Governance

Our Purpose

We exist to create communities where respect, dignity, hope and opportunity are nurtured.

Our Values

Beginning as a ministry of Hawthorn West Baptist Church, Servants is sustained by the inspiration of Jesus Christ to care for the less fortunate in the community and to work towards a more just and compassionate society.

Our core values are:

Relationship: We invest wholeheartedly in people, value their stories and work to create genuine, sustainable communities.

Dignity: We honour every person by respecting their privacy, desires, independence, rights, religion, physical and mental needs.

Opportunity: In our commitment to provide safe, caring homes we look for opportunities where residents can grow emotionally, relationally, spiritually and personally.

Our Board

Donald Speagle

Chair

With a background in commercial law, Donald has worked for 15 years across senior positions within the Victorian Public Service and universities involving strategic policy and risk.

Dirk Janssen

Dirk currently holds the position of Chief Financial Officer of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy P/L (Australia) and is a Director of several SGRE entities with 35+ years of business experience, locally and overseas.

Jessica Bui

Jessica has over 12 years of experience in fundraising for Not for Profits, working across multiple areas of fundraising, including both being on the front-lines and managing the back-end operations and processes. In more recent years she has transitioned into leadership within the church context.

Stephen Baxter

A member of the founding committee in 1986, Stephen has 35 years’ experience in executive leadership and board positions across media, NFP organisations, churches and para church entities.

Michael Heaton KC

Michael has been a QC since 1999 with extensive legal experience in building and construction, commercial and corporate law.

Teresa Molella

Teresa specialises in management and strategic roles, including 11 years in Strategic Planning with the Department of Housing. She is also an active Rotarian involved in numerous charities, including board memberships.

James Gaynor

With over 10 years experience in product engineering, product management and sales roles, James has held the position of board Secretary since 2014.

Property Advisory Panel

Ted Baillieu AO

Premier of Victoria and Minister for the Arts from 2010-2013, the Hon Ted Baillieu is adjunct professor at Swinburne University School of Design, and Melbourne University’s Honorary Enterprise Professor associated with the Faculty of Architecture, building and planning.

Susannah Bourke

Susannah is a Director, Investor Solutions at Morrison & Co and is responsible for all investor engagement across Australia and NZ. She holds 15+ yrs property and funds management experience (including ISPT Pty Ltd in Melbourne and Hermes Funds Management in London).

Ian Pratt

Ian is CEO of Southaven Group, a family-owned integrated property group with a wealth of experience across governance and risk management, innovation, and financial integrity.

Anthony Prowse

Director of Prowse Quantity Surveyors, Anthony is a quantity surveyor with significant experience across commercial developments and social housing.

Seamus van der Westhuizen

State Manager Victoria with Hammond Care, Seamus holds vast experience across large scale property development with companies including Westfield, Gandel Retail, and Colonial First State.

Colin Carter

Colin is a founding member of The Boston Consulting Group in Australia, and former President of the Geelong Football Club. A non-executive director with Lendlease, Colin holds significant governance expertise and has recently been appointed member of Westpac’s independent advisory panel.

Jessica Chamberlain

A Director with Chamberlain Property, Jessica brings a wealth of experience across property, marketing and communications.

Annual Reports

Servants’ most recent annual report (2022/23) can be viewed here.

Past annual reports: