Meet Our Board
Ally Mercer – Chairperson
Ally lives in Springfield, North East Tasmania, having moved to Tasmania from Canberra in 2004. Ally has primarily worked for the public sector throughout Australia. The majority of her 35 years of work has been with the Commonwealth Government in the Defence Forces, Australian Federal Police and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Ally was also the Sustainable Development Manager at Dorset Council and the CEO of Dorset Economic Development Group. She was also responsible for the management of three Censuses in Northern Tasmania, specifically in the areas of Cultural and Linguistically diverse communities, homeless strategies and hospitals.
Her career has been in senior management roles in media, statistics, economics, strategic, financial, governance and sustainable and community development. Through these roles, she has gained extensive experience in consulting and has been involved in numerous Federal and State committees.
After retirement in 2016, Ally has devoted her time to volunteering with many organisations in Tasmania and is currently on the Tasmanian Health Service Advisory Council, State Advanced Care Directive Committee, Health Consumer Network, National Health Standards Committee and TAZREACH Committee. She was Deputy Chair of the Launceston Benevolent Society and the current Treasurer of the Mechanics Hall in Scottsdale. She is a literacy Libraries Tasmania tutor as well as a Tasmanian Volunteer Ambulance Officer. Ally’s interest in mental health stemmed from many years in the Defence Force and Police Force and living in rural communities. During the past 30 years, Ally has developed an appreciation of the intricacies of mental health in the community and feels passionate about being part of changing the societal philosophy around mental health and its impacts.
Ben Hardaker – Deputy Chairperson
Ben brings to the Board extensive expertise in supply chain management and business transformation. With broad national and international experience across manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, and public utilities, backed by a Bachelor of Business from the University of Tasmania, he is excited about the opportunity to use his skills to contribute to the achievement of Richmond Fellowship Tasmania’s and Richmond Futures’ mission.
Ben is passionate about improving the quality of life for those affected directly and indirectly by mental health issues in Tasmania.
Paul Liggins – Treasurer
Paul Liggins is a former partner with Deloitte Access Economics in Hobart.
Paul graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Tasmania before moving to Melbourne and working in a variety of roles with the Victorian government and in the private sector. He has a range of public policy experience across the Infrastructure, Energy, Tourism, and Health sectors.
Paul returned to Hobart in 2018 and joined the Board in 2019 where he is part of the Finance and Risk Management Committee. Paul is also the Finance Director for Orienteering Australia. He lives in Kettering.
Andy Stuart
Andy lives in Cradle Mountain, Tasmania, having lived and worked throughout various states and territories in the country. Andy Stuart is the General Manager of the Cradle Mountain Wilderness Village with a team of 40 staff and accommodating up to 140 guests within individual Chalets throughout the property.
Andy has considerable governance and business management experience in high-growth technology companies, hospitality, and consumer marketing. His skill set in designing, implementing, and planning strategies to achieve exponential growth and take-up in a new market with “first to the market” solutions utilised throughout Australia and overseas is core to his work focus.
Andy can be classed as an entrepreneur with innovative ideas that identify the need for the creation of audacious business solutions to fill voids. Throughout his career he has held additional senior management roles in strategic planning, governance, economics, and not-for-profit organisations, and has been actively involved in the sporting community, working with Cycling Australia World Championships in Melbourne 2012, Netball Australia at the World Cup in Sydney 2015 and at the Commonwealth Games in Queensland in 2018.
Andy has a Bachelor of Business, Accounting and Marketing, UTAS, a Bachelor of Information Technology, UTAS and a Graduate Certificate in Business, UTAS. He is a member of the Institute of Company Directors; Institute of Community Directors and he sits on numerous Not-for-Profit Boards throughout Tasmania’s various arenas.
Andy is married to Sally and has two children Zac (Engineer in Launceston) and Sarah (Primary Teach in Geelong) along with their two aged golden retrievers Charlie and Cairo. Strong family values, community well-being and mental health are areas Andy actively champions.
David Glasson
David is currently the Strategy & Business Development Manager at Tas Gas in Launceston. Before moving to Tasmania and joining the energy industry, he spent 15+ years working in Financial Services both in Melbourne and overseas. David brings to the Board expertise in Finance, Strategy and Project Delivery. David is currently the Company Secretary and a member of the Governance Committee.
He has a Bachelor of Business Studies majoring in Finance from Massey University (NZ), is CPA Qualified and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
David currently lives in sunny Bridport with his wife and three children.
Peter Mulholland
Peter resides in Launceston, Tasmania, having spent his childhood years in Tasmania, then living for 20 years in Victoria, and moving back to Tasmania in the ’90s. Peter retired as an intensive care paramedic in late 2022 after having worked for over 30 years within the ambulance profession in both metropolitan and rural areas of Victoria and Tasmania.
Before his ambulance career, Peter was a Registered Nurse working at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and the Royal District Nursing Service. Whilst working in the ambulance profession, Peter obtained a Psychology Degree and both a Master of and PhD in Medical Science (Rural Health). During his ambulance career, Peter had previously been involved as a member of the Critical Incident Stress Management team for several years. Peter also worked on the Aeromedical section of Ambulance Tasmania with the Royal Flying Doctor Service as both intensive care and extended care paramedic.
Peter has been a member of the Ambulance Tasmania Research Committee and a Mentor with the Australasian College of Paramedicine’s Research Mentoring Program.
In his spare time, Peter is involved in the sport of archery and has had success in both national and international competitions.
Lincoln Westerdiep
Since 2016, Lincoln has been a member of the Richmond Group Board. With over eighteen years of experience in the property valuation field, he brings a wealth of expertise to the table. Lincoln is also a member of the Australian Property Institute and a graduate of the University of South Australia, where he obtained a Bachelor of Business (Property). Additionally, he is on the Richmond Group Governance subcommittee.
Lincoln’s interest in property and governance, combined with his extensive knowledge in the property valuation field, makes him a valuable person in locating suitable properties for Richmond Group participants. He has a keen interest in mental health and recognises the positive impact that stable accommodation linked with support services can have on achieving better mental health outcomes.
Kelly Ford
Kelly currently manages Disability Policy and Programs with the Tasmanian Government in Hobart and has worked in the disability sector for over 15 years.
After graduating from the University of Tasmanian in 1990, Kelly started her career in adult and basic education as a literacy tutor and moved into the employment and training sector where she worked for 15 years in the North West of Tasmania.
Always keen to diversify her knowledge and skills, Kelly has taken opportunities to work in a Ministerial Adviser role and in the National Disability Insurance Agency at the commencement of the Scheme in Tasmania. Kelly also spent two years in the Operations Manager role with Richmond Futures.
Kelly is a passionate advocate for the inclusion of people with psychosocial disability in all aspects of community life and the delivery of high-quality support services.
Kate Luckman
Kate works as a HR/Workplace Relations Manager at TasPorts, specialising in employment and industrial relations issues. Kate has a legal background and has worked in private practice and as an in-house lawyer in Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart. Kate is currently undertaking her Master of Business Administration with the University of Tasmania.
Kate is passionate about working to raise awareness of mental health issues in the Tasmanian community and looks forward to using her legal, HR and business skills to help Richmond Group achieve its goals.