Cranbrook School
School Council

School Council

The Cranbrook School Council is responsible for the governance of the School.

MA (Oxford), BE (Hons) (Sydney), FAICD

Geoff has over 30 years’ experience as both a non-executive director and as a senior executive, in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.

In the not-for-profit sector he is Chairman of Ability First Community Housing Ltd and an independent director of Ability First Australia Ltd. He is Chair of the St Paul’s College Foundation, a director of Sydney Community Housing Ltd and The Eryldene Foundation. Previously, Geoff has been Chairman of the Council of St Paul’s College at the University of Sydney, Chairman of the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME), Deputy Chairman of Council at Sydney Church of England Grammar School (Shore), President of the Shore Parents’ Association and a member of the investment committees for the Indigenous Real Estate Investment Trust and the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation.

Geoff is currently employed by Citta Property Group where he is involved in the development of affordable housing. He was previously CEO of the ASX listed Macquarie ProLogis Trust. Geoff started his career as a structural engineer working for Arup before also working for PwC, Lend Lease and the Macquarie Group.

Geoff is one of the two nominees on School Council of the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney. He was appointed to the School Council as a director in 2023, and is also President of School Council and Chair of the Nominations Committee.

BA (Sydney), LLB (Hons) (Sydney), Dip Applied Finance (SIA)

Vanessa is currently Managing Director of AGP Capital Management Australia, part of the AGP Sustainable Real Assets Group. AGP Sustainable Real Assets is a fund and asset management group that invests in, develops and operates sustainable infrastructure across three investment themes: renewable energy, sustainable communities and infrastructure and green technologies.

Vanessa previously held senior roles in Hong Kong with then NYSE listed Nord Anglia Education, a leading operator of international primary and secondary schools globally, in operations, corporate finance and investor relations. Her experience also includes working for Minter Ellison as a lawyer, before employment with Bank of Scotland in Sydney and Hong Kong.

She has two sons attending Cranbrook in the Senior School and her nephew attends Cranbrook Junior School.

She was appointed to the School Council as a director in 2023, and is also a director and Chair of the Cranbrook Foundation.

Diploma in Computer Programming, CPTI

Marty is the President of the Old Cranbrookians’ Association Inc. (OCA).

He is an agribusiness entrepreneur, and a director of Titan Ag, a division of Elders Ltd. He co-founded Titan Ag in 2006 and has continued to manage the business since its acquisition by Elders in 2018.

Prior to establishing Titan, Marty worked for 16 years in the software industry, bringing together his database design and software programming skills and his sales and marketing capability.

As well as being an Old Cranbrookian himself, Marty has a son in the Senior School.

He is the OCA’s nominee to School Council and was appointed to the School Council as a director in 2023.

BA (Sydney), LLB (Sydney), LLM (Hons) (Cambridge)

Ari is a Partner of Global Infrastructure Partners and a founder of its Australasian business.

Among other roles, Ari serves on the boards of Sydney Airport and NSW Ports, where he is also Chairman of their respective People and Culture Committees.

In the not-for-profit sector Ari has previously been a board member of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chair of the MCA Foundation, and Deputy Chair of the Biennale of Sydney.

Ari has a son in the Senior School and a son who is a recent Old Cranbrookian. He has a nephew in the Senior School.

He is the Chair of the Building & Development Committee, and was appointed to the School Council as a director in 2023.

Dip Journ (Macleay College), BA-Media & Communication (SCU), MTeach (Sydney), BA(Hons)-Theology, Ministry & Mission (Durham)

Claire has more than a decade of teaching experience within the private, public, and not-for-profit sector, spanning from Sydney to Western Australia, Manhattan and Nairobi. She has previously been a director in the not-for-profit sector, with Guides NSW, and is now an assistant leader with 3rd Rose Bay Joey Scouts.

Claire has three sons in the Junior School and one in the Pre-School and a nephew in the Junior School. 

Claire is one of the two nominees to Council of the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney and was appointed to the School Council as a director in 2023.

MEc (Ecole des Mines, Paris), MEc (Applied Math and Economics) (Ecole Polytechnique, Paris)

Katia is a partner with McKinsey & Company, having worked for the firm for 17 years in Paris and

London, and since 2013 in Sydney. She leads McKinsey’s Telecom, Media and Technology practice in Australia and New Zealand.

Katia previously served as an officer in the French Army.

She was appointed to the School Council as a director in 2023.

