Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors, alongside our College Management Team, incredible teachers, and educational support staff, guide the College with their valuable personal qualities, depth of experience, and knowledge in service to MLC’s vision, mission and values.

 

Lucia Cade, Chair

Lucia is an experienced non-executive director with a professional engineering and commercial background. Her portfolio spans utilities, advanced manufacturing, waste recycling, clean energy research and engineering. Prior to becoming a non-executive director Lucia held operational, executive and advisory roles in infrastructure, utilities and professional services working in global technical services, listed companies, significant government organisations and private enterprise.

Lucia is an Old Collegian, a member of Chief Executive Women, a Fellow of the AICD and Engineers Australia. She and her husband David have 3 children.

Abi Cleland

Abi Cleland has extensive global experience in strategy, M&A, digital and running businesses. This has been gained from senior executive roles at ANZ, Amcor, Incitec Pivot and as Managing Director of 333 Management, after starting her career at BHP working in Australia and Asia.
From 2012 to 2017, Abi set up and ran an advisory and management business, Absolute Partners, focusing on strategy, innovation and building businesses leveraging disruptive change, for large corporates and entrepreneurial businesses.
Over the last 5 years Abi has focused on being a Director for leading ASX companies; Coles, Computershare, Orora and Sydney Airports as well as Chairing a fintech company.

Anna Coniglio

Anna is an experienced technology leader and STEM advocate with a deep understanding of the intersection between innovation and education. Her journey with technology began at MLC, fostering a passion that led to leadership roles at global tech companies including SAP, Amazon, and Google.
Currently, Anna is the Analytics & AI Lead at Google, where she shapes the strategy for AI and analytics offerings within Australia and New Zealand. With her expertise in data and emerging technologies, she advises organisations on digital transformation and the responsible use of AI.
As a strong supporter of STEM initiatives and an Old Collegian of Methodist Ladies' College, she believes in empowering young women through education.  Anna and her partner, Simon, have four children and look forward to their daughter attending MLC in 2026.

Dr Susan Dickinson

Dr Susan Dickinson, PhD (Melb), MEd(EdAdmin), MMus, Cert.Management Excellence (HBS), GradDip Adolescent Health & Welfare (School of Medicine and Dental Sciences, Melb), GradDipTheology (Trinity School of Divinity) AMusA, FACE, MACEA, MAICD, is the immediate former Principal of Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak, and is a truly accomplished woman in her own right. 

Dr Dickinson began her teaching career with the Victorian Department of Education, later transferring to the Catholic and Independent Schools Sector.  In addition to her role as Principal, Dr Dickinson has contributed to an impressive list of groups, Committees, Boards and Director-ships. She has been a Member of the Board of State Executive of AHISA, a Member of various committees of the PAVCSS (Catholic Principal's Association), Chairperson of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV), Deputy President and Director of the Invergowrie Foundation and Chair of the Invergowrie Grants Committee, Director of the Board of Mary Ward International (MWIA) and Chair of Mary Ward International Grants Committee, former Director of Mount St Joseph Girls' School Altona West.

Dr Dickinson worked over 15 years with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) as Chairperson and Chief Examiner for all music studies at VCE level and remains actively interested and involved in curriculum design and development.

She is currently a member of the Education and Strategy Board for MACS, and a Director of Pathways.

Dr Amanda Green

Dr Amanda Green is an accomplished people executive and Board Director with significant expertise in employee experience, culture and transformational change.  She has held a number of senior positions at leading organisations such as Movember, PwC, Richmond Football Club (AFL), Australia Post, National Australia Bank and Telstra. Amanda has leveraged her broad industry experience to contribute to a range of Committees and Boards with a focus in Australian sporting organisations.   Amanda and her husband Marc have one daughter who currently attends MLC.

Gabrielle Lim

Gabrielle is a creative entrepreneur, advisor and experienced non-executive director. Her diverse career across financial services, tourism, not-for-profits and technology is marked by a passion for innovation and human-centred design. She is a champion for education, diversity and inclusion and believes in the importance of creativity in all of our lives.

In addition to her role as an MLC Board Member and Chair of the MLC Foundation, she holds current directorships at ACMI and Puffing Billy Railway.  Gabrielle Lim is a Past President of the MLC Old Collegians’ Club and graduate of the AICD.

