Western Australian Advisory Board
The National Heart Foundation of Australia values the commitment of the Western Australian Advisory Board, which forms an essential component of our national arrangements, allowing the Heart foundation to connect strategy, local community engagement and external stakeholder expertise.
Mike McKenna (Chair)
Mike joined VenuesLive, a national venue management and catering business, in 2017 as CEO WA, to open and operate Optus Stadium on behalf of the WA Government. Since then, he has led a team of 110 permanent and 3,500 casual staff who are responsible for securing content, selling tickets, providing food and beverage options and safely delivering a wide range of sporting, entertainment, business and community events at Perth’s premier entertainment destination.
Mike has a commercial and marketing background in consumer product, professional services and sporting organisations. In his previous role at Cricket Australia he was responsible for designing and delivering the mens and womens Big Bash Leagues.
He also serves on the board of the Tourism Council of WA.
Dr Matthew Best MB BS (UWA) FRACP
Dr Matthew Best has been a consultant since 2005. He is an expert in general cardiology, heart failure/cardiomyopathy, advanced heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. His field of expertise is heart failure and the management of patients with advanced heart failure – including those needing cardiac transplantation.
Matthew graduated medicine from the University of Western Australia. He completed physician and general cardiology training at Royal Perth Hospital and Hollywood Private Hospital. He was the first cardiologist in Western Australia to return after completing a dedicated international Clinical Fellowship in Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation from Papworth Hospital in England, and has worked in a number of international cardiac transplant units.
Dr Best is a Consultant Cardiologist at Royal Perth Hospital, The Mount Hospital and Hollywood Hospital. He is a member of the WA Advisory Board for the Heart Foundation, the RACP Advanced Training Committee in Cardiology and the Medical Advisory Committee at The Mount Hospital.
His approach to patient care is one of up-to-date best practice care, educating and empowering patients to participate in their health care in order to achieve optimal outcomes. He currently consults from our Nedlands, St James and Perth (Mount Medical Centre) rooms.
Fabian Ross
Fabian Ross has over 20 years’ experience within the Financial Services sector, holding high profile Executive positions, including Chief Executive Officer at WA Super along with numerous other senior positions across BT Financial Group, HBOS Australia, GESB and the Commonwealth Bank. More recently, he was appointed CEO at Hockey WA and has been able to combine his passion for the sport, along with his extensive business acumen, to drive the strategic direction of hockey in WA.
On a personal level, Mr Ross has held numerous positions including WA Ambassador of Future 2 Foundation, Board member of Leeuwin Ocean Adventures, executive roles for the Whitford Hockey Club and is a member of the Hockey WA Foundation.
Having experienced a heart attack in 2016 himself, Fabian knows firsthand the importance of the work that the Heart Foundation of WA do and the much-needed funds for research they require.
Ben Harvey
Ben Harvey has worked as a journalist since 1999. He worked in London for national titles before returning to WA in 2006. Since then he has held the positions of The West Australian's Chief of Staff, State Political Editor and Business Editor. His current role as Chief Reporter sees him write across a range of issues and his nightly online news bulletin Up Late With Ben Harvey takes a tongue-in-cheek look at current events.
Katie Stewart
Katie Stewart (BHMS ESSAM AEP) is on a mission to help people reclaim their lives through exercise. Her globally-awarded exercise medicine programs combine decades of clinically proven research and client-centred care to create positive outcomes for people who are living with chronic health conditions. Katie’s passion for whole-person healthcare is inspiring a dynamic, values-based community to change their lifestyles for the better.
Tracey Brand
Tracey Brand is an Eastern Arrernte woman born and raised on Mparntwe country in Central Australia. Tracey is the Chief Executive Officer of the Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service on Noongar Boodjar country in Metropolitan Perth. The Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service is the largest Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service in the State and one of the largest in the country. Prior to joining Derbarl, Tracey was the General Manager of Health Services with the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress. She has over 30 years’ leadership experience predominantly working for her community in Aboriginal community Controlled services.
Tracey is an Independent Director on the Indigenous Allied Health Australia Board of Governance and continues to serve on community boards in her hometown. She also chairs the Aboriginal Health Council West Australia CEO Council and the Perth Metro Aboriginal Health Planning forum.
Tracey is currently completing the WA Health Aboriginal leadership program and holds a Master of Business Leadership, Master of Business Administration, Masters of Arts in Aboriginal Administration, a Bachelor of Business and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Marie-Anne Keeffe
Marie-Anne Keeffe (MAK) is an influential executive in Western Australia’s media industry, having worked for 25 years at Channel 7 Perth. A professional storyteller and manager, she has been at the helm of the best organisations and programs in the country, gaining extensive and intimate knowledge across TV, radio, print and company directorship. MAK is passionate about inspiring people to perform at their best, and motivating teams to achieve exceptional outcomes. Driven by a heart of service, she creates clever communications that make a difference.
A passionate charity worker with significant not-for-profit experience, Marie-Anne was able to combine her love of television, philanthropy and children when appointed the General Manager of Channel Seven Perth’s Telethon – the highest TV fundraiser in the world. Overseeing raising more than $80m for the sick children of Western Australia and engaging in partnerships with global giants like Manchester United has given her extraordinary insights and understanding of how corporates and charities can unite to transform people’s lives. A community change agent, Marie-Anne believes her purpose is to use her voice to help organisations make positive, long-lasting social impacts.
Before Telethon, Marie-Anne spent more than two decades with Channel 7’s long standing current affairs program Today Tonight, where she rose to executive producer. A graduate of the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts, her first job was producing shock jock Howard Sattler’s top rating morning program on Radio 6PR.
Marie-Anne returned to study whilst working for Channel 7 in order to strengthen her executive skills and opportunities. Holding an honours law degree from Murdoch University and specialising in risk, crisis management and reputation, Marie-Anne was also a director of boutique consultancy Gobsmaked Media, providing media training and strategic communications advice to government, private and not-for-profits.
When the pandemic hit, Marie-Anne was seconded to Consumer Protection WA’s COVID-19 taskforce as a campaign manager, to inform the community on new COVID laws. A founding board director of Breast Cancer Care WA, she was also invited to join the board of The State Library of WA, where she served WA’s greatest literacy asset for six years. MAK continues her commitment to changing the lives of children in her latest role as Director of Communications for the Department of Education, where she heads up the biggest comms team in State Government.
A compelling and captivating speaker, Marie-Anne is not only experienced behind the camera, but her own life story has been featured in the SBS series ‘Every Family has a Secret’. Left in an orphanage and adopted as an infant, she went in search of her biological father after a terrible tragedy prevented her meeting her mother. With a DNA test turning her world upside down, she set out to find the truth about her mother’s secret affair. Her emotional, roller-coaster journey to discover her identity has a bombshell ending that leaves audiences in disbelief and proves that truth really is stranger than fiction.
Last updated20 February 2024