BA (Hons) (Liverpool), PhD (Classics) (Cambridge)

Richard is currently Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education, Enterprise and Engagement) at the University of Sydney, where he has involvement in education strategy and management. Previously as Vice- Provost he was responsible for academic excellence policies at the university.

Richard’s academic career is grounded in the Classics and Ancient History. He was Chair of the Department of Classics and Ancient History before becoming Head of the School of Humanities at the University of Sydney. Richard’s communications experience includes writing and hosting popular BBC programs on archaeology and ancient history.

Richard has a son in the Senior School student at Cranbrook.

He was appointed to the School Council as a director in 2023.

BA (Hons) (Cambridge), MEng (Dist) (Cambridge)

JP is currently CFO of Vocus Group. Prior to that has been the CFO of Blackbird Ventures, Westpac’s Specialist Businesses division, AMP Capital, and the Virgin Group. He began his career at Goldman Sachs in London and Sydney.

JP has previously held non-executive director and audit committee chair roles on both Virgin Group companies and elsewhere.

JP’s sons have been students at Cranbrook: at St Michael’s Pre-school, and in the Junior School and Senior School.

He is the Chair of the Finance & Risk Committee, and was appointed to the School Council as a director in 2023.

B Comm (Accounting and Finance) (UNSW)

Sam is the President of the Cranbrook School Parents Association (CSPA). She was previously President of the Ascham School Parents’ Association and is deeply involved in community work including as a Long Service Member of North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club and as an official with NSW Surf Life Saving.

Sam has two sons – one in the Junior School and one in the Senior School. Her brother is an Old Cranbrookian.

She is the CSPA’s nominee to School Council was appointed to the School Council as a director in 2023.

BEc (Hons) (Sydney), PhD (Finance) (Sydney), GAICD

Amelia is currently Senior Advisor – MA Financial Group, having previously held senior roles at UBS Investment Bank. She has over twenty years’ experience advising ASX boards and has been a non-executive director on companies representing MA Asset Management’s investments.

She is the contributing author of a university textbook on corporate finance and has lectured at undergraduate and masters level at the University of Sydney.

Amelia has a son in the Junior School. Her two brothers attended Cranbrook and her nephew is a student in the Senior School.

She is a Vice-President of School Council, and was appointed to the School Council as a director in 2023.

BA (Sydney), LLB (Sydney)

James is a Senior Counsel, practicing in most areas of common law and doing appellate work. He was admitted to the bar in 2004 and took silk in 2019. He is a director of New Chambers.

Prior to taking silk, James lectured in various university and private professional development programs, and now co-ordinates the NSW Bar Association’s contribution to university mooting competitions. He previously worked as a solicitor for law firm DLA Piper (then Philips Fox).

James is a former Councillor of the School as the nominee of the Old Cranbrookians Association (OCA) and former President of the OCA. He is a director of the trustee company for the Old Cranbrookians Scholarship and Bursary Fund, which he helped establish when he was OCA President.

James’ son is a recent Old Cranbrookian. His father and brother are also Old Cranbrookians.

He is a Vice-President of School Council, and was appointed to the School Council as a director in 2023.

BSc (Hons)(UTS), LLB (Hons)(UTS), LLM (UNSW)

Julie leads the Australian legal, risk and compliance teams of UK-listed asset manager, Schroders plc and is the company secretary for Schroders’ Australian entities.  She is a member of Schroders Australia’s Executive Committee and Governance, Risk & Compliance Committee and sits on the Compliance Committee for one of Schroders’ joint venture companies.  

Previously, Julie was Senior Legal Counsel at ASX-listed Challenger Limited, Senior Associate at Allens, and also held legal roles at Commonwealth Bank and PwC.  She was previously a director of the Arrow Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation.

Julie has twin sons who both attend Cranbrook’s Junior School, having also attended St Mark’s and St Michael’s Pre-Schools. Her two nephews also attended Cranbrook’s Junior and Senior Schools.

She was appointed to the School Council as a director in 2023.

BA (Theology) (Hons) (Biola University, CA), MA (Theology) (Talbot School of Theology, CA) (Hons), PhD (Theology) (Charles Sturt University)

Matt is the Rector at St John’s church Darlinghurst. Previously, he was Associate Rector at the Church of the Resurrection on Capitol Hill in Washington DC.

His governance experience includes his roles as Chairperson of the Rough Edges service of St John’s Community Services Ltd and as Chair of St James Kindergarten Management Committee.

He was appointed to the School Council as a director in 2023.