The Board has nine Directors elected by the voting membership. These Directors are elected to three-year terms, with three of the seats open for contest each year. In addition to these elected Directors, the Board can co-opt up to three additional Directors.
CHOICE is committed to ensuring that the Board has the right mix of skills to guide the organisation on behalf of voting members. Each year, the Board identifies the skills it believes are required, so that these can be used as a guide for voting members in the election of Directors.
As well as meeting the skills identified by the Board, Directors must be free from conflicts of interest, to ensure the organisation's continued independence from industry, business or government interests.
The Board Charter explains how the Board goes about its role as defined in the constitution.
Anita Tang – Co-Chair
Anita has a strong background in public policy reform and community organising across a range of social justice and community service areas. She is currently community organising director at the Centre for Australian Progress, building the capacity of civil society for systems change, following five years running her own advocacy and campaigning consultancy supporting NGOs to bring about social change. Her other experience includes more than a decade at Cancer Council NSW where she led the transformation of its advocacy work, and senior roles in the Community Services Commission and the Social Issues Committee of the NSW Legislative Council.
Anita has completed the Leadership, Organizing and Action: Leading Change program through Harvard University, and the Stanford Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders. Anita has served on the Boards of the Council for Intellectual Disability NSW, the Intellectual Disability Rights Service, the Centre for Australian Progress and Democracy in Colour, a racial justice campaigning organisation.
She is a longstanding member of CHOICE, and while at the Cancer Council, led a number of collaborative projects with CHOICE, including campaigns against junk food advertising to children and the regulation and eventual ban of commercial solariums.
Anita joined the Board in March 2017 and was appointed Chair in 2020, and in 2021, became part of an inaugural new leadership model of Co-Chairing. She is also Chair of the Impact Committee and a member of the Governance, Culture and Ethics Committee.
Nic Cola - Co-chair
Nic is currently the CEO of RMIT Online and also acts as Chair of Picaluna, a disruptor in the funeral industry. Prior to this he was a director at Satinay Partners, a consulting and advisory firm focused on advising media, market places, education and digital businesses.
Nic has over 22 years of general management and CEO experience in high growth, sales and marketing-led organisations, with expertise in delivering revenue and share growth across a diverse range of business models in traditional and digital media, education, and e-commerce. His key strengths are strategy, mergers and acquisitions, operations, digital transformation and change management.
His previous roles have included Group General Manager of Retail and Digital Transformation at Helloworld Ltd, CEO of Open Colleges and CEO of Marketplaces at Fairfax Media where he was one of the founding executives of Fairfax Digital.
Nic was active in building the digital industry in Australia having been on the board of the Australian Interactive Multimedia Industry association (AIMIA) for several years as well as serving as Chairman of the Australian Internet Advertising Bureau. He has a Bachelor of Business from UTS and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors course.
Nic joined the CHOICE Board in November 2019 and from November 2022 stepped into the Co-Chair role, alongside Anita. Nic is also Chair of the Membership Growth & Engagement Committee and a member of the Finance, Risk & Audit Committee.
Samantha Challinor
Samantha is a non-executive director, with more than 20 years' experience in senior accounting and leadership roles. This includes interim CEO at Arthritis NSW, Director Corporate Services at the Agency for Clinical Innovation (NSW Health), Deputy CEO at Sydney North Shore and Beaches Medicare Local, and Chief Accountant at Lexmark International (Australia).
She is adept at bringing financial, information technology, risk and project management oversight and governance to organisations through expertise gained in the commercial, for-purpose and public health government sectors.
Sam is a director of Sydney North Health Network, RSL LifeCare, and the National Affordable Housing Group. She also chairs the Finance, Audit and Risk Committees of these organisations. She holds a Bachelor of Business (Accountancy) from QUT, is a Fellow of CPA Australia and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Sam joined the CHOICE Board in November 2020 and is Chair of the Finance, Risk & Audit Committee.
Katherine George
Kat has extensive experience in consumer advocacy and policy, and is currently Associate Director, Research at Energy Consumers Australia. She has worked across the government, private and not-for-profit sectors, driving significant policy reform projects to promote economic and social inclusion and system reform, especially in relation to delivering equitable, human-focused outcomes in essential services markets.
Currently, Kat is Chair on the Board of Hope Street Youth and Family Services, a youth homelessness service operating in the northern and western regions of Melbourne. Kat was elected to the CHOICE Board in November 2020 and is a member of the Impact Committee and Chair of the Governance, Culture & Ethics Committee in 2024.
Fiona Jolly
Fiona is a lawyer with significant senior executive and non-executive director experience who works with boards and businesses undergoing change and growth and operating in highly regulated areas. She brings government experience along with expertise in communications, traditional and digital media advertising and marketing, stakeholder engagement and international trade.
Fiona is a director of Goodwin Aged Care Services, Rural Financial Counselling Service (NSW), the ACT Cemeteries and Crematoria Authority, Freshmark Fresh Produce and the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors, and is an elected Councillor for HCF. Fiona has previously served as president of the YWCA of Australia and the chair of Australian Business Volunteers.
Fiona's executive career spans significant work on regulation reform with both the government and private sector.
Fiona was elected to the CHOICE Board in November 2020 and is a member of the Governance, Culture & Ethics Committee; Technology Committee; and the Membership Growth & Engagement Committee.
Melissa King
Melissa is a practised CEO, senior executive and advisor, with experience spanning corporate, government, the arts, sport and not-for-profit sectors with organisations including Surf Life Saving Australia, Sydney Opera House, Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet – APEC Taskforce.
As CEO of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in 2022, Melissa delivered the most attended Women's World Cup in the history of the competition and the first carbon-neutral event. Currently, Melissa is the CEO of the Australian Veterinary Association and serves as an Independent Director of ASX-listed cyber risk firm WhiteHawk (WHK) and the NSW Institute of Sport.
Melissa strongly aligns with CHOICE values that promote fairness, and empower consumers. Since joining the CHOICE Board in November 2023, Melissa has been a member of the Governance, Culture & Ethics Committee and the Membership Growth & Engagement Committee.
Jamie Pride
Jamie is a Partner at Humanly Agile, an organisational design and change management consultancy focused on helping clients unlock innovative ways of working and maximising the potential of their people. In addition to his consulting work, Jamie serves as the Chief Entrepreneur in Residence at Western Sydney University, where he supports the next generation of innovators and business leaders.
With over 27 years of experience in senior leadership roles across global consulting, advisory, and technology organisations, Jamie has built a career on driving transformation and growth. His corporate background includes serving as the Australian CEO of realestate.com.au, where he spearheaded significant digital advancements, and as a Partner at Deloitte, where he advised on complex business transformations for some of the world's leading companies.
Jamie joined the CHOICE Board in November 2021. He serves on the Finance, Risk, and Audit Committee and the Technology Committee, where he has played a critical role in overseeing the transformation of CHOICE's technology platforms.
Amanda Robbins
Amanda has extensive expertise in economic and social policy, having worked at the most senior levels of the Australian government and across the community and nonprofit sectors for over 20 years, domestically and internationally.
Amanda founded Equity Economics in 2013, and has since delivered original economic policy analysis and advice for governments, think tanks, corporates and the community sector. Amanda is committed to supporting and strengthening the role of the non-government sector in Australia. Amanda combines skills in economic analysis with an ability to formulate policy and communicate complex reform.
Amanda's experience internationally includes roles as senior adviser in the Treasury of Papua New Guinea from 2006 to 2008, deputy director of Australia's flagship economic governance program in Indonesia, and most recently working as a consultant for the World Bank in Washington DC.
Amanda holds a Global Executive MBA and Bachelor of Economics (Social Sciences) from the University of Sydney, a Diploma of Law from the NSW College of Law, and a Master of Laws (Legal Practice) from the ANU.
Amanda was appointed to the CHOICE Board in November 2022 and is a member of the Impact Committee and Membership Growth & Engagement Committee.
Chris Whitehead
Chris has a career background in financial services and information technology. He is currently the Chair of Visionflex, an ASX-listed health technology company and a Director of IMB Bank, where he also chairs the Board Risk Committee. He also undertakes occasional consulting relating to strategy and governance.
In addition to banking, Chris's financial services experience includes executive and board roles in payments, general insurance, health insurance, financial advice and funds management. He has a deep appreciation of the importance of financial services in people's lives and the serious impact of poor or unsuitable products, services and advice.
Chris has held senior roles at BankWest, Bank of Scotland and Credit Union Australia. In 2016 he was appointed as Managing Director and CEO of FINSIA, the leading professional body in financial services. Over the period of the Hayne Royal Commission, FINSIA advocated for the professionalisation of banking, with individual accountability for competency and conduct in addition to that of licensees. FINSIA introduced Australia's first professional banking qualifications in 2018 and developed a range of ethics education and other professional development programs.
Chris was elected to the CHOICE Board in November 2024.
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