Annabelle Roxon
Annabelle was appointed to the Board of Westernport Water on 1 October 2019 and was reappointed on 1 October 2023 until 30 September 2027.
Annabelle is an experienced company director, also serving on the Board of Box Hill Institute. Annabelle is also a management consultant in the social sector who advises on strategy and outcomes management to a diverse range of clients including social purpose organisations and government.
In her prior experience as a lawyerover 12 years, she has advised in procurement, sales and marketing, disputes and litigation, and mergers and acquisitions.
In addition to a Master of Business Administration, she holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons), and a Bachelor of Arts.
Chris Newton
Chris was appointed to the Board on 1 October 2017 until 30 September 2021 and was reappointed until 30 September 2025.
Chris was appointed Deputy Chair 1 October 2023. Chris is a member of the Westernport Water Audit and Risk Committee and chairs the People, Diversity and Customer Committee.
He brings deep technical experience across ESG, Responsible Investment and sustainability having worked across the investment industry as well as Executive roles in the NFP and Public sector. This experience covers climate change, human rights, and community partnerships on impact. He now advises Boards, Investment businesses and Corporations on ESG sustainability strategy and impact management.
Chris is an experienced Board Director, currently serving as an Independent Director of Nyamba Buru Yawuru and Roebuck Export Depot serving the Traditional Owners of Broome (WA). He also chairs the ESG Committee of Blackwattle Investment Partners and ESG Council of Max Capital.
Chris has a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Marketing and Management and minor in Asian Studies. He has a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance, a Master of Business Administration as well as a Graduate Certificate in International Development. He is also a graduate of the AICD.
Graham Hawke
Graham was appointed to the Board from 1 October 2021 to 30 September 2025 and is a member of the Westernport Water Infrastructure, Sustainability and Innovation Committee and the People, Safety and Community Committee.
Graham is employed as the Chief Scientist at TasWater and volunteers on the Strategic Advisory Committee of Water Research Australia.
Graham has held Non-Executive Director roles with the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre and National Computational Infrastructure. He has diverse experience in government and global corporations overseeing strategy, engineering, research and corporate services.
Graham has a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons), Master of Engineering Science, MBA, a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a chartered professional engineer, a registered engineer (Vic) and a Fellow of Engineers Australia.
Ishara Saldin
Ishara Saldin was appointed to the Board of Westernport Water Corporation on 1 October 2021 until 30 September 2025, and is a member of the Westernport Water Audit and Risk Committee and the Safety, Sustainability and Innovation Committee.
Ishara is an Internal Auditor at Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) Banking Group Limited with a global coverage and assignments spanning across Australia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific and Europe & America.
Ishara previously served for three years as Chief Risk Officer of ANZ Guam Inc. based in Guam, until April 2019, and was the Chair of ANZ Guam Inc.’s Operational Risk and Compliance Committee, Chair of the Credit and Market Risk Committee, an ex-officio member of the Board and the Audit and Risk Committee, and a member of the Asset-Liability Committee.
Ishara is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors with over 20 years’ experience in banking, her expertise is in complex transaction delivery, and audit and risk management.
Prior to moving to Australia, Ishara worked in the United Arab Emirates across the retail, utilities, and banking and finance industries.
She has a Master of Finance and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Information Systems. In addition, she has co-authored three publications in the area of Venture Capital and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) which were presented at the Nordic conference in Helsinki, Finland, and the SMEs in a global economy conference in Wollongong, Australia.
Joanne Pearson
Joanne was first appointed to the Board on 1 October 2017 and was reappointed on 1 October 2021 until 30 September 2025. Joanne is also the Chair of Westernport Water’s Audit and Risk Committee and is a member of the People, Diversity and Community Committee.
Joanne has significant experience as an executive and non-executive director and as a member of Audit and Risk Committees. Joanne is currently a Director of TasWater and is a member of the TasWater Audit and Risk Committee and the Environment and Public Health Committee.
Joanne is also an independent member of the ActewAGL Safety, Audit and Risk Committee and a member of the Audit and Risk Committee for the Uniting Church of Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania. Her executive experience was primarily in large and complex, regulated energy businesses, with her last executive role as Chief Financial Officer of Jemena.
Joanne has an MBA and a Bachelor of Business in Accounting, is a Fellow of CPA Australia and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Tanya Ha
Tanya was appointed to the Board of Westernport Water on 1 October 2019 until 30 September 2023 and was reappointed until 30 September 2027.
Tanya is the Chair of Westernport Water’s Safety, Sustainability and Innovation Committee and a member of the People, Diversity and Customer Committee.
Tanya is an award-winning science journalist, best-selling author and environmental advocate. She is currently Director of Engagement at the specialist science communication agency Science in Public.
Tanya currently serves on the board of Diversity Council Australia and the leadership team of Science & Technology Australia. She is also on the advisory groups of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, the Wave Energy Research Centre, and Science Gallery Melbourne. She has served on the boards of Sustainability Victoria and Keep Australia Beautiful.
Tanya has a Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) and a Master of Environment. She is best known for her popular environmental guidebooks Greeniology and Green Stuff for Kids, and her media work, including reporting for ABC’s Catalyst. In 2010, she won a UN Association of Australia media award for environmental reporting.
Leigh Berrell
Leigh was appointed to the Board of Westernport Water on 1 October 2019 until 30 September 2023 and was reappointed until 30 September 2027.
Leigh is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee and the Safety, Sustainability and Innovation Committee.
Leigh is an independent consultant who has previously served in executive roles with Yarra Valley Water, Icon Water and ActewAGL.
Leigh brings more than 25 years of technology leadership experience across a range of industries including utilities, aerospace, transportation and logistics, peacekeeping and workforce staffing services.
Leigh holds an MBA, an Honours Degree in Computer Science, a Graduate Certificate in Business and Technology, is an alumnus of the Darden Executive Program, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Jethro Calma-Holt
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Jethro Calma-Holt, as an Independent Aboriginal Delegate to its Board of Directors.
Jethro is Westernport Water’s first Independent Aboriginal Delegate to be engaged in the role, effective December 2024, for a 12 month period.
Jethro is Kungarakan and Iwaidja, with a passion for engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to identify needs and implement strategies to improve education, health and wellbeing.
For the past three years, he has led Carlton Football Club through whole of club improvements to respect, represent and empower First Nations culture. For the three years prior, he was the National Indigenous Manager at SEDA Group, developing organisational change initiatives and supporting people through their studies, traineeships and transition to work. Jethro has also taken part in the Observership Program on the Board of the Koorie Heritage Trust.
The Independent Aboriginal Delegate role is designed to assist in developing the skills and experience relevant to applying for a Board position within the Victorian water sector. This appointment aligns with the Victorian Government’s Water for Victoria policy, which aims to increase opportunities for First Peoples in water management.
Kushal Shah
Kushal was appointed to the Board of Westernport Water on 1 October 2023 until 30 September 2027.
Kushal specialises in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Risk Management, Internal Audit, Financial Management and Strategy.
Kushal’s experience consists of industry roles leading risk, governance and assurance functions at large global organisations across a range of sectors including healthcare, emergency services, technology, logistics, education, energy, banking, manufacturing, retail, and public sector.
Kushal is the Managing Partner of multi-national management consulting firm DBS Global.
Kushal currently serves as the Deputy Chair of the Board of Kooweerup Regional Health Services (KRHS) and as the Board member of Queen Elizabeth Centre (QEC).