Grant McCabe

Grant McCabe is the managing partner for Boston Consulting Group in Australia and New Zealand, and a member of the Asia Pacific leadership team. He previously served as the regional lead for the Operations practice in Asia Pacific. Grant is a core member and client service partner of the Industrial Goods, Operations, and Transformation practices. He specializes in mining, and has significant experience in digital operations, climate transition, strategy, change management, and large scale transformation.

Grant has a strong interest in the ongoing growth and development of sport in Australia, particularly Australian Rules football, and is currently a Director of the Geelong Football Club. 
 
Before joining BCG, Grant worked in the automotive industry with General Motors Holden in Australia.

Carmel Mulhern

Carmel has more than 25 years' experience as a senior executive within the financial services, superannuation, telecommunications, media, technology and manufacturing industries.  Until 2023, Carmel was Group General Counsel and Group Executive Group Governance at the CBA.  Prior to joining the Bank, Carmel held various senior executive positions at Telstra including Group General Counsel and Group Executive Legal & Corporate Affairs where she was responsible to the CEO and Board for Legal, Government Relations, Media, Communications, Regulation, Compliance, Sustainability, Rural & Regional Affairs.  Carmel is now a non-executive director on boards in the areas of medical research and AI and ethics.   Carmel has taught law at Monash University and is the author of 2 legal textbooks. Carmel is a member of Chief Executive Women (CEW) and a graduate of AICD. 

She and her husband Peter have 3 children, including 2 daughters - one current and one former MLC student.

 Julia Shea, Principal 

Julia Shea commenced as MLC’s ninth Principal at the start of 2023.

Julia is a leading advocate for all-girls education; and has extensive experience in education in a single-sex setting, a background in maths and science and a track record of driving educational excellence.

Prior to MLC, Julia was the Principal of St Peter’s Girls’ School, an ELC to Year 12 Anglican School in Adelaide, for nine years. Julia has also worked at two pre-eminent boys’ schools in Sydney – Sydney Grammar School and Newington College.

Julia holds a Master of Educational Administration, a Bachelor of Science and a Diploma of Education. Mathematics is her passion, and she has co-authored a series of HSC Mathematics textbooks for Cambridge University Press.

The Principal is appointed by the Board, is the Chief Executive Officer of the College and is responsible for its management and development.

Layce Vocale

Layce Vocale is a highly motivated professional with over ten years of experience in corporate services, project management, and the construction industry. As an Associate at TSA Management in the Advisory division focusing on Projects, Stakeholder & Communications, Layce has been involved in significant projects such as the Clyde Rail Extension Feasibility Study and the Suburban Rail Loop CRD/BRD. Prior to this role, Layce held positions at PwC Australia and CPB Contractors, gaining valuable experience in capital projects, infrastructure, and urban renewal.

Layce holds a Bachelor's Degree in New Generation Bachelor of Environments (Engineering) from the University of Melbourne and a Graduate Certificate of Communication from Deakin University. Beyond work, Layce is actively engaged in volunteering, mentoring Indigenous youth through Yalari and serving on the National Association of Women in Construction events committee.

Layce is an MLC Alumna and an Alumnae Ambassador for MLC's Indigenous Scholarship program.

Adam Watson

Adam is the Chief Executive Officer of APA Group, one of Australia’s largest energy infrastructure businesses. Adam has also held senior executive roles at Transurban, Melbourne Airport and BlueScope Steel, spanning finance, strategy, corporate development and operations. He has served on several subsidiary and joint venture boards in Australia, the USA and India and was an advisory board member of FM Global, the largest commercial property insurer in the USA.

Adam and his wife Jodie, an MLC alumna, have two children, one of whom currently attends MLC.

MLC Constitution and Stakeholder Members

The following are the elected Stakeholder Members of the College:

Lachlan Bruce (current parent, Consultant)
Angela Dally (current parent, Corporate Lawyer)
John Fergusson (current parent, Executive Director)
Davida Forshaw (Old Collegian, Airline Pilot)
Venita Hudson (Old Collegian, Psychologist)
Ingrid Morgan (Old Collegian, Clinical Psychologist)
John Nicopoulos (current parent, Company Director)
Dr Sally Ng (Specialist Plastic Surgeon)
Alexandra Oakden (Old Collegian)
Janet Young (Old Collegian, Academic and Athlete)