Our Team

Paul Flynn came to The Hospital Research Foundation Group team in 2009 to take on the role of Chief Executive Officer. Paul is an innovative and entrepreneurial executive who has earned a stellar reputation for achievement during a multifaceted career in both the finance and not for profit sectors. He has been acknowledged for his contribution by being a previous recipient of the Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year in SA/NT and was also previously awarded the Equity Trustees Australian CEO Award for Innovation. Paul is passionate about the opportunity to help medical and scientific researchers in their important voyage of discovery which will benefit all Australians. Paul brings advanced skills to THRF Group in the areas of leadership, innovation, sales management, property development and management, change management, financial risk management, employee and organisation development and employee relations. He is delighted to be working with the team at THRF Group as well as hospitals and universities, contributing to the health and wellbeing of all Australians. Paul is a non-executive Director of Cost-Bry Pty Ltd (trading as BiomeBank) and a Trustee of Pulteney Grammar School.

Briony joined The Hospital Research Foundation (THRF) Group in 2010 and leads the day-to-day fundraising operations to ensure the strategic and operational goals of the organisation are met.
As COO, Briony assists the CEO in achieving THRF Group’s strategic and operational goals, including budget outcomes, enhancing the organisation’s effectiveness, providing leadership and overseeing portfolio initiatives as defined in the strategic plan. She provides the CEO with insight into areas of operations including policy direction, strategic marketing direction, group expansion and other initiatives.
As a key member of THRF Group’s Senior Executive Team, Briony provides strong and effective leadership by defining and achieving operational expectations, monitoring progress, and providing a work environment supportive of THRF Group’s strategic goals and ongoing staff development and growth.
Briony has a Masters in Business Administration, is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and sits on various sub-committees for THRF Group including ICT and Cybersecurity, Governance and Risk, Finance and Audit and Human Resources.
A member of the Fundraising Institute of Australia, Briony is a passionate follower of industry trends and innovations, particularly in the evolving world of experience management, consumer insights and the use of data.
Briony enjoys balancing her career with spending time with her young family, made possible through THRF’s family-friendly and flexible working environment.

We welcomed Tina to The Hospital Research Foundation team in May 2016 as our Finance Manager.
Tina is a CPA qualified Accountant with extensive experience across a number of industries, most recently as Corporate Accountant for Iron Road Limited. In her current role, Tina oversees the day-to-day financial management of The Hospital Research Foundation Group.
Tina is honoured to work with a wonderful group of individuals for an organisation funding medical research and improving the lives of so many Australians.

When not in the office, Tina enjoys getting out in the sunshine and spending time with her family and friends, especially her two happy, energetic young daughters.

Fiona is a passionate advocate for health and medical research. She is the Executive Director of the Centre for Creative Health. She commenced with the Foundation in 2010 after holding key roles in the professional services industry, tourism and healthcare sectors. She brings a wealth of experience in public relations, corporate communications, brand development and strategy as well as government relations and media management to her role.
Fiona has enjoyed overseeing strategic communications, community and stakeholder engagement and branding for the Foundation as well as its affiliate brands. She is a member of the Board of Governors for The Road Home and Centre for Creative Health and sits on a number of Advisory Committees including Cure for Stroke Australia and Kidney Transplant & Diabetes Research Australia.
Fiona has played a key role in the development and expansion of the Foundation’s first Under Our Roof project which provides much needed accommodation for country cancer patients to stay with their families while having treatment in Adelaide.

She is delighted to be involved in establishing the Centre for Creative Health in South Australia to improve the quality and experience of healthcare in our hospitals through a range of best-practice art programs and creative initiatives for patients, visitors, staff and the broader community.

Dr Van Hooff is the Director of Military and Emergency Services Health Australia and an experienced research scientist specialising in the mental health impacts of bushfires, adverse childhood adversity and occupational trauma. Completing her Bachelor of Arts (Hons Psych) in 1998 she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Medicine at The University of Adelaide in 2010 for her research examining the adult mental and physical health outcomes of childhood exposure to the 1983 Ash Wednesday Bushfires. Since 1999 she has held various academic appointments at the University of Adelaide under the direction of International PTSD Specialist Professor Alexander McFarlane and was formally the Director of Research at the University of Adelaide Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies. Dr Van Hooff has authored 57 journal articles, 1 book chapter and 31 commissioned reports for the Australian Departments of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs and the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service.
Over the course of her career, she has conducted several large-scale longitudinal studies of childhood survivors of the 1983 Ash Wednesday Bushfires, children hospitalised for a significant burn injury, children exposed to the neurotoxic effects of lead in childhood and adults exposed to the 2006 Black Tuesday Bushfires on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. Since 2009, her research has focused on the mental health and wellbeing of current and ex-serving Australian military and emergency service personnel, as the lead researcher on three landmark studies: Transition and Wellbeing Research Programme, The Military Health Outcomes Programme and the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service Health and Wellbeing Study. These studies were the first in Australia to ascertain the prevalence of ICD-10 Mental Disorder in current and ex-serving ADF members and South Australian Firefighters and have been strong drivers of change in relation to policy and service provision. Over the last 10 years, Dr Van Hooff has received over $10M in competitive and commonwealth grant funding, with the majority of this funding invested in research designed to enhance the mental health and wellbeing of current and former Australian servicemen, servicewomen and their families. Currently she is a chief investigator on two studies examining the health and wellbeing of emergency service personnel following the 2019/2020 bushfires.

