Koala Foundation Board
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Tony McGinnChairmanTony McGinn founded the leading radio, television and digital media production business, mcm entertainment group limited in 1983. Tony is CEO and Managing Director of that publicly listed company.
Tony’s son Ben was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2000 at the age of 3 years. Ben is now a healthy teenager. 6 months into his sons treatment at Monash Medical Centre, Tony joined the hospital’s pediatric cancer parent support group, KOALA (Kids Oncology And Leukemia Action group). After a couple of years as a Director of KOALA Group, Tony was elected to the position of President. KOALA Group was focused on fundraising, family support and advocacy. Working with the members, Tony led KOALA to lobby the State Government to establish a Pediatric Integrated Cancer Service (PICS) statewide. KOALA Group also lobbied Southern Health to allocate space for a Children’s Cancer Centre at Monash Medical Centre and then secured the philanthropic funding to build that centre. In 2005 Tony led the KOALA Group to expand its focus from just the Monash Medical Centre to a statewide funding partner and advocacy organisation to work with PICS and the Children’s Cancer Centres at Royal Children’s Hospital, Monash Medical Centre and Peter MacCallum Hospital. At this time Koala Foundation was incorporated at a stand alone charity with Direct Gift Recipient status with the Australian Taxation Office. Tony has been Chairman of KOALA Foundation since 2005 and also chairs the Million Dollar Lunch Committee.
Tony’s company, mcm entertainment group limited sponsors KOALA Foundations administration, providing office space, staff resources, financial management, administration and management of the Million Dollar Lunch, all on a pro-bono basis. Tony also leverages his extensive media, entertainment and marketing relationships to resource the Million Dollar Lunch.Tony is married with 2 children.
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Andrea DiproseDirectorAndrea is parent representative member of the KOALA Foundation Board. Andrea supported her son through almost 6 years of treatment for leukaemia, including a bone marrow transplant, which he sadly did not survive. Andrea has been a member of KOALA Foundation for 10 years and was a member of the steering committee which successfully lobbied for the Chldren's Cancer Centre to be established.
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David GreyDirectorDavid is a father who’s youngest son was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Treatment was conducted at Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne. He brings to Koala the understanding of a parent who’s child has experienced cancer, the challenges, issues and passions from this time and also the acumen and skills of a senior business executive.
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Silvana LapirowDirectorLLB Melbourne Unniversity
Practising as a commercial lawyer in the financial services industry with prior experience in mining , shipping and finance
Mother of a child previously diagnosed with cancer
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Kevin MartinDirectorKevin Martin, Chief Financial Officer, Nufarm Limited
Kevin is a chartered accountant with over 26 years of experience in the professional and commercial arena. After joining Nufarm in 1994, he was responsible initially for the financial control of the crop protection business. Since 200, Kevin has been responsible for all financial, treasury and taxation matters for the group.
He is a member of the Board of the Children's Cancer Centre Foundation Board and a founding member of the KOALA Board.
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David AshleyDirectorAssociate Professor David Ashley is a Paediatric Oncologist who is the current Director of the Children’s Cancer Centre at the Royal Children’s Hospital, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne and the Chair of the Paediatric Integrated Cancer Service (PICS). He has a range of high calibre past achievements including graduating second in his year in medicine and being awarded the prize for internal medicine. Associate Professor Ashley has achieved numerous honors during his postgraduate training including a Neil Hamilton Fairley Postdoctoral Fellowship, an American Society of Clinical Oncology Young Investigator Award and an Amrad Australian Postdoctoral Scholarship. He has dedicated his career to the translation of laboratory based research into clinically applicable research endeavours and in this regard has made sustained contributions to the international literature, particularly in relation to brain tumours in high quality peer review journals. He has been the author on multiple cancer related manuscripts and had published several key scientific reviews in neuro-oncology. At the same time he has achieved an extremely high profile in clinical practice as well as research. Whilst being the Director of the Children’s Cancer Centre, he is also the physician primarily responsible for patients diagnosed with brain tumours in the State of Victoria. He is the Chair of the Infant Brain Tumour Committee of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG); a member of the Brain Tumour Core Committee of COG and the CEO of the Australian Children’s Cancer Trials, the premium national early phase trials group for children in Australia. He is the principal investigator of the Children’s Oncology Group for the Royal Children’s Hospital and a principal investigator at the Australian New Zealand Children’s Cancer Study Group.