Our Board is the Firbank Grammar School governing body and is made up of a group of committed professionals who donate their energy, time and professional expertise to guiding the School. The prime responsibility of the Board is to ensure that policy, as well as careful financial and strategic planning, is in place. Many of our School Board members are parents of students and are leaders in their respective fields, investing much of their personal time in the welfare of the School.
Jennine Ross
CHAIR OF THE BOARD
Jennine was appointed to the Firbank Grammar Board on 15th September 2014 and was elected Deputy Chair in 2016 and Chair of the Board in September 2016. Jennine is a former student of Firbank, having attended Sandringham House and Senior School where she completed her HSC in 1987. She has a Graduate Certificate in Human Resources from Swinburne University of Technology, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Jennine has worked in Human Resources for over 25 years specialising in change management for transformational change, acquisition and integrations, organisational development, and generalist HR leadership. She has held executive HR roles at Telstra, KAZ Group and Tenix Solutions. Jennine runs a boutique HR Consulting company and is currently a board member/interim Chairman of Strikeforce Pty Ltd.
Jennine and her husband Paul, who attended Brighton Grammar, have two children Matthew (BGS) and Georgia who attends Firbank.
Denice Pitt
DEPUTY CHAIR
Denice was appointed to the Firbank Grammar Board on 12th October 2016 and was elected Deputy Chair in 2020. She is currently Chief Executive Officer of Online Education Services (OES), a role she has held since the company was launched in July 2011. OES is an innovative partnership between Swinburne University of Technology and SEEK, established with a mandate to enable universities grow their businesses by increasing access to high quality tertiary education through online programs. In 2015 OES was named BRW Fastest Growing Company and has been recognised as an AON Hewitt best employer on multiple occasions.
Prior to her role in the education sector at OES Denice’s experience was predominantly in the telecommunications and outsourcing industries. She has spent time as President of Aegis Australia and nearly 10 years at UCMS Group Ltd where she undertook several roles including Managing Director of Outsourcing, Group Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive Officer.
Denice was also working at Optus during the exciting launch days in Australia and held several roles there including National Customer Service Manager. She brings a wealth of experience as a CEO and business executive to her role as a Firbank Board member.
Denice holds a Master of Business Management and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is currently a Board Member for the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria Ltd (RACV) and previously served on the Board of Good Shepherd Microfinance.
Denice and her husband Darren have a daughter who has recently completed her schooling at Firbank.
Nicholas (Nick) Stretch
DIRECTOR
Nick became a member of the Firbank Board in 2011 and is Deputy Chair of the Foundation Trust Company. After graduating from Melbourne University in 1983 with degrees in Law and Commerce, Nick has worked in private legal practice for national and global law firms in the areas of corporate law and insolvency law. During Nick’s years of legal practice he has been involved in several major finance transactions, both on the lending and recovery sides. These days, Nick generally practises in mergers and acquisitions. Nick also serves on the boards of a number of charitable foundations.
Nick is married to Felicity and has five children – all boys. His three eldest have graduated from Brighton Grammar School with the younger two still attending. All his children are present or past choristers in St. Andrew’s Choir (as is Nick). Nick’s interests include classical music, Rugby and AFL. He is a member of The Australian Club, The West Brighton Club, MCC and is also a long-suffering member of the St. Kilda Football Club.
Owen Smith
DIRECTOR
Owen joined the Firbank School Board in October 2020. Owen is a qualified Land Economist with almost 30 years experience including commercial and industrial agency, site identification, acquisitions, property development and investment banking.
His communication, negotiation and marketing skills, combined with a demonstrated ability to create new and foster existing relationships, has seen him succeed across a number of roles.
Highly motivated, Owen is dependable, positive, calm under pressure and excels in a team environment as leader or team player in both work and his non work interests.
Owen’s daughter was the 2022 School Captain and a Year 12 student at Firbank.
Frieda Yeo
TREASURER
Frieda was elected to the Firbank Board in 2016 and is the current chair of the Finance Committee and Honorary Treasurer of the Foundation Trust Company. Frieda is a Chartered Accountant and graduate of Monash University where she completed a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) / Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) in 1997.
Frieda has worked in both private and publicly listed companies over the last 18 years specialising in accounting, corporate tax and external financial reporting. She has held the role of External Reporting Manager at IRESS Limited and more recently, Group Financial Controller at Adslot Limited. She is currently an Executive Director in her family business, which has Australian and international investments in the agricultural, seafood and property industries. Frieda is the Treasurer of The Queen’s Fund, one of Victoria’s oldest charities, that assists Victorian women and their children who are in distress by providing short-term emergency grants.
Frieda has a daughter who attends Firbank.
Chris Sheppard
DIRECTOR
Chris was appointed to the Firbank Board in August 2022 and serves as Chair of the Foundation Trust Company and is a member of the Finance Committee. Chris is a seasoned investment professional with extensive experience in education and edtech.
With a background in investment banking at Goldman Sachs and Citi Group, Chris joined SEEK in 2016 and is a leader in the SEEK Investments team in the education and edtech sector. His responsibilities include overseeing investments and portfolio management. He holds an MBA from London Business School and a Master’s with First Class Honours in Chemical Engineering from the University of Manchester.
Chris is also a Board Member for OES, Avenu Learning, GO1, and MyTutor.
Chris and his wife Cassandra, who is a Firbank alum, have two daughters who attend Firbank.
David Lewis
DIRECTOR
David joined the Firbank Board in September 2024. David completed a Bachelor of Commerce (First Class Honours in Finance) at the University of Melbourne, before moving into a career in Investment Banking at firms UBS and Goldman Sachs. After a 10 year career in Investment banking, David joined global packaging leader Amcor, in a senior management position based in Switzerland. Following four years in Switzerland, David returned to Australia to join the Global Executive Team of Orora Packaging, as Global Head of Strategy.
Today David is an Investor and / or Director of a number of small and medium sized businesses, including the STEAM based kids entertainment business Museum of Play & Art (MOPA) which is based in Sandringham and expanding. David continues to work as a consultant in strategy and M&A, and is Managing Director of Cavendish Capital – an independent corporate advisory firm.
David and his wife Sally, who is a Firbank alum, have a daughter Willow who attends Firbank.
Committee Membership
Finance and Commerce Committee
Frieda Yeo – Chair & Honorary Treasurer
Jennine Ross – Chair of the Board
Chris Sheppard – Director
David Lewis – Director
Jenny Williams – Principal
David Simmelmann – Chief Commercial Officer and Company Secretary
Planning and Building
Owen Smith – Chair
Denice Pitt – Deputy Chair of the Board
Jenny Williams – Principal
David Simmelmann – Chief Commercial Officer and Company Secretary
Governance, Compliance, Nominations and Risk Management
Nicholas Stretch – Chair
Jennine Ross – Chair of the Board
OH&S and Child Safety Committee
Julie Laycock – Director
Jenny Williams – Principal
Standing Special Purpose Committees
Firbank / BGS Liaison
Jennine Ross – Chair of the Board
Jenny Williams – Principal
Remuneration
Jennine Ross – Chair of the Board
Denice Pitt – Deputy Chair
Frieda Yeo – Treasurer
Foundation Trust Company
Chris Sheppard – Chair
Nicholas Stretch – Director
Frieda Yeo – Treasurer
David Lewis – Director
David Simmelmann – Chief Commercial Officer and Company Secretary
