NSW Trustee and Guardian team

Brian has a background in health and human services across public and private sectors and has dedicated the last 20 years to supporting some of our most vulnerable communities. Brian has Master level qualifications in health sciences and business administration.

Brian was appointed Chief Executive Officer of NSW Trustee and Guardian (NSWTG) in September 2024, having acted in the role since September 2023. In this role, Brian provides leadership and direction to NSWTG in the provision of financial management services and independent and impartial executor, administrator and trustee services across the state. The position also has administrative responsibility for the NSW Public Guardian.

Brian joined NSWTG in March 2023 as the NSW Public Guardian, an independent statutory position making health and lifestyle decisions for some of the most vulnerable people in NSW.

Before joining NSW Trustee and Guardian, Brian was the Director Disability Policy and held related roles within the NSW Department of Communities and Justice, responsible for strategic planning, design, implementation and performance monitoring of the NSW response to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Brian supported various functions of the NSW Minister for Disability Inclusion and the NSW Disability Board and has led the NSW response to national disability policy reform.

Brian has also worked with the NSW Ministry of Health where he was responsible for various strategic functions in mental health and drug and alcohol services across the state, led national projects in mental health and drug and alcohol service planning, and implemented, monitored and evaluated strategic initiatives in Aboriginal health. 

Catherine has a distinguished career spanning 30 years, dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable individuals across Australia. With a strong foundation in social work and extensive experience in healthcare leadership, she has consistently championed client-centred care and advocated for the rights and voices of those she serves.

Catherine's career began in NSW, where she held senior leadership positions in major hospitals, including the Children's Hospital Westmead and the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. She played a pivotal role in establishing the Australian Allied Health Leadership Forum and served as the inaugural Australian representative on the International Chief Health Profession Officers Group, representing the World Health Organization's Western Asia Pacific Rim.

In 2006, she transitioned to South Australia, where she served as the inaugural Chief Allied Health Officer and later held key roles in child protection and clinical systems. Throughout her career, Catherine has demonstrated exceptional leadership in improving health systems through consumer consultation and co-design.

Catherine is a recognised expert in mediation and negotiation, adept at bringing together diverse stakeholders to achieve consensus and find solutions to complex challenges. Her commitment to social justice and human rights is evident in her work, which consistently prioritises the needs and perspectives of individuals and communities.

Catherine holds a master’s degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Social Work. She has received numerous accolades for her contributions to healthcare, including the Governor of NSW Meritorious Commendation and the International Allied Health Award for Excellence.

Jana is an accomplished executive with over 20 years of experience leading transformative initiatives across the government and healthcare sectors. His leadership is defined by a strong commitment to customer service, value-based decision-making and people-centred approaches that drive sustainable organisational growth.

He has held senior roles at NSW Trustee and Guardian, the NSW Department of Customer Service, and within the healthcare sector, consistently delivering high-quality services to vulnerable communities in alignment with legislative and regulatory frameworks. Jana’s expertise spans strategic planning, financial and operational management, customer experience and cultural transformation.

Throughout his career, he has successfully led high-impact programs at the executive level, including reversing closure decisions and scaling start-up operations. His ability to navigate complex challenges and foster resilient, service-oriented cultures makes him a valuable contributor to leadership-level governance and strategic oversight.

Marie joined NSW Trustee and Guardian as Director of Estate Planning and Administration in April 2023.

Marie leads and oversees the Estate Planning and Administration division that provides Wills and estate planning, estate administration, Power of Attorney, trusts and associated trustee services to our communities.

Marie is a senior lawyer who has practised exclusively in the area of Wills and estates law since 2004. In 2009, she became a New South Wales Law Society Accredited Specialist in Wills and Estates Law.

Marie has over 20 years' experience working for some of Australia’s largest private trustee companies. She is experienced in providing trustee services and advising on all aspects of Wills, estates and trust matters. 

Marie enjoys educating and sharing her knowledge of Wills and estates law with the community and the legal profession. She has written articles, presented at conferences and lectured on topics in her area of expertise. Marie is a full member of the global professional association STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners). 

Ruth joined in 2018 as Director, Legal, Governance and Risk at NSW Trustee and Guardian.  

Ruth is passionate about succession law and is a supporter of providing practical legal solutions that help people during critical moments in their lives. 

In her role, Ruth leads teams in legal, genealogy, financial planning, personal benefits, insurance and taxation. These specialist teams support the functions of NSW Trustee and Guardian, including customer and corporate service delivery.    

Ruth has over 30 years’ experience in the legal profession, she is an expert in Wills and estates. She was the first solicitor in NSW to make an application to the Supreme Court for a Will for a minor who was facing life-threatening surgery.

Ruth received a Highly Commended award in the 2020 NSW Law Society’s President’s Medal, as recognition of her significant personal and professional contribution to the improvement of law and justice in the community.

Ruth has written articles on succession law and elder law for various law publications and has prepared and delivered legal professional training courses. 

Steve joined NSW Trustee and Guardian in May 2024 as Executive Director of Finance Performance and Investments. He was highly attracted to this role by the organisations’ social justice and humanitarian work and is driven by the opportunity to make a positive difference to our people and the work they do for our customers.

Steve is responsible for overseeing the organisation’s funding, financial management, investment funds and procurement practices and strategies to ensure they are contemporary, fit for purpose and ensure medium-term sustainability.  

Working closely with partner agencies, suppliers, and across the Executive Leadership Team, Steve and his team strive to enhance customer experience through securing and supporting the deployment of resources, timing and efficient processing of customer transactions, and appropriate financial controls are embedded to mitigate risks.    

Steve is an experienced COO and CFO leader, having worked across financial services, professional services, and Government organisations leading diverse teams to deliver business outcomes.

David joined NSW Trustee and Guardian in February 2022. He is passionate about driving digital innovation to create great customer experiences.    
  
As Director of Information and Technology, David is charged with leading the organisation’s digital vision and technology strategy. He is responsible for investment in digital products, customer platforms and support, cyber security and information management.   

Working closely with partner agencies and providers, David and his teams are always working to enhance the customer experience by using digital capabilities such as automation and artificial intelligence.   

David is an experienced IT leader, successfully leading complex projects including large-scale technology transformations and cloud infrastructure migrations. 

David comes to NSW Trustee and Guardian with over 30 years of experience in the delivery of operational business services, including technology, finance, human resources, and procurement. 

Madeleine joined NSW Trustee and Guardian in March 2021 and is passionate about making a positive impact in people’s lives.

As Director, Customer Experience, Madeleine leads our agency’s Marketing, Brand, Communications, Media, Customer Experience Design, Customer Contact Centre and Customer Advocacy.

Focused on delivering services that understand the needs of our diverse customers, Madeleine's goal is to create a culture centred around customers.

Madeleine is committed to building the capability of NSW Trustee and Guardian’s people and providing the tools and support to deliver positive outcomes to our customers. 

Madeleine and her team are guided by our Customer Excellence Principles. They drive customer experience improvements at every level of our organisation, for both new and existing customers, internally and externally.

Madeleine is a highly experienced dedicated leader recognised for her commitment to excellence in branding and marketing. She has over 30 years of marketing and communications experience across a wide range of commercial and not-for-profit organisations in Australia, the UK and the USA.