Our Board

Russel’s current roles include being a presenter on Melbourne’s no.1 rated 3AW radio breakfast program, chair of the Australian Film Television and Radio School and the cofounder of The Grid Melbourne, a festival designed to bring entrepreneurs and innovators together. He has held multiple senior roles across the industry having served as PwC’s first Chief Creative Officer (facilitating PwC’s investment in Thinkerbell), Executive General Manager at Network 10, served as a board director on the ASX-listed Enero and as CEO of one of Australia’s leading agency groups, Y&R Brands where he was also a member of the global management team. Russel has also chaired or sat on the boards of a number of key advertising, film and television industry bodies including being the inaugural Chair of ThinkTV, the Australian Film Institute, the Screen Forever Advisory Board, the ASX listed, Enero and he Chaired the AFA.

Previously John was part of the Board of Director Deloitte and Melbourne Football Club Board 2008 – 2022. Global consultant , focussing on corporate governance, risk management, strategic growth and structures for driving growth. Trotter also played a key role in bringing the ‘Peace Team’ from the Middle East, which participated in the AFL International Cup.

Rachael brings 25 years of banking and finance experience across Australia. 16 years at Executive Levels JBWere, Nab and Bluerock Finance. Expertise includes Investment Banking, Wealth Management, Private Banking, and Finance covering Retail, Manufacturers, Wholesalers, Business Services, Agriculture and Health. Rachael also had involvement in bringing the ‘Peace Team’ from the Middle East, which participated in the AFL International Cup.

Jack Viney joined the Melbourne Football Club in 2012 and has spent the past 11 years leading the football program across various responsibilities, both on and off the field. He most recently took on the role as vice-captain in 2020 and helped lead the team to premiership success in 2021.

With a deep connection to the club, from growing up in the red and blue, to developing into the influential leader he is today, Jack has become an important figure within the broader Demon legacy.

Jack brings a business-mind to the foundation, currently completing a Bachelor of Commerce and using his time away from football to further develop his personal skills.

Kate Hore joined the Melbourne Football Club ahead of the 2018 season, having grown up playing both AFL and Basketball. Kate was celebrated as a natural and authentic leader throughout her early years with the club, formalising these aspects of her role as Vice-Captain in 2022 before she was named Captain for the 2023 season.

Off the field Kate has obtained a double degree in Health Science and Business (Marketing) from Monash University and juggles her football demands with a Marketing and Administration role at the Australian Fitness Academy.

Kate’s love of innovation, connection and leadership have cemented her as an integral club leader, as well as a well-respected figure within the wider sports industry.

Narelle Long is an Anmatyerre and Maranunggu Aboriginal woman born and raised in Darwin, with family ties to the Tiwi Islands, Daly River and Ti Tree communities.

Narelle currently manages the AFL’s National Indigenous Talent Pathway programs and has worked across this space for the last 10 years, creating and establishing opportunitiesfor Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Narelle also spent time at the Port Adelaide Football Club working across their Indigenous programs, which involved travelling to remote communities across the APY Lands, Maralinga Lands and up through the Barkley Region to deliver Indigenous programs in schools.

Beyond her working role Narelle became the first Aboriginal Australian woman to set foot on Antarctica in 2010. Narelle spent two weeks aboard a Russian Ice Breaker with 40 other young leaders from 20 different countries as part of the 2041 Foundation expedition.

Terry Bracks is an experienced Non-Executive Director. She is currently the Founding Chair of Western Chances, the Executive Officer of the Balibo House Trust, Patron of Heide Gallery and Patron of the Williamstown Literary Festival.

Terry has previously been a Board Member of Breast Cancer Network Australia, the National Film and Sound Archive, the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, the Melbourne Theatre Company Foundation, and a Trustee of the Victorian Arts Centre Trust.

Terry worked as a teacher in regional Victoria and for Federal MPs.

She received a Centenary Medal, was inducted onto the Women’s Honour Roll, awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Victoria University and made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2012.

Brian Stynes brings a diverse portfolio of leadership experience across elite sport, enterprise technology, and early childhood education to his role on the Jim Stynes Foundation board.

An All‑Ireland Senior Football Champion with Dublin in 1995, Brian’s dual-code sporting background—spanning Gaelic football and a stint with Melbourne in the AFL—instilled in him the resilience, teamwork, and strategic mindset that underpin his business career.

Since retiring from elite sport, Brian has successfully orchestrated business growth, digital transformation, and high-impact team performance across both multinational and Irish-based firms. A cornerstone of his business journey has been the launching of Wallaby Childcare, one of Melbourne’s most trusted early-childhood providers. In this capacity, Brian has leveraged his commercial acumen to elevate childcare outcomes grounded in community values.

Known for his ability to fuse sporting discipline with business results, Brian also engages in entrepreneurial ventures and advisory roles, particularly at the nexus of sport, technology, and education. He remains committed to mentoring emerging leaders and advocating for initiatives that echo the Foundation’s values of resilience, mental health, and youth empowerment.

Brian’s multifaceted expertise—not only in business leadership and education, but also his deep connection to the legacy of his brother, Jim—marks him as a compelling steward of the Foundation’s mission to inspire young people to believe in themselves and thrive.