Mr Kurt Fearnley AO
Mr Kurt Fearnley AO is an experienced government and non-government director and five-time Australian Paralympian.
He is a current Board Commissioner of the Australian Sports Commission and Board Director of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Organising Committee.
He is a former member of the boards of several organisations including Paralympics Australia, Life Without Barriers, Australian Volunteers International and the Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation.
He was a member of the inaugural NDIS Independent Advisory Council, Vice Chairperson of the International Paralympic Committee Athletes’ Council, carried out a number of roles for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, and was Co-Captain of the Australian Paralympic Team at the Rio 2016 Paralympics.
Mr Fearnley was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the General Division in 2018 for his distinguished service to people with a disability, as a supporter of, and fundraiser for, indigenous athletics and charitable organisations, and as a Paralympic Athlete.
He was the 2019 NSW Australian of the Year and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Griffith University for his contribution to sport and disability advocacy.
He is a high-school teacher, television presenter, podcaster and broadcaster, and former professional wheelchair athlete.
Qualifications: Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Human Movement, Charles Sturt University.
Member: Sustainability Committee and Strategic Direction and Participant Outcomes Committee.
Dr Graeme Innes AM
Dr Graeme Innes AM is a lawyer, author, and company director who was Australia's Disability Discrimination Commissioner for 9 years.
Dr Innes has been a human rights practitioner for more than 30 years and has been responsible for issues relating to disability, race and human rights.
Dr Innes was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his work on the development of the Disability Discrimination Act, was a finalist for Australian of the Year. On the international stage, he was a member of the Australian delegation that participated in negotiating the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.
Dr Innes led the merger of 4 blindness agencies to form Vision Australia and chaired the board of that agency. He is Chancellor of Central Queensland University and a Director of the State Insurance Regulatory Authority, regulating workers’ compensation and motor vehicle accident insurance in NSW. His autobiography ‘Finding A Way’ achieved popular acclaim in 2016.
Chair: Audit and Risk Committee.
Ms Estelle Pearson
Ms Estelle Pearson has extensive experience in the insurance and injury compensation sector having worked as an actuary and consultant in this sector since 1989. She is currently a Director of Finity Consulting Pty Limited, and was previously on the Council of the Actuaries Institute, including a term as President in 2015.
Qualifications: BA (Hons) Mathematics, University of Oxford and FIAA.
Chair: Sustainability Committee.
Ms Leah van Poppel
Ms Leah van Poppel is Chair of the Victorian NDIS Community Advisory and a member of the NDIS Independent Advisory Council (IAC).
A highly-respected leader and disability rights advocate, Ms van Poppel was CEO of Women with Disabilities Victoria from 2018-2021.
In this position, she worked to empower marginalised women in the community through education and mentoring, as well as research, policy advice and government advocacy.
Previously, Ms van Poppel was CEO of Blind Citizens Australia, Manager at Youth Disability Advocacy Service and NDIS Readiness Project Officer at Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO).
Qualifications: Bachelor of Arts, Macquarie University.
Member: Sustainability Committee and Strategic Direction and Participant Outcomes Committee.
Dr. Richard Fejo
Dr. Richard Fejo, better known as Richie, is a Larrakia man of direct male descent, through his father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
Richie has devoted his life to improving education and health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within urban, rural and remote communities.
Richie previously sat on the City of Darwin’s International Relations Committee and has recently become a committee member of the Northern Territory branch of the Australian Institute of company directors.
In 2022, Richie was awarded an honorary doctorate by Flinders University in recognition of his contribution to education and Indigenous health, where he is also the Senior Elder on campus.
In addition to his service to the community, Richie is a talented comedian and singer-songwriter, performing regularly around town, and nurturing the next generation of comics.
Member: Strategic Direction and Participant Outcomes Committee.
Mr Mark Darras
Mr Darras was appointed a Director of the NDIA Board in November 2023. At present, Mark is also Acting Chairman and a Commissioner of the Essential Services Commission of South Australia.
Mark is a former corporate lawyer and adviser (Ashurst Lawyers), and an experienced Company Director, having served as a Director, and in leadership roles on Boards including Australia Post and Australia Post Superannuation, Southern Rural Water Board, John Holland Engineering and John Holland Queensland, and the South Australian Forestry Corporation. Mark was formerly the Chairman of the Commonwealth Government's $7 billion Telecommunications Universal Services Management Agency, and has served as a Member of the Australian Takeovers Panel.
Prior to his appointment to the NDIA, Mark was the Independent Chair of the NSW Government's Advisory Board for Strategic Release. As a lawyer, Mark specialised in corporate advisory, M&A and takeovers, and commenced his working life, working in a trade union as an Industrial Officer.
Mark is from South Australia's Riverland area and was schooled in Renmark.
