Board and Gippsland Trades and Labour Council Committee. In 2016 and 2017 he was part of the Victorian Government Forest Task Force.

Anthony is a qualified glazier and has completed numerous professional development courses including Governance Training and Contact Officer Training.

Anthony has played and coached AFL throughout Gippsland and the La Trobe Valley and was drafted to North Melbourne in 1990.

Committees: Administration and Marketing, Remuneration.

Nominated by: Construction Forestry Maritime Mining & Energy Union – Manufacturing Division.

Casey is a Compliance Officer for the CFMMEU Manufacturing Division. She is currently responsible for overseeing the compliance audit program for the Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation scheme across New South Wales and Queensland. She is also a committee member of the Homeworkers Code Committee (Ethical Clothing Australia).

Previously, Casey has worked in an advisory capacity for the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and for a Commonwealth Senator, managing digital and campaign strategy and engaging with stakeholders across various industries, including trade unions, media, parliament, business and community organisations.

Casey is experienced in governance and compliance matters and is committed to the principles of transparency, accountability, and ethical behaviour. Furthermore, her detailed knowledge of industrial relations law across manufacturing industries assists her in ensuring workers are informed of their rights and entitlements.

Casey holds a bachelor’s degree with a double major in Political Economy and Government and International Relations (BA) from the University of Sydney.

Committees: Administration and Marketing.

Nominated by: Construction Forestry Maritime Mining & Energy Union – Manufacturing Division.