Co-founders & Board Members

Since his diagnosis in 2013, Neale Daniher and his family have been battling the effects of motor neurone disease (MND), but he continues to raise awareness and remains a tireless campaigner for a cure for the Beast. 

Neale has lived his condition very publicly, even in the advanced stages of the disease.

A former AFL player with Essendon FC who went on to coach the Melbourne Demons, Neale’s implemented his team-based football experience to galvanise community and corporate support for the cause.

The now 63-year-old has lived with this extremely debilitating disease for ten years, defying the average life expectancy of just 27 months.

With amazing courage and relentless drive, he’s dedicated his life to helping prevent the suffering of those who’ll be diagnosed in the future.

During his career working at the AFL, Pat Cunningham first crossed paths with Neale Daniher. He joined the FightMND Board in early 2015, and has a personal connection to MND through his wife Angie who sadly lost her battle with MND in 2016.

Pat has spearheaded the project management of the Foundation’s largest public fundraiser – Big Freeze at the G, and also leads the FightMND Care Committee in overseeing the Foundations Care portfolio and grant application/award processes.

Pat, along with his two daughters Maggie and Sophie, live in Melbourne’s East and are supported by a wonderful group of friends and family.

The late Dr Ian Davis played a pivotal role in the establishment of FightMND in 2014 following his retirement as a medical doctor due to his diagnosis with MND on 13 September 2011. He served as Chairman of the Foundation while also chairing the FightMND Cure subcommittee. Prior to his diagnosis, he worked in Haematology practice at Melbourne’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

On November 1, 2018, FightMND co-founder Ian Davis lost his courageous battle with Motor Neurone Disease.

Ian’s medical background and experience enabled him to provide FightMND with significant knowledge and expertise in the medical science environment, achieving positive progress and development in the quest to find a suitable treatment and cure for MND.

Since the Foundation’s inception, Ian’s tireless work, passion and commitment to finding a cure for MND has impacted and inspired people affected by MND worldwide.

Among his many achievements was the creation of the inaugural Australasian Motor Neurone Disease Symposium in March 2018, attracting over 400 delegates from around the world, who all assembled with the joint intent to create a world free from MND.

Mike Schneider is the Managing Director of the Bunnings Group. With a passion for seeing people and organisations thrive through strong cultures, clear and aligned purposes and actions and brand trust, Mike brings a wealth of HR, commercial and leadership experience to the role of Chair.

Outside of Mike’s role at Bunnings, he also sits on the boards of mental health charity Love Me Love You, the Corporate Mental Health Alliance of Australia and Melbourne United Basketball Club.

Gary Nugent is Managing Partner with the Nugents Group in Melbourne and Chair of DFK ANZ. Gary brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in governance,
business practice and financial management to his role as FightMND Treasurer
and Vice-Chairperson.

Judith is a professional board director and business consultant with extensive experience across corporate, Government and non-profit organisations. In 2001 Judith was awarded Australia’s most prestigious award for women in business, the Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year. Judith is an entrepreneur, having built and sold her own business followed by many years’ experience as a CEO and in senior executive roles in both the corporate and non-profit sectors, operating across Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia. Judith was CEO of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation for ten years, and has since held a number of Interim CEO roles.

Judith has held a portfolio of non-executive directorships in various business sectors for over 20 years. She is a current director of Fight MND, Chair of Oxfam Australia and Chair of Chair of the Consumer Advisory Panel at Walter + Eliza Hall Institute. Judith is also a member of Oxfam International’s Board. Former directorships include Australian Red Cross Blood Service, VicHealth, Open Universities Australia, South East Water, Young and Well CRC, Agriculture Victoria Services, Gardiner Dairy Foundation and Chair of the Lort Smith Animal Hospital.

Judith has an MBA from the Melbourne Business, has studied Senior Executive Management at Harvard and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. In 2003 she was awarded the Centenary Medal for service to the Australian Society in Business Leadership and received an Order of Australia award in 2018.

Following an early career as an auditor, Camilla has carved out a diverse career spanning various roles in Human Resources. She is currently Head of HR – Global Functions at BHP, supporting members of the Executive team.

Prior to BHP, Camilla held a short term contract role to lead Inclusion & Diversity at AusNet, and create their I&D strategy. Before that, she held the position of Executive General Manager of PX Partnering for Product & Customer at Xero. In this role, she supported the Product, Customer, and Corporate Strategy & Development functions. Prior to this, Camilla worked at PwC for over fourteen years in various roles including, Chief of Staff for People, Partnership & Culture, HR Director for Strategy & Operations and HR Director for Partnership at PwC.

Camilla has 2 young boys with her husband Mark.

Andrew Dillon is currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of the AFL, and brings with him a wealth of legal expertise, passion, and drive to his role on the FightMND Board.

Andrew’s chief role at the Foundation is in overseeing the Foundation’s governance and legal obligations.

The Director of Guest Group, Property 4 Retail, Guest Nominees, and BallPark Entertainment, Bill is a highly respected Melbourne businessman. While he has enjoyed success in the corporate world, it is Bill’s commitment to many charitable causes that has had the greatest impact.

Along with his role on the FightMND Board, Bill is Patron, Director and Board Member for Australian Prostate Cancer Research, and sits on the Board of Care Australia.

Mark Evans is the CEO of the Gold Coast SUNS, joining the club in 2017 after holding the role as General Manager of Football
Operations at the AFL. Mark brings a very strong record in administration and
management operations to his role on the Cure for MND Foundation Board where he
plays a significant role in Communications and Branding.

Having lost a close friend to MND and seeing first hand the devastation the disease brings, Mark is determined to help push the disease into the spotlight, raising awareness and funds for research.

Peter Charles is the Victorian and National Independent Agency Sales Director for Channel 7 Melbourne. Peter has spent 30 years in the media industry. He joined Channel 7 as a Group Sales Manager in 1999 and spent time in Sydney in 2015/16 as the Sydney & Melbourne Sales Director. More recently he has been promoted to Victorian and National Independent Agency Sales Director. Peter is responsible for building and managing client relationships across both agencies and independence/direct.

Peter is married to wife Meredith and have 3 children Sam, Jessica and Emily.

Matt Tilley was one of Australia’s most respected radio personalities, with more than 20 successful years on air. And then something happened. He fashioned his long-time curiosities and dalliances with the charity sector into an executive career.

Matt previously served as Chief Communications Officer at Foodbank Victoria and was the Founder and CEO of the Aussie Dollar Drop which supported homeless Australians. Matt has also held several Board positions across the NFP sector.

Prior to this, Matt had a successful two-decade career in commercial media as a radio presenter on major stations like FOX FM and Triple M.