About CoAct: Our board

Jennifer is a non-executive director with over seventeen years of board-level experience and a diverse career in financial services. Jennifer is a Chartered Accountant and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, who has held senior positions with national consulting firms, Pitcher Partners and PwC.

She is Chair of the national not for profit organisation, CoAct, a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee for Regional Australia Bank, and, community housing provider,  Home in Place. As well Jennifer is an independent member of the Audit and Risk Committees for NSW Health Care Complaints Commission, Hunter New England Local Health District and University of Newcastle as well as a volunteer Treasurer for local charity Hunter Homeless Connect. She is currently a local leader for Mentor Walks in Newcastle.

Andrew is the Executive Director of Mater Foundation, which is a community based fundraising organisation that supports the work of Mater Health, Education and Research.

Recognised as a specialist in non-profit leadership and philanthropic giving, Andrew brings extensive experience in leadership, finance, charitable giving and marketing operations. Andrew has a strong career record in the not for profit sector delivering enduring transformation through developing and growing sustainable income streams.
He brings extensive governance and leadership experience from a variety of past and current appointments to non-profit Boards and Advisory Committees. Andrew currently serves as a Board Member and the Chair of Finance and Risk Committee of Loreto College.

Andrew holds a Bachelor of Business, a Master of Business Administration, and is a Fellow of CPA Australia and a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Andrew is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

With over 20 years of experience as a corporate (M&A) and commercial lawyer, Christalyne specialises in governance, company secretarial practices, and regulatory compliance. She has played senior roles across various sectors, including banking, technology, healthcare, and retail, sharpening her expertise at leading global law firms. Here, she distinguished herself in mergers and acquisitions, fundraising, intellectual property, and dispute resolution.

Christalyne’s impressive skillset and lived experience with disability enriches our leadership with valuable perspective and insight. She is passionate about creating genuinely diverse and inclusive workplaces and breaking down conscious and unconscious biases and misconceptions about people with disability.

Helen Coyer is an accomplished Non-Executive Director with a diverse portfolio of board experience across for-profit and not-for-profit sectors, complemented by a distinguished executive career in governance, operations, and transformation. She brings deep expertise in corporate governance, risk management, finance, and strategic growth, with a proven ability to support organisations through complex challenges and scaling opportunities.

Helen currently serves as a Non-Executive Director on several boards, including Animal Emergency Australia, Relationships Australia Queensland, CoAct, and RLS Queensland (Audit and Risk Committee). Her governance experience spans highly regulated environments such as banking and superannuation, as well as purpose-driven organisations in social services and education. Past directorships include RACQ Bank, Queensland Teachers Mutual Bank, and Noah’s Ark.

Her sector experience spans education, financial services, technology, government, defence, animal health and social services, making her a versatile and insightful contributor to boards navigating growth, risk, and transformation.

Helen’s board contributions are underpinned by her credentials as a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA) of over 35 years.

Jodi Stapleton is an experienced technology leader based in Newcastle with a passion for driving transformation and creating meaningful impact. She currently leads the IT and Finance teams at Heffron Consulting and is proud to serve as a Non-Executive Director for CoAct and Hunter Valley Grammar School. Over the past 20 years, she has held senior roles in Canada and Australia including CITO at Indigenous Business Australia and CTO at Newcastle Permanent.

Jodi holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Information Technology and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Jodi is a member of the Audit & Risk Committee and the Nomination & Remuneration Committee.