Our team
Chief Executive Officer – Anthony Cavanagh
A Taungurung person from Victoria. Anthony became the CEO of Ganbina in 2013. Anthony’s career spans over 30 years working in recruitment, training, operations and community services in both the private and government sectors. He is a past member of the ANZ Bank’s Indigenous Advisory Council, an alumni of the prestigious Williamson Leadership Program and Melbourne Business School’s MURRA Program. He has also studied at Stanford Business School in the United States.
Early in his career, Anthony held senior management roles with the Chandler Macleod Group and Worktrainers. He also worked with Human Services Victoria in residential care facilities for disadvantaged and displaced children and young people. Anthony has served on various Boards including as Chair of Mitchell Indigenous Education Group and as a member of the Mitchell Community Health Service and the Meadows Youth Foundation. He has a Diploma of Business and holds qualifications in Quality Management, Risk Management, Workplace Safety and Environmental Management.
The Board
Chair: Kyra Galante
Joined 2018
Kyra Galante (Bonney) is a Guburn (Kupurn) woman from the Goldfields region of Western Australia, with connections to Noongar Country. Kyra is Worley Australia’s First Nations Participation Director. As a proud Indigenous woman with over 20 years’ experience, Kyra is facilitating partnerships between Worley Australia and Indigenous businesses to create positive socio-economic impact.
Kyra has over 20 years’ experience delivering Indigenous community engagement, recruitment and mentoring strategies in civil construction and mining. She has overseen Indigenous Traineeship programs and partnered with businesses and their senior staff to develop a better understanding and approach to Indigenous peoples, history and culture.
Kyra received a Telstra Women in Business Award in 2017. She was named the Western Australian Chamber of Minerals and Energy Most Outstanding Woman in Resources in 2014. Kyra completed a Bachelor of Science in Indigenous Community Management and Development at Curtin University, and earlier this year she graduated with a Masters of Indigenous Business Leadership from Monash University.
Deputy Chair: Chris Schulz
Joined 2018
Chris spent more than thirty years as a partner at Allens, one of Australia’s leading commercial law firms, where he mainly practised Environmental Law. After retiring from full time work in 2017, he spent five years as a consultant to Allens and other organisations. He was also a director at Earthwatch Institute for nine years. He has a Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Laws from Melbourne University.
Treasurer: Edward Waller
Joined 2017
Ed is a Deputy Portfolio Manager at Yarra Capital Management, one of Australia’s leading independent fund managers. As a member of the firm’s investment team, he is responsible for equity research and analysis of banks, diversified financials, infrastructure and utilities securities. Ed previously worked for 10 years as an investment manager for Goldman Sachs Asset Management. He has a BA in Commerce and a BA in Agricultural Science from the University of Melbourne.
Secretary: Timothy Warwick
Joined 2017
Tim is a former teacher and school principal, who currently leads the Education Equity Alliance, a collaboration of students, teachers and school/system leaders, aimed at achieving system change for equity. He is also a current board member of the Australian Alliance of Associations in Education, Ganbina and the Victorian Student Representative Council.
Previously he worked as a project manager for the Department of Education (VIC) to support school improvement across a large network of schools, led the development of Kaiela Dhungala First Peoples Curriculum and was on the Primary English Teachers Association Australia board. Tim is passionate about realising a more equitable education system that can meet the needs and realise the aspirations and strengths of all students, no matter their background.
Member: Kevin Moore
Joined 2018
Kevin is a VC Indigenous Pre-Doctoral Fellow at RMIT School of Management Melbourne, with his PhD topic on Victorian Treaty, Voices and Identity. Earlier roles at RMIT include Manager, Planning and Operations of RMIT’s Ngara Willim Centre which supports Indigenous people who work and study at RMIT; and Senior Advisor, Community Engagement. Kevin has a BA in Kyinandoo (Indigenous Studies). He is a member of RMIT’S Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Employer Advisory Committee and the Education Research Group.
Member: Dr Lisa Griffiths
Joined: 2022
Lisa is the Chief Executive Officer at OzChild, a National Child Welfare Organisation. Lisa is a strong advocate for using ‘multiple sources of evidence, that demonstrate what work’ for children, young people and families facing vulnerabilities and has led the introduction of multiple evidence-based models in Australia. Lisa is an Adjunct Professor with the Australian Graduate School of Management and holds a Doctorate in Business Leadership. Lisa also sits on multiple expert committees in relation to Children and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Centre for Evidence Based Management.
Member: Lena-Jean Charles-Loffel
Joined: 2021
Lena is a Yorta Yorta/Gunai Kurnai woman and a Ganbina graduate. She joined Ganbina when she was 14-years-old and became the first Ganbina participant to obtain a Master’s degree (Master of Public Health) specialising in Indigenous Health from The University of Melbourne. Today she is Head of Impact at Clothing the Gaps Foundation, an Aboriginal-led not-for-profit by public health practitioners with the purpose to add years to Aboriginal people’s lives. She has been involved in the Yorta Yorta Traditional Owners Land Management Board and is the second Ganbina participant to join the Ganbina Board.
Member: Dr Ash Francisco
Joined: 2023
Ash is a proud Wiradjuri woman who grew up on Wurundjeri and Bunurong Country and is now based on Taungurung Country in North Central Victoria. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) from the University of Melbourne and a Master’s degree in Applied Cultural Analysis from Lunds University in Sweden.
Her industry experience has focused on advancing Indigenous success and restorative justice in both the corporate and public sectors. She obtained a PhD from the University of Newcastle detailing the history of the NSW Aboriginal Protection Board throughout the 1930s and the Welfare Board throughout the 40s. Her current research agenda focuses on the Indigenous future of work, regional Indigenous business development and access and youth leadership.
She has previously worked with the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Kimberley Land Council (WA) and the Koori Justice Unit in Victoria. She is currently a lecturer and engagement lead at the Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership at the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Business School. She is an inaugural member of the Yuma Yirramboi Victorian Aboriginal Economic and Employment Council, an advisor of Richmond Football Club’s reconciliation advisory group and MCA’s Bangawarra Art Yarns Reference Group.
Member: Fallon Wanganeen
Joined: 2023
Fallon is a proud Narungga man from the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. He is a results-driven professional with a proven track record in championing diversity and inclusion. His roles have spanned across Talent Acquisition, Employment Program Management, and Employee Journey Enhancement. As ANZ’s Inclusion Program Manager, he focuses on harnessing the power of diversity by creating employment avenues for underrepresented groups and fostering workplace capabilities. His expertise lies in strategically stabilising program frameworks, cultivating stakeholder relationships, and driving process enhancements that translate into tangible and cost-effective improvements.
On average 90% of Ganbina participants complete Year 12
(National Indigenous average = 66%, Non-Indigenous average = 89%)
Source: Close the Gap Report 2020