Olivia Nassaris is the Executive Director of Parkinson’s SA & NT and The Hospital Research Foundation Group – Stroke.
Olivia has extensive experience in communications and advocacy in aged care, higher education and health both in Brazil and Australia. This role has enabled strong expertise in business development, key strategic partnerships, philanthropic grants and communications. Under Olivia’s leadership, a client-centred hub focusing on living well as we age was created. At the heart of everything, Olivia focuses on maximising choice, independence and wellbeing for people living with neurological and movement disorders. With that in mind, THRFG’s social enterprise, the Brain x Body Fitness Studio was founded which focuses on body and brain health (neuroplasticity) through exercise.
At a national level, she successfully wrote a grant application to the Information, Linkages and Capacity Building body of the National Disability Insurance Agency for over $1 million. The Young Onset Parkinson’s Exchange (YOP-X) App provides information and education designed specifically for people under the age of 65 living with Parkinson’s and related conditions. It breaks down barriers connecting clients, health professionals, NDIA staff and contractors to access high quality education and information. YOP-X also gives people living in regional and remote communities access to quality information that is quick and easy to access. Olivia recently helped transition Stroke SA and Parkinson’s SA&NT to become charities of The Hospital Research Foundation, ensuring increased capacity to provide improved support to people living with neurological and movement disorders, more awareness and funding research into the area. She remains passionate about community health and is a Treasurer of the Rare Find Foundation, a childhood dementia charity. Olivia and her primary aged son love to travel with friends where they can explore new places and create memories.

Juliet joined THRF Group in 2022 as Head of Legal, Risk & Governance. Juliet is responsible for providing commercially relevant and solution-focussed legal advice to support THRF Group in achieving its strategic and operational goals. Her role also involves development and oversight of the Group’s risk management framework and advice on governance matters.

Juliet has extensive experience working as a corporate lawyer in highly regulated environments including banking and finance and gaming and hospitality. Prior to joining THRF Group, Juliet led the legal and compliance team at SkyCity Adelaide as General Manager Legal, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs and prior to that she was a Corporate Lawyer at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank. She has also worked for several regulators in New Zealand and is a Certified Compliance Professional.

Juliet is a member of THRF Group’s Executive team and the Governance & Risk and ICT & Cybersecurity sub-committees. She enjoys being part of a great team who are making a real impact in the community through life-changing medical research and improved health care.

Outside of work, Juliet enjoys reading, yoga, keeping fit and spending time with her family including two active sons and one inactive dog.

Bianca joined The Hospital Research Foundation Group in 2008 as a volunteer, then a junior in the Communications team whilst completing her university degree. Since then, Bianca has held a number of roles within the Foundation including Communications Manager before moving into the Marketing and Fundraising team.
Bianca’s current role as the Head of Marketing and Fundraising involves leading The Hospital Research Foundation Group’s brand, marketing and fundraising activities. She loves working with her diverse team to execute the Group’s creative brand campaigns, fundraising appeals, and peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, as well as managing the logistical and data operations. Bianca is passionate about raising awareness and funds that enable THRFG to change and save lives.
Bianca is studying her Masters of Business Administration at the University of Adelaide and volunteers for Variety – The Children’s Charity. Outside of the office, Bianca enjoys spending time at her small property in the Adelaide Hills, and loves good food, wine and quality time spent with her furbabies, close family and friends.

Emma joined the communications team at The Hospital Research Foundation in 2021. Emma is passionate about developing and delivering range of internal and external communications to grow awareness, understanding and support for the amazing work the Group does in South Australia. Emma has worked in and alongside the media, State Government and corporate relations for more than 20 years. For nearly a decade she was a senior media and policy advisor to Ministers in the Department of Premier and Cabinet. Emma has also held senior communications roles in the Defence, Mining and Education sectors.
Previously, Emma worked as a senior PR consultant and producer for the Nine Network. Her career began in television as a news journalist spending five years as a general news and chief police reporter at Channels 7 and 9 after completing her journalism degree.
Outside of work, Emma enjoys spending time with her husband and young family, going out for dinner and watching her two children play sport on weekends.

Jim joined the Research Strategy and Programs team in 2021 and is responsible for the logistics and analysis of the Group’s research grant rounds and programs.
With a science background, Jim is a strong believer in the power of research to change lives and make a real impact in the community. Following his time as a research assistant at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Jim enjoyed many more years in research grant and program management, most recently at the University of Adelaide.
Away from work, Jim attempts to play guitar without annoying his family or the neighbours and spends most weekends out in the garden dabbling in some home maintenance.

Ash has over 13 years of experience working in business and marketing roles with global consumer facing brands across Asia, Europe and now Australia. His extensive experience involves marrying digital strategy with creative marketing to achieve business objectives. A blend of analytical and creative thinking has helped him deliver great results in previous roles at Microsoft, Yahoo and Viacom.

Currently, Ash works as the Campaigns and Fundraising Manger at The Hospital Research Foundation Group where his team delivers multi-channel appeals and campaigns to generate leads and raise funds for THRF Group through individual giving, monthly giving and peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. Away from work, Ash enjoys playing guitar, video games and football (soccer).

Amy joined our communications team in 2018 and is responsible for producing content for THRF’s various platforms and publications, driving media opportunities and delivering other communications.
Amy is a journalist by trade, having completed a Bachelor of Journalism and working in print media before moving to communications 14 years ago. She loves bringing her passion for writing and sharing stories to THRF, being able to share hope and inspiration about the amazing research and patient care initiatives we are funding with the public’s support.
Away from work, Amy enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, supporting their many sporting endeavours and relaxing with a glass of champagne at the end of a busy day.

Fi joined our Communications Team in 2020, before moving to her current role as Senior Manager – Palliative Care early 2022. She is responsible for driving THRF Group’s contribution to improving statewide palliative care within SA through research, education and patient services, plus planning and delivering communication strategies with a focus on palliative care awareness. She also develops and promotes the LEAF Project/LifeCycles education around grief and loss literacy into South Australian schools.

Prior to joining THRF, Fi held various roles both within Australia and the UK at Qantas, Australian F1 Grand Prix Office, Associated Newspapers, Harper Collins, South Australian Tourism Commission, and lecturing at TafeSA. Her wealth of experience spans across travel, tourism, event management, business development, education, and non-profit industries, in addition to running her own freelance copywriting business.

Having completed a cycling tour in Cambodia and local triathlon to raise funds for palliative care, Fi is delighted to be part of the THRF Group’s support for this area of healthcare, thanks to personal experience. She feels privileged and proud being part of the THRF team, providing positive impact to everyday people and sharing their stories.

Away from work, Fi enjoys seeking out new adventures, travelling with her family, movies and theatre, or good food and wine with friends – keeping the balance through hiking and swimming!

Hannah joined THRF in 2020 as the Partnership and Sponsorship Manager. Her role consists of developing, growing and executing our partnerships and sponsorships, as well as overseeing the peer-to-peer fundraising and volunteer programs. This role builds and maintains strong relationships with corporate and community organisations and individuals.
Hannah brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role, including expertise spanning stakeholder engagement, sponsorship, events, project management and client management. Her previous role included working for the Northern Territory Government in Darwin. Hannah enjoys meeting and speaking to new people and her goal is to help others and make a difference in their lives.
In her spare time, Hannah enjoys spending time with her three active sons, cooking and entertaining friends, staying active with running and Pilates.

Josh joined the Group’s finance team in April 2021 as our Finance Manager.
Josh has completed a Bachelor of Commerce and is a CPA qualified accountant. Prior to joining THRF, he worked in business services for 14 years servicing a wide variety of industries across practices in both Adelaide and Melbourne.
Josh is excited and grateful to work for an organisation that gives so much back to the wider community.
Outside of the office, Josh enjoys spending time with his family and friends and being actively involved in his children’s various sporting interests.

Starting with THRF in 2020, Becky is the Fundraising and Volunteer Coordinator, supporting our peer-to-peer fundraising and volunteer programs while also maintaining and building relationships with community members, corporates and volunteers.
Becky is excited to be part of THRF, working towards funding medical research and improving the lives of people in our community. Prior to joining THRF, she was the Cultures and Engagement Programs Lead for People’s Choice Credit Union where she managed staff fundraising, volunteering, corporate and community sponsorship activities and corporate events.
On the weekends you will find Becky, her husband and their furry baby Bodhi at various sporting games, cheering on their active sons Jack and Cooper.

