The Board of Directors

Debora Picone AO

Debora Picone AO - Chairman

Adjunct Professor Debora Picone AO is a highly respected leader in public administration, with extensive experience in the provision of healthcare services. Through a quality led governance approach and applying the value systems of learning organisations, Prof Picone has been privileged to make the lives of people better by driving high performing organisations that improve the health of people, patient safety and access to health care within a balanced budget.

Doug Bain

Doug Bain

Doug has recently retired as Ernst & Youngs Market Segment Leader for real estate, construction, leisure and hospitality in Oceania. He has 28 years’ experience both in Australia and in the UK and has been a partner in the assurance practice for more than a decade. Doug is a well-regarded and knowledgeable client service partner who has broad experience across a range of industries, including construction, infrastructure, property and resources.

Mary Digiglio

Mary Digiglio

Mary is the Managing Partner of Swaab, a Sydney based mid sized commercial law firm. In this role, Mary was appointed to this role in 2014. She leads by example, with an authentic leadership style and a focus on promoting and protecting the well-being of people in the legal profession.

Mary is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has been a long-standing Board member of Cameron Brae Pty Ltd (a property development family owned company) and Minds Count Foundation (a mental wellbeing charity).

Mary has been a supporter of Odyssey House since 2016.

Roger Dive

The Honourable Roger Dive

Roger Dive was a Judge of the District Court of NSW, and the Senior Judge of the Drug Court, from 2004 until 2021. Before those appointments Roger had been a Local Court Magistrate since 1989, sitting in both city and country courts.

During his tenure at the Drug Court, the court became a permanent part of the justice system of NSW, and expanded to three locations, with Dubbo to be added to the jurisdiction in 2022. The Drug Court currently provides programs for 270 participants across the three centres.

As a Magistrate, Roger worked in both city and country courts, and held the roles of Senior Civil Magistrate and Senior Children’s Magistrate during 15 years on that bench. In the Children’s Court, Roger sat in both the Care and Criminal jurisdictions, and was very involved with the establishment of the Youth Drug and Alcohol Court. In earlier years he was a senior executive in the Department of Fair Trading.

Roger was awarded the 2011 Prime Minister’s Award for outstanding contribution to Drug and Alcohol endeavours. Roger joined the Odyssey Board in November 2021.

Michael Farrell

Professor Michael Farrell

Professor Michael Farrell is the Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW and Faculty Theme Lead of Mental Health, Neuroscience, Ageing and Addictions, UNSW Medicine. Prior to his appointment at UNSW, Professor Farrell was a Professor of Addiction Psychiatry at Kings College London.

His extensive research interests include evidence-based practice and treatment evaluation, in tobacco, alcohol and other drug dependence, psychiatric comorbidity, translation of new evidence into practice. He was Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee of The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. He is an editor with the Cochrane Drug and Alcohol Group. He is a member of the World Health Organization Expert Committee on Drug and Alcohol Dependence. He is current President of APSAD. He has published over 300 scientific papers and a number of books. He has been a board member or director of many different Alcohol and other Drug NGO Community Groups over the past thirty years he has been a consultant on National Drug Policy to many national Governments. Michael is a strong advocate for better investment and support for prevention, treatment and research.

Stewart Hindmarsh

Stewart Hindmarsh

Stewart Hindmarsh is a director of diversified property business, Hindmarsh. Stewart most recently was Chief Executive Officer of World Nomads Group, a leading global provider of travel insurance now owned by private health insurer, nib. Prior to his role with World Nomads Group, Stewart was a Director of boutique corporate advisory group, Grant Samuel. It was here that Stewart advised on a wide range of corporate advisory transactions across a broad range of industries. Stewart has been a long term supporter of Odyssey House NSW and joined the Board in 2016.

Douglas Isles

Douglas Isles

Douglas Isles has more than 20 years in investment management. He was appointed Head of Investment at Platinum Asset Management in March 2022, where he has worked since 2003.

You can learn more about Douglas from his feature in our Autumn 2023 newsletter.

Debra Kelliher

Debra Kelliher

Debra Kelliher has had a career in education for over twenty-five years. She has a Doctorate in Education from the University of New England and a Master of Arts with First Class Honours from Auckland University. Debra’s doctorate examines effective ways to increase girls’ leadership capacity in schools. She began her teaching career as an English teacher and has been a Head of English, Director of Studies, Head of Senior School and Principal of two independent girls’ schools in Australia, one regional and one urban. She has had experience in schools in Vietnam, China and Japan.

Debra is a trained mediator and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has a keen interest in girls’ education, leadership and student voice. She is currently an Associate of the National Excellence in School Leadership Institute (NESLI) facilitating programs in Advanced Women’s Leadership.

David McGrath

David McGrath

David McGrath runs his own independent consultancy business providing advice to government on areas of social policy. He was previously the Director of Mental Health and Drug & Alcohol Programs at NSW Health and held that role for 9 years. With a background in psychology, research, operational management, 15 years clinical experience, and a masters degree in business, he has a mix of skills that are of considerable value to Odyssey House.

David is a technical advisor to the World Health Organisation on Mental Health and Human Rights. He has previously been on the NSW Psychologists Registration Board, the board of the Institute of Psychiatry, and the board of the National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre. Additionally he was previously the Chair of the Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs, and has represented Australia on four occasions at the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs. David joined the Board in 2014.