The Board
Equality Australia is governed by a Board of Directors who bring diverse experiences and professional skills to the organisation.
Tom Snow, Board Chair
He/Him
Tom Snow is Chair of Equality Australia, and was a Co-Chair and Founder of the Equality Campaign, which led the successful Yes vote in the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey and saw in the successful legislative change for marriage equality.
Tom is an accidental activist. When his family stood in front of a rainbow coloured Canberra Airport in August 2015, he was thrust into being one of the leaders of the marriage equality campaign.
Fiona McLeay, Deputy Chair
She/Her
Fiona is the Deputy Chair of Equality Australia. She was appointed Victorian Legal Services Commissioner and CEO of the Legal Services Board in September 2017 and commenced her tenure as regulator of the Victorian legal profession in January 2018.
Fiona is the former CEO of the access to justice organisation, Justice Connect, and has previously held the positions of General Counsel at World Vision Australia and Special Counsel at Clayton Utz. Fiona has a BA (Hons) from the University of Melbourne majoring in psychology with honours in criminology, an LLB from the University of NSW and an LLM in public and international law from the University of Melbourne. She also has an LLM in public service law from the New York University Law School and has attended both the Harvard and Stanford Business Schools.
Fiona is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is Board member of The Intrepid Foundation. She was appointed Director and Board Chair of Health Justice Australia in 2016 but stepped down to focus on Equality Australia while remaining on the board. She was the inaugural Deputy Chair of the Australian Non-for-Profit and Charities Commission for five years and was on the board of the Human Rights Law Centre from 2010 to 2017.
Ryan Phillips, Director
He/Him
Ryan Phillips is a Deputy Secretary at the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety, currently responsible for the Corrections & Justice Services function.
Ryan Phillips is a Deputy Secretary at the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety, currently responsible for the Corrections & Justice Services function.
Prior to joining the Department in 2017, he was employed in a range of senior executive positions in the Victorian public service including as Executive Director, Social Policy, and General Counsel at the Department of Premier and Cabinet. Ryan has held a diverse range of policy, social justice and legal roles across the government, community and private sectors in Melbourne, Broome and Sydney.
Ryan is a proud trans man from Western Australia, and lives in Melbourne on the lands of the Wurundjeri People.
Hayley Conway, Director
She/Her
Hayley Conway is a campaigns and communications professional with over 15 years of experience with LGBTQI organisations in Australia and overseas.
Hayley currently works for a global humanitarian and development agency where she leads the public affairs team responsible for media, advocacy, and government relations. She has particular experience in research driven and audience centered communications, that change minds and drive social change.
Mark Coulter, Director
He/Him
Mark Coulter is the co-founder and CEO of online furniture retailer, Temple & Webster, Australia's largest online retailer for the home. He champions diversity and inclusion in the workplace and is a proud gay business leader. Mark lives with his husband in Sydney. Mark holds a B.Sc., (Hons) and a Dip Psych.
Melissa Tandy GAICD, Director
She/Her
Managing Director of Strategic Shift Consulting Melissa Tandy is a strategist with a reputation for solving business critical problems in Diversity and Inclusion, Risk Management and Cultural Change.
Specialising in creating bespoke strategies, multi-year implementation plans and facilitated workshops, Melissa is known for her collaborative approach and her passion for empowering people she works with to be their best. Her energy and curiosity in others helps organisations, Boards, Leaders and teams to expand their own thoughts and explore different avenues.
She is involved in educating and influencing workplaces, and this included Marriage Equality in Australia and she has been extensively involved in Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. A proud LGBTIQ+ ally, Melissa is often sought for her guidance on diversity and inclusion in the workplace and communities. She has been awarded and recognised for her work in this area.
Melissa is a speaker and MC and is also a Director of Equality Australia, Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of Equality Australia, and Strategic Advisor for Pride In Diversity Executive Advisory Forum. She is a Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and has an MBA and BA.
Leonard Vary, Director
He/Him
Leonard is CEO of The Myer Foundation and Sidney Myer Fund. He was closely involved with the Australian Marriage Equality campaign and, together with his husband, is a foundational donor for the Victorian Pride Centre.
Leonard is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a member of the advisory board of Kin Group, a former board member of Creative Partnerships Australia, Malthouse Theatre and of Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership, a past Chair of the Centre for Contemporary Photography, and a past Vice President of the Melbourne International Arts Festival.
Prior to his appointment to The Myer Foundation and Sidney Myer Fund, Leonard was an Executive Director of the Fox Private Group and the General Counsel, President Human Resources and a Director of the Linfox Group. Earlier in his career, Leonard was in private practice at Clayton Utz, a leading Australian law firm. He holds a Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Law from the University of Melbourne and a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia.
Adrian Kennedy, Company Secretary
He/Him
Adrian is a commercial lawyer with over 17 years’ experience in private practice, regulatory and in-house environments. He has particular experience in US Class Actions, and regulatory investigations in Australia. Adrian currently specialises in managing regulatory risk in the financial services sector by identifying product failure from data.
Having assisted in the campaign for Marriage Equality, Adrian took advantage of the new law to marry his long term partner-in-crime in December 2018. Together they’re foster carers to two wonderful girls.