Prior to joining THRF in July 2015 Irene worked for 20 years in the Arts as a Development Manager for the State Theatre Company of South Australia, Windmill Theatre and Brink Productions.
In her current role she works closely with Military & Emergency Services Health Australia donors and supporters to encourage community and financial support for its work in the critical areas of medical research and projects that support veterans, defence and emergency personnel and their families. Irene enjoys the opportunity to connect with people in our community who support those in need – those who support financially and volunteer their time, those who work in medical research and special PTS related projects and those who benefit from this important work. She believes that it promotes a feeling of giving back in some small way and also being part of something bigger than ourselves.

In her spare time Irene is an avid reader, loves spending time with her family and really enjoys sharing good times with friends. She’s also part of a care team that looks after an elderly lady in her own home. At 98 she is a constant reminder to Irene that life is to be treasured and you’re never too old to take up a new challenge.

Joining THRF in 2018, Kristy Wildy is one of the friendly faces of our Supporter Engagement Team, based at our Hub at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Kristy comes with a wealth of knowledge, previously working for News Corp for 16 years in various advertising sales and marketing roles, raising corporate funds for Anglicare and selling office products. In her current role, Kristy works to grow a portfolio of donors and supporters, building and nurturing relationships across our THRF Group, with a view to ongoing stewardship. She also supports fundraising activities and is the face of THRF at community presentations.

Kristy is passionate about medical research and loves that much of the research we support is quickly translatable from the lab to the bedside. She also enjoys communicating to our donors that their gift can be directed to a particular area of research. In her spare time, Kristy enjoys reading, challenging herself with quizzes and listening to the magpies sing. She is a passionate scuba diver and enjoys taking trips in winter to warmer climes.

Beginning at THRF in 2020, Jo brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to her role as Relationship Manager. Jo’s background includes working in Melbourne in multi-national organisations including Gillette as a National Account Manager and Business Manager, as well as working in the University and Government sector. Jo is also a business owner of a Life Coaching practice, helping clients build resilience, recognising strengths and applying strategies to achieve their desired goals and vision. Currently, Jo is undertaking her fourth year of a Social Work degree.
One of her favourite aspects of her role at THRF is building relationships with our generous donors. She feels privileged to be able to engage in meaningful conversations and enjoys making donors feel safe to share their knowledge, experiences and provide valuable insight into the reason they donate to THRF. Jo feels grateful to be surrounded by talented and motivated people who collectively work together to improve patient care and treatments through innovative medical research.

On the weekends, Jo loves keeping active and walking the beach with a coffee in hand, spending time with family and friends and having a good laugh, and visiting local wineries and eateries. Jo also enjoys colourful cultural events and relaxes with a good book and meditation.

Beginning at THRF Group in 2022, Megan brings a wealth of experience to her role as Supporter Engagement Manager. Megan has worked in the non-for-profit sector for 13 years and has a background in partnerships, community fundraising and client services. Her current role is to build and nurture relationships with THRF Group’s valued donor community, including supporting them along their journey.

Megan enjoys educating our donor community the impact their donations have across THRF Group, including medical research and patient care and she also enjoys how her work is contributing to improving healthcare and treatment for our loved ones.

In her spare time, Megan enjoys spending time with her young family, exploring our state while enjoying good food and wine with friends and also taking part in community fundraising activities to support a variety of causes.

Joining THRF Group in 2022, Sue brings a wealth of experience to her role as Supporter Engagement Manager. Her background includes working as a Business Development Manager and Partnership Manager in the travel, tourism and media industries. In her current role, Sue is responsible for engaging with THRF Group’s valued supporters to build awareness and educate our donor community on the work we do. She enjoys engaging with our supporters to build and nurture long-term relationships. One highlight for Sue is seeing the impact THRF Group has on the community through research and improved health care outcomes.

On the weekend, you will find Sue spending time with her partner and two boys enjoying the outdoors, walking her border collie on our southern beaches, as well as visiting many local wineries and eateries around SA.

Joining the team in early 2013, Rebecca came to The Foundation from Bluescope Steel where she worked as a Personal Assistant.
In her current role at The Foundation, Bec assists the Foundation by providing any admin and support services. As the Support Services Officer she is also responsible for managing our Under Our Roof properties for country cancer patients. Rebecca enjoys being a part of a great team who are making a difference in the community. She is amazed at how generous and willing people are to support medical research that helps find cures for illnesses we have all been touched by.
Outside of the office Rebecca likes to cook, renovate her home, read and spend time with her family and friends!