Meet Our Board

Mr Monish Paul, MAICD 

Chair of the Board

Elected Chair - 28 October 2025

Mr Paul is a Non-Executive Director and Advisor with proven experience in organisational strategy and performance. He has worked in senior executive roles with FTI Consulting, IBM, Deloitte, Arthur Andersen and the Australian Federal and State Public Service. Mr Paul has deep expertise in corporate strategy, operations improvement, transformation, complex technology implementation, and regulatory compliance across a range of sectors including Utilities, Government, Health & Financial Services. He also serves as a Non Executive Director on the Boards of Western Power Corporation and Police & Nurses Limited.

Committed to community engagement, Mr Paul co-founded and governs an Indian Performing Arts School in Perth, amongst other purposeful activities he supports. His academic credentials include an MBA from the University of Western Australia and a Bachelor of Business from Curtin University of Technology, complemented by Executive Education in Digital Strategy from Harvard Business School. Mr Paul is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Mr Jeffrey Williams, KStJ, GAICD

Non-Executive Director

Chairperson of Clinical Performance Committee

Appointed - 27 October 2020

Mr Williams has been a volunteer with St John WA since he was 11 years old. He has contributed to a wide range of reforms in volunteering and event health services for St John WA at a state and national level. He is a Knight of the Order of St John. In his professional career, Mr Williams is a Registered Nurse with wide ranging experience in Health Service Management having held senior leadership roles in public and private health care.

He is currently the Executive Director of Women’s & Newborn Health Service, North Metropolitan Health Services and Chair of the Edith Cowan University School of Nursing & Midwifery Course Consultative Commitee. Jeffrey is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Management.

Ms Elisa Fear, GAICD

Non-executive Director

Chairperson of the Safety, People and Board Governance Committee

Appointed - 25 August 2022

Ms Fear has extensive financial executive experience from roles in investment banking including equity capital markets, debt, advisory, and venture capital. This is overlaid with solid commercial experience from owning and running businesses.

As well as serving on the board of St John WA, she also is the Chair of Yourtoolkit.com Limited and is a member of the Council of Curtin University. Ms Fear is also committed to providing support for women and children facing domestic violence and financial abuse and has a keen interest in organisational work health and safety. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds an MBA (Finance).

Mr Matt Mueller, GAICD

Non-Executive Director

Chairperson of Risk and Compliance Committee

Appointed - 1 February 2024

Mr Mueller’s career is characterised by substantial contributions in risk, governance, technology, and AI across various sectors. Matt has held senior roles at Origin Energy and Western Power, founded a technology business in the USA, provided technology and risk management expertise to Boards and Executives in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, and lectured at Curtin University. At Iluka Resources he established the AI and Automation team to enhance digital and automation capabilities and held the dual role as Chief Information Officer and Group Risk Manager which underscored his strategic influence on the company’s technology and risk management frameworks.

His non-executive roles include serving on the Curtin University Council as a co-opted member of the Audit Risk and Compliance Committee and the Digital and Data Governance Committee, demonstrating his commitment to excellence and strong governance while contributing to the university’s digital ambitions. Mr Mueller is also a member of the Fremantle Press Board and active in supporting youth leadership including coaching local AFL teams and volunteering. He holds a Bachelor of Computer Science with Magna Cum Laude Honours, a Master of Commerce with Honours completed as a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Governance Institute of Australia Fellow.

Ms Melanie Gates, GAICD

Non-Executive Director

Appointed - 28 October 2025

Ms Gates is an experienced professional with a national career in health care and extensive experience in strategy, business transformation and governance.

Currently serving as CEO of a state-wide community health organisation and Chair of WA’s Health Consumers’ Council, Ms Gates provides strategic leadership across complex service systems, strengthens cross-sector partnerships, and drives innovation to improve quality, safety and health outcomes for people across Western Australia. Her work includes championing contemporary, technology-enabled models of care and leading system-level transformation to deliver more integrated, scalable and sustainable care.

Ms Gates’ professional background spans health leadership roles across Australia, supported by earlier experience in management consulting and underpinned by a Master of Professional Education and Training, Executive Education from INSEAD Business School (Singapore), and a broad program of ongoing professional development across leadership, governance and the health sector.

Melanie is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Dr Bennie Ng, GAICD

Non-Executive Director

Dr Ng brings more than 25 years of experience across clinical practice, healthcare leadership, government policy and governance. His background combines an understanding of frontline care with experience leading complex health organisations and overseeing strategy, quality and risk.

Most recently, Dr Ng served as Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Medical Association in Western Australia. His previous roles include senior leadership positions at Healthscope and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and Head of Social Policy in the Office of the Prime Minister.

His governance experience includes the Australian Digital Health Agency, where he chaired the Clinical and Technical Advisory Committee, and the National Library of Australia. He also serves on the boards of the Raine Medical Research Foundation and Musica Viva Australia.

Dr Ng’s experience across the health system and organisational leadership will be valuable as the Board oversees the next phase of St John WA’s strategy to 2030. Bennie is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is an elected member on its WA Council.