Qualifications: Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (University of Tasmania), Master of Laws (Australian National University), and Bachelor of Education (University of South Australia).
Member: NDIA Board, and Audit and Risk Committee.
Dr Ian Watt AC
Dr Ian J Watt AC has had a long career as one of Australia’s most distinguished public servants, with nearly 20 years at the highest levels of the public service. His most recent and most senior appointment was as Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and head of the Australian Public Service, a position he held from late 2011 until the end of 2014. Prior to that, he was Secretary of the Departments of Defence; Finance; and Communications, Information Technology, and the Arts between 2001 and 2011. Before that, he was Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Dr Watt is currently Chair of the International Centre for Democratic Partnerships and Chair of the ADC Advisory Council. He is also the former Chair of BAE Systems Australia, former Chair of the Australian Governance and Ethical Index Fund Advisory Board, and former Chair of the Smart Infrastructure Facility at the University of Wollongong. He currently serves on the Boards of the National Disability Insurance Agency, Smartgroup Corporation Ltd and O’Connell Street Associates Pty Ltd. Dr Watt is also a Member of the Melbourne School of Government Advisory Board at the University of Melbourne, a Fellow of ANZSOG and IPAA, and Senior Adviser to Flagstaff Partners.
Dr Watt is a former Director of Citibank Pty Ltd and the Committee for Economic Development of Australia. He recently retired from the Board of the Grattan Institute and as Chair of the Grattan Public Policy Committee after a decade of service.
Dr Watt completed an Independent Review of the Tasmanian State Service in July 2021, the first in several decades. He recently completed reviews of the Western Australian University System, Services Australia and the NDIA’s Procurement Practices and Policies, and the Department of Home Affairs Capability.
Dr Watt was appointed as a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2016. Dr Watt also holds Honorary Doctorates of Letters from the University of Technology Sydney and from the University of Wollongong.
Member: Audit and Risk Committee.
Mr Nigel Ray PSM
Nigel Ray has over 40 years’ experience in public policy and economic analysis. As well as serving as a director of the National Disability Insurance Agency, he is a director of Housing Australia and undertakes advisory work.
After a period at the Office of National Assessments, Nigel joined the Australian Treasury in 1988. Since the mid-1990s, he held several senior executive positions, including Deputy Secretary (Fiscal) from 2008 – 2015 and Deputy Secretary (Macroeconomic) from 2015 – 2018, when he was also Australia’s G20 Finance Deputy and a member of the Australian Statistics Advisory Council. Subsequently, Nigel served as an Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund and on the boards of the World Bank Group, representing Australia and 14 other countries.
He retired from the Australian Public Service in January 2023.
In 2013, Nigel was awarded a Public Service Medal for outstanding public service. He holds Master of Economics and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of Sydney.
Ms Lois Boswell
Lois Boswell is an experienced board director and former public sector chief executive with more than 30 years of leadership in public policy, governance, administration, and organisational reform. She has served as Chief Executive of two South Australian Government entities and held senior executive roles in Cabinet Office, Treasury and Finance, and as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Premier of South Australia. Her career spans major policy portfolios including disability, mental health, social services, planning, environment, education, and consumer affairs.
Lois has led significant reform initiatives, including the establishment of South Australia’s no-fault lifetime care scheme, the state’s transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and the delivery of major strategic planning frameworks. She has also served on boards across the non-government, government, and private sectors, with experience in domestic violence services, financial counselling, higher education, refugee settlement, data governance, and hospitality.
A qualified lawyer, Lois holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Applied Science in Social Ecology, and was inducted into the South Australian Women’s Honour Roll in recognition of her contribution to public policy and community outcomes.
Ms Jane Spring AM BEc (Hons) LLB MPA FAICD FGIA FIPAA
Jane is a chair and non-executive director with leadership and governance experience across government, education, health, and sport sectors. She has over 30 years lived experience of paraplegia following a car accident in 1990.
Jane is Chair of Australia’s Disability Strategy Advisory Council; Chair of Disability Council NSW; Chair of Sydney University Sport & Fitness; and a board member of Venues NSW and Institute of Public Administration NSW.
Jane is a member of Chief Executive Women and of the Minerva Network. Jane is responsible for the Maybanke Fund which is a charity within the Sydney Community Foundation; and a member of the NSW Office of Sport Audit & Risk Committee.
Previous non-executive roles include Royal Rehab, University of Sydney Senate, Western Sydney Local Health District, Paraplegic Benefit Fund, Combat Sports Authority and Wheelchair Sports Australia.
Previous executive roles include Assistant Commissioner NSW Public Service Commission, Deputy CEO of Jobs for NSW and Acting CEO, NSW Institute of Sport.
Jane has degrees in Economics (Honours), Law and a Masters in Public Administration; is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors; Fellow of the Governance Institute; an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration; and an Honorary Fellow of the University of Sydney.