The Board
Andrew Carter, Chair
Andrew is the inaugural Chair of Childhood Dementia Initiative's Board. He is an experienced company director with more than 35 years in Australia's health technology and life sciences sector, and 20 years of governance experience across for-profit and for-purpose boards.
In the for-purpose sector, Andrew is a Regional Councillor of Yalari, a national Indigenous education and leadership organisation, and was until December 2025 a Non-Executive Director and Deputy Chair of Rare Voices Australia, the national peak body for people living with rare disease. He is a past Chair of Melbourne City Mission, one of Australia's oldest and largest community services organisations, and of its affiliated MCM Housing Association. Andrew also volunteers with Anglicare Victoria's homelessness and emergency relief services.
Andrew founded and led Commercial Eyes, a leading health technology commercialisation firm, for 23 years. He is currently a Non-Executive Director of Pure Solutions Australia and Non-Executive Director and Chair of MedWise Consulting, and has held numerous board and advisory roles across the life sciences sector, including as past Chair of BioMelbourne Network and ARCS Australia (now Life Sciences Australia), and as an advisory board member for Medicines Australia and the University of Melbourne's Master of Biotechnology Advisory Council.
Dr Alison Butt PhD GAICD
Dr Alison Butt is the Director, Research Strategy Office at the University of NSW. Alison has had over 20 years of experience in medical research as both an active researcher and in strategic leadership roles.
Her previous roles have included Director, Research Investment at the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Group Leader in the Cancer Research Program at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, and a conjoint appointment in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of NSW.
Alison also previously served on the Board of Directors of the Australian Society for Medical Research, Research Australia and as Chair, Sanfilippo Children's Foundation.
Megan Maack, Director and CEO
Megan is the visionary CEO and founder of Childhood Dementia Initiative who is leading world-first action and awareness for all children with dementia. She pioneered the collective consideration of over 100 neglected childhood dementia conditions to improve research, healthcare and policy responses.
Megan draws on her lived and professional experience. She is mother to 2 children with a type of childhood dementia, Sanfilippo syndrome, and the respected founder and former CEO of Sanfilippo Children’s Foundation. She also has an MBA and 15 years’ international experience as a Change Manager, Management Consultant and Project Manager.
In recognition of driving innovation, collaboration and positive change, Megan received a 2021 Pro Bono Australia Impact 25 Award and a 2022 Westpac Social Change Fellowship.
Sean Murray
Sean is the CEO and a founding director of the Mito Foundation, an organisation that supports the Australian mitochondrial disease community while driving research into mitochondrial disease to find preventions, treatments, and cures.
Sean’s background includes software development, business consulting and management, organisational change and project management.
Professor Peter Schofield AO FAHMS PhD DSc
Professor Peter Schofield AO is a distinguished neuroscientist with extensive leadership experience in medical research.
His significant contributions include serving as CEO of Neuroscience Research Australia (2004-2022), President of the Australasian Neuroscience Society (2020-2022) and Interim Director of the NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research (2016-2017). A Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, Peter has published over 500 research papers and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for his distinguished service to neuroscience research and to professional institutions.
Peter is committed to accelerating transformative progress for children with dementia and brings with him experience as a Founding Director of both for-purpose and start-up organisations, including Research Australia and the Australian Dementia Network Ltd.
Our team
Shivangi Chaturvedi, Director of Development
Shivangi brings expertise in complex partnership development and fundraising to the Childhood Development Initiative, honed through experience managing philanthropy and development teams both in the not-for-profit and corporate sectors in the UK and Australia over the last 17 years.
Sue Coxon, Education Lead
Sue is a registered pharmacist with over 10 years experience as a clinical pharmacist in paediatric hospitals in the UK and Australia and over 20 years experience in Health Professional Education.
Ellie Da Ros, Program Manager
Ellie brings extensive experience in managing cross-functional teams on global scale projects, both through her work as a Management Consultant, and as Head of Commercial Projects for a leading international health and beauty retailer. She applies a strong, data-driven approach, while working closely with stakeholders to deliver sustainable, systemic solutions.
Nicole Dunwell, Fundraising Manager
Nicole is a seasoned leader in fundraising with a retail background. Nicole is known for her strategic thinking, deep experience, and genuine commitment to building partnerships that create lasting, meaningful change.
Kristina Elvidge PhD, Head of Scientific Affairs
Kristina has more than 20 years experience in the medical research field, over 8 of those in the childhood dementia sphere. Kristina’s expertise lies in gathering evidence and galvanising stakeholders to accelerate the development of much needed treatments.
Alison Grozier, National Services Manager
Alison brings over twenty years of experience as an occupational therapist and senior leader across disability, health, and early intervention sectors. Alison leads the development of effective services and digital infrastructure that strengthen cross-sector, family-centred support for those affected by childhood dementia.
Helena Gvozdenovic, Fundraising Manager
Helena brings more than 15 years of marketing and events experience, including founding and scaling her own business and delivering large-scale campaigns for global membership organisations across Australia and the UK.
Gail Hilton, Director of Programs
With 15 years experience in the non-profit sector both in Australia and overseas, Gail brings governance, project and people management excellence to the Childhood Dementia Initiative. Gail is a Churchill Fellow. She used the prestigious fellowship to complete the first global study of childhood dementia care across Norway, the UK, Canada and the US.
Alicia Noble, National Services Coordinator
Alicia brings over a decade of experience in project management, coordination and stakeholder management across corporate, health and aged care environments.
Brad Phillips, Head of Digital & Data
Brad is a versatile digital marketing professional who brings broad expertise and skills from his 20-year career in health promotion, fundraising, and financial services.
