RAND Australia Advisory Board

Recent work includes leading an implementation taskforce for the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. He is also a non-executive board member of Australian Volunteers International and had recent ASX board experience with Australia’s then biggest listed cyber security company, Tesserent. In 2026, he was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his significant service to Australia's national security, and to public administration.

He worked in government for 32 years, most recently as Deputy Secretary at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) responsible for International Security, Humanitarian, Consular, Middle East and Africa, and Legal. Before that he was Commonwealth Counter-Terrorism Coordinator responsible for coordinating Australia’s Counter-Terrorism arrangements for the Prime Minister and working in close partnership with Commonwealth and State and Territory agencies. He was Chair of the Australia-New Zealand Counter Terrorism Committee.

Prior to that he was Deputy Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. This followed several years as Deputy Secretary in the Attorney-General’s Department responsible for National Security, Criminal Justice and Emergency Management, and as Chief Operating Officer. He was a Commonwealth government representative at the Australia-New Zealand Emergency Management Committee. He was also previously First Assistant Secretary Homeland and Border Security in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Before this, he spent 19 years at DFAT with overseas postings to Taipei, Beijing and Jakarta.

Mr Sheehan is a graduate of Monash University. He majored in Mandarin and English Literature. He is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

His 40-year military career included a wide range of roles including command at sea, command of the Navy as the Chief of Navy and then four years as the second in command of the Australian Defence Force as the Vice Chief of the Defence Force. He was involved in leading significant organisational and cultural reform initiatives during this time.

After retiring from the military, he headed up the Indigenous Affairs Group in the Prime Minister’s Department before becoming the inaugural Chief Executive of the National Indigenous Australians Agency where he led the Federal Government’s approach to Indigenous policy, including through the first 18 months of the COVID pandemic. He subsequently became the Secretary of the Department of Social Services and was responsible for Australia’s social security system, disability policy, including reform of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, operation of the National Redress Scheme and a range of social policy issues relating to Women’s safety and family and community issues. He retired from full time work in December 2024.

Mr Griggs holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland, a Master of Business Administration from the Australian National University, and a Master of Science degree from the National Defense University in Washington D.C.

As Ambassador to the European Union, NATO, Belgium, and Luxembourg until early 2025, a former deputy head of Mission in Washington, and previously Permanent Representative and Ambassador for Disarmament at the United Nations in Geneva, Ms Millar brings extensive expertise in international security, foreign policy, trade policy advocacy, humanitarian issues and multilateral negotiations.

She currently provides advisory services in foreign and security policy, including as a Distinguished Advisor at the National Security College of the Australian National University. Drawing on her extensive track record in advancing Australia’s interests internationally, she is currently focused on links between the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic, building resilience, forging issues-based coalitions across regional and political divides, and enhancing collaboration with strategic partners like the United States, Japan and Europe.

Ms Millar’s prior roles in Australia include Deputy Secretary for National Security and International Policy at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (2019-2021). She concurrently served as Australia’s inaugural Quad Sherpa. Previously, Ms Millar led the taskforce for Australia’s successful campaign for election to the UN Security Council in 2012 and headed DFAT’s International Security, and International Organisations and Legal Divisions. She worked closely with Indonesia and other regional countries as the Ambassador for People Smuggling Issues.

Ms Millar was educated at the University of Cambridge and holds an MA/BA (Hons) degree in history. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a strong supporter of women in leadership.

Ms Hunter is Chair Commissioner of the Australian Government’s Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission and has been Director-General of multiple state government departments. She was the first female Director-General of the Queensland Department of the Premier and Cabinet, serving from 2021 until her retirement from public service in 2023.

As Queensland’s former Under Treasurer during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms Hunter was instrumental in shaping and delivering the government’s economic response and recovery plans. She also led the Department of Justice and Attorney-General; the (then) Department of Education, Training and the Arts; and the former Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning. She has also served as Queensland’s Public Service Commissioner.

Ms Hunter served as the Deputy Chancellor of Griffith University from 2015-2021. She is also a highly experienced board chair. She has chaired the Board of Jobs Queensland, providing industry and evidence-based advice on skills needs and workforce planning. She has also served as the Chair of Children’s Health Queensland Hospital, the Health Services Board, and the Board of Legal Aid Queensland.

In 2025, Ms Hunter was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the General Division for distinguished service to public administration, to tertiary education governance, and to the community of Queensland. In 2020, Ms Hunter was awarded a Public Service Medal for outstanding public service.

A public health physician by training, he has worked in research, health systems development, post-graduate teaching and as a health service executive. Professor Kelly has worked in four Australian state/territories as well as Malawi, Indonesia, Timor Leste and the UK.

Professor Kelly holds a medical degree and postgraduate qualifications in tropical medicine and anaesthetics. His doctorate from the University of Sydney was a clinical epidemiological study of the interaction between HIV and tuberculosis in Africa. He has been awarded honorary fellowships from the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and was the 2024 recipient of the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards Gold Medal.

Professor Kelly has over 35 years of research experience and has published over 120 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. He has supervised or mentored many trainees and post-graduate students and delivered lectures, workshops, seminars and conference talks nationally and internationally.

Professor Kelly is a widely recognised, strategic leader in population health. He is an experienced and effective communicator of complex ideas to widely diverse audiences. He is a proven collaborator through active listening, empathy for diverse opinions and an ability to find consensus whilst always maintaining an eye on long-term goals. He has a wide and diverse professional network in Australia and internationally.

Mr Gillis was previously the Deputy Secretary of the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group at the Department of Defence, and the Vice President and Managing Director of Boeing Defence Australia.

He was also the founding Vice President Military for the Austal group. He has more than 30 years of senior-level program management experience and extensive industry experience in maritime programs. Kim has also led major defence acquisition programs and managed major maritime capability, construction and delivery.

Mr Gillis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration with a major in legal studies from the University of Canberra.

He is a qualified Master Project Director (AIPM), a Member of the Order of Australia (Public Administration and Defence projects, 2020) and a Fellow of the International Centre for Complex Project Management.

She advises Boards and executive teams on high-profile incidents, governance reviews and resilience, bringing deep operational, legal and regulatory expertise.

Before joining Ashurst, Ms Falk was Chief Executive Officer of the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre for more than six years, where she led cross-sector collaboration and the Independent Review of the Australian Government’s response to two major cyber incidents. Her work contributed to significant reforms, including Australia’s new Cyber Security Act and updates to the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act.

Previously, she spent over a decade as an in-house legal and cyber adviser at a major telecommunications company. A recognised thought leader, Ms Falk co-authored the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ Governing Through a Cyber Crisis and both editions of the Cyber Governance Principles, and serves as a Distinguished Advisor at the ANU National Security College and on the RAND Australia Advisory Board.