Our College

Governance

Leading our College

RANZCOG is governed by a nine-member Board who are the directors of the College. The Board manages the financial, legal and business operations of the organisation and is supported in its activities by the Council and a range of committees.

BOARD

ORGANISATION STRUCTURE

Our guiding principles

CONSTITUTION

REGULATIONS

CODE OF CONDUCT

Portrait of Dr Debbie Nisbet against a purple background

Council and committees

The RANZCOG Council has general oversight of the policy and strategic planning of the College and meets three times a year (generally in March, July, and November) at College Place in Melbourne, Australia.

The Council comprises the members of the Board, 19 Fellows representing each State and Territory of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, two regional Fellows, the Board, the Immediate Past-President, one Māori Fellow, the Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Health Committee, the Chair of He Hono Wāhine, the Chair of the Trainees’ Committee, and a Community representative. Non-voting members include the Deputy Chairs (Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand) of the Trainees’ Committee, a Subspecialties Committee representative, and a representative of the National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (NASOG).

The Twelfth RANZCOG Council took office at the College Annual General Meeting held on 9 November 2021. The Council will serve a two-year term until November 2023.

Members of the 12th RANZCOG Council

Members of Council
Councillor, Australian Capital Territory	Dr Elizabeth Gallagher
Councillor, New South Wales	Dr Jessica Caudwell-Hall
Councillor, New South Wales	A/Prof Amanda Henry
Councillor, New South Wales	Dr Marisa Martin
Councillor, New South Wales	Prof Thierry Vancaillie
Councillor, Māori	Dr Philip Suisted
Councillor, New Zealand	Dr Emma Jackson
Councillor, New Zealand	Dr Sue Belgrave
Councillor, Regional Fellows	Dr Kathleen Braniff
Councillor, Regional Fellows	Dr Romany Erwin
Councillor, Queensland	Dr Kathryn Saba
Councillor, Queensland	Dr Samantha Scherman
Councillor, Queensland	Dr Gary Swift
Councillor, South Australia/Northern Territory	Dr Kasia Siwicki
Councillor, South Australia/Northern Territory	Dr Heather Waterfall
Councillor, Tasmania	Dr Frank O’Keeffe
Councillor, Victoria	Dr Jenny Dowd
Councillor, Victoria	Dr Marilla Druitt
Councillor, Victoria	Dr Deborah Nisbet
Councillor, Victoria	Dr Michael Rasmussen
Councillor, Western Australia	Dr Anna Clare
Councillor, Western Australia	Dr Scott White
Immediate Past-President	Dr Vijay Roach
Chair, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Health Committee	Dr Marilyn Clarke
Chair, He Hono Wāhine	Dr Leigh Duncan
Chair, Trainees Committee	Dr Sara Ooi
Community Representative	Tessa Kowaliw

Representatives (non-voting)
NASOG Representative	A/Prof Gino Pecoraro
Subspecialties Committee Representative	(shared by Subspeciality Committees Chairs)
Trainee Committee Representative (Deputy Chair, Australia)	Dr Rania Abdou
Trainee Committee Representative (Deputy Chair, New Zealand)	Dr Sam Holford

College staff (non-voting)
Chief Executive Officer	Vase Jovanoska
Head of Executive Office & Advocacy	Sabrina Hanna
Team Lead, Executive Office & Advocacy	Bec McPhee
Advocacy Officer, Executive Office & Advocacy	Alex Jackson

Committees and working groups

The functions and activities of the RANZCOG Board and Council are supported by around 50 committees and working parties, which meet regularly and make recommendations to the RANZCOG Board on a range of matters pertaining to women’s health.

Elections

Want to get involved with the leadership of your Colllege? Consider nominating for open elections, which we post here when vacancies become available.

Previous election results

Casual vacancy election for ACT State Committee
ACT State Committee	Fellow representatives: Dr Bhathiya Kaluappuwa Hannedege

Casual vacancy election of representatives onto Subspecialty Committee
Gynaecological Oncology (CGO) Subspecialty Committee representative	Dr Gaithri Mylvaganam
Urogynaecology (CU) Subspecialty Committee representative	Dr Rebecca Young
Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (CREI) Subspecialty Committee representative	Dr Devini Ameratunga
Maternal Fetal Medicine (CMFM) Subspecialty Committee representative	Dr Amanda Poprzeczny

Casual vacancy election for members onto Trainees’ Committee
Specialist International Medical Graduates (SIMG) representative	Dr Rituparna Dutta

Casual vacancy election for WA State Committee
WA State Committee	Fellow representatives: – Dr Danielle Paterson – Dr Arpita Ghosh

Policies and procedures

View all College policies and procedures.

Executive Leadership Team

The Executive Leadership Team (ELT) are integral to College governance. They meet weekly to determine matters, or make recommendations to the CEO and Board, regarding the direction and operations of the College.

Meet our ELT

Vase Jovanoska

Chief Executive Officer

MBA, MHSM, BA (Accounting)

Vase’s corporate experience extends more than 22 years across the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. In addition to her tertiary qualifications, Vase has also completed the Executive Program in Leading for Strategic Change with Melbourne Business School, the Women’s Executive Leadership Program and Negotiations Strategies Program with Yale University. She is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a qualified CPA, and a Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders, Australia, and New Zealand.

Sudi Sekhar

Executive Director, Innovation, Learning and Quality Assurance

Sudi has over 14 years’ experience across tertiary, not-for-profit and health sectors, and includes strategy development and implementation, project management, strategic partnerships, business development, change management and client services.

Sudi holds a Master of Business Administration, Master of International Business, and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors as well as the Fundraising Institute of Australia. Sudi also holds an Agile Practitioner (AgilePM) qualification.

Mel Pietsch

Head of Engagement and Rural Health

Mel currently oversees the State and Territory offices, College Events team, Commonwealth-funded Rural Health initiatives and is involved in Government Relations activities. She has over 15 years’ experience working in the public sector where she developed a strong understanding of the medical training system. Mel has a Certificate III in Financial Services and a Certificate in Effective Business Management.

Daniel Petkovski

Head of People and Wellbeing

Daniel is responsible for leading the People, Wellbeing and Facilities department at RANZCOG. His career encompasses experience within community health, and the NFP and commercial sector. Daniel is a member of the Australian HR Institute (AHRI) and holds a Bachelor of Business (Human Resource Management).

Michelle Zhang

Head of Finance, STP and Risk

Michelle is a certified practising accountant (CPA) with more than 15 years’ experience in financial and management accounting, project management and data analysis. As the Head of STP, Finance and Risk, Michelle manages several government funded programs and work closely with project managers on various projects as well as oversees workforce related activities. Michelle has completed the Master of Professional Accounting (MPA).

Catherine Cooper

Head of Aotearoa New Zealand and Global Health

Catherine leads the Aotearoa New Zealand Office of RANZCOG and the Global Health Unit, working closely with Te Kāhui Oranga ō Nuku, He Hono Wāhine and the staff team. She has a background of many years in management roles in the New Zealand public service, and not-for-profit and membership organisations. Catherine also has governance experience, chairing school Boards, as well as a Masters in management and a BA in psychology and education.