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our board

Samantha Thomas

Chair

Samantha is a passionate advocate for youth mental health. She is dedicated to using her strategic legal guidance and corporate governance skills to make a positive impact in this critical area.

Samantha currently serves as General Counsel and Company Secretary for Fleetwood, an ASX-listed modular construction company. With over 20 years of experience in the legal profession, she brings a wealth of expertise in governance and general legal advice to the Board.

Outside of her professional life, Samantha enjoys spending time with her husband, Jason, and their two children, Hayden and Maddison, who are growing up quickly and constantly inspire and motivate her.

Samantha understands the importance of mental well-being and is dedicated to actively supporting initiatives aimed at improving youth mental health. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Science from Macquarie University.

Robert Collie

Director

Rob has 40 years' experience as a Chartered Accountant having provided Audit Services to a broad range of clients. Since his retirement as a partner in 2025, Rob is focusing on Board roles in the not for profit and for purpose sectors. Rob is proud to Chair the Deloitte Foundation and lead the Responsible Business team.

‍Rachel Quigley

Director

Rachel brings over 20 years of experience driving growth and transformation across corporate, government, and for-purpose sectors in Australia and internationally. With a background in infrastructure and finance law, her career spans strategy, innovation, and commercial leadership—from launching media brands in emerging markets to growing businesses in professional services, sustainability, hospitality, and tourism.

Her connection with Andy and the team began at the National Leadership Forum in Canberra, where she was immersed in R&D for an innovation program supporting political engagement and empowering young Australians. She has remained close to the Foundation ever since, with a particular focus on its go-to-market strategies and bringing a strategic lens to operations.

Rachel holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne, alongside postgraduate qualifications in digital transformation and leadership—as well as a culinary diploma from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

She believes progress is a collective responsibility and that intergenerational advancement starts with each of us. She brings curiosity, energy, and a diverse toolkit of expertise to the Board.

Andrew Lawrence

Director

He holds a BE and BSc from Sydney Uni and a MComm from UNSW. He has led or been on leadership teams and boards in his key roles for over 20 years and brings a wealth of real world experience to The Youth Impact Foundation team.

Beyond this business career he had been a life mentor to many over the past 15 years and has a passion for young people to be transformed into the leaders of the future in whatever they do.

In recent years he has completed coaching certifications and a range of other courses in the personal transformation space and has founded a number of businesses in mentoring, presentation, gym and consumer goods space.
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He lives in Newport and is married to the beautiful Jess. He has 3 late 20’s children who are awesome and are exploring their passions in this world with amazing success.
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Andrew brings broad business experience to The Youth Impact Foundation Board! Through a 30+ year career he has driven growth and profitability in many senior executive roles at Visy Industries, Dairy Farmers, Mars, Colgate and Nestle after commencing as a Graduate Trainee at Unilever.

Michael Forde

Director

Michael brings over 30 years of experience in finance, treasury management, capital markets, and risk to the TYIF Board. He currently serves as Group Treasurer at APA Group, one of Australia's leading energy infrastructure companies, where he oversees one of Australia's largest corporate debt and derivatives portfolios.

Throughout his career, Michael has held senior roles across corporate treasury and investment banking in Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand — including Group Treasurer at AMP, Executive Director at ABN AMRO, Head Managing Director at RBS International, and Corporate Finance Advisor at Aquasia. He also served as a Non-Executive Director at Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand for six years.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Canterbury, a Diploma in Accounting & Finance from Victoria University of Wellington, and is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA).

His passion for the Foundation stems from a deep belief that investing in the mental health and wellbeing of young people is one of the most important things we can do — and that the Foundation's model offers a genuinely effective way to make that happen.

Cath Healy

Director

Since 2015 Cath has been a huge supporter of the work Andy and his team have been doing across Australia and New Zealand and she has seen first-hand, the positive impact that The Youth Impact Foundation programs and camps have had in the lives of young people.

With a double degree in Social Work and Arts majoring in Psychology & Sociology and a Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Science, Cath has been working with children, young people and their families in Australia and the UK for 20 years. She has extensive experience working within education, child protection and early intervention settings in rural and regional NSW and Victoria and currently runs her own private practice, Capable Minds. Cath has a particular interest in the mental health and wellbeing of young people living rurally and regionally and is passionate about how we support and build the mental health and wellbeing of all young people in Australia.

Cath lives in rural NSW with her husband Simon and two sons Joe and Jack who keep her on her toes and keep her entertained on the sidelines of cricket, soccer and footy all year round! Cath enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing music, and experiencing live performances. She is passionate about community and wears many volunteer hats as well as serves as a local government councillor, working to create positive change in her local area.

Julie Gillick OAM

Director

Board Member from 2021, Julie has broad skills in governance, and special interest in strategy in relation to research and professional growth. An experienced Director on NFP Boards including the Association of Independent Schools (AISNSW), the Thyne Reid Foundation and Ngununggula Regional Gallery (as founding Chair), Julie’s post-graduate qualifications include M Ed Admin (Deakin) and leadership studies at Harvard and London Business Schools, and she is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Julie grew up in Bendigo, Victoria and worked in the public education sector before moving to Sydney and joining Redlands. She was Deputy Head of Queenwood before her appointment as Head of Frensham and CEO of Frensham Schools in 2000, till her retirement in 2020. Her leadership mindset is characterised by aspirational levels of the core values of service, integrity, and servant leadership, to inspire young people to find the courage to strive with and on behalf of others. A passionate Masters netballer, she and her husband Guy live in the beautiful Southern Highlands with their twin Burmese cats, Louis and Charles.

Ed Swayne

Director

Ed is a director of the Youth Impact Foundation and has been involved in the Foundation, and predecessor organisations, since 2014.

He joined the Board convinced of the need for effective and sustainable programs to promote youth mental health in Australia and New Zealand.

Having worked with Andy Skidmore and his team for over 10 years, he is convinced that the Foundation has an effective operating model and the right leadership to make a significant difference in the lives of youth.

Ed has had senior roles in real estate and investment banking for over 25 years. He is currently the Head of Mergers and Acquisitions at Stockland, a leading Australian diversified property group and is a founder and director of Deformanet Pty Ltd, an innovative technology company commercialising AI Vision software in the real asset space. He has qualifications in finance and actuarial studies from Macquarie University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries.

Ed is married to Eva and has 2 children, Ethan and Anna, who keep him grounded while showcasing youthful light and life. Away from work, Ed enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling, reading, swimming and bushwalking.

our Leadership Team

Andy

Chief Executive Officer

Andy is the CEO of The Youth Impact Foundation. When Andy was 21, he founded the Not-for-Profit organisation Burn Bright, a social enterprise with the mission of increasing the wellbeing of young people through leadership and character-building programmes and national camps based on an evidence-based theory of change centred on wellbeing science and positive psychology. Andy also serves as The Managing Director of the National Leadership Forum, an annual leadership event for Young people aged 18-26 in Parliament House in Canberra. As a result of these ventures, Andy has impacted over 100,000 young people In Australia and Internationally.

While completing his Master of Science in Coaching Psychology at the University of Sydney, Andy was part of a working group of 10 youth mental health-focused charities. They were tasked with discussing ‘how might they collaborate better together’, leading to him founding The Youth Impact Foundation.

Andy believes in a community and people-first approach to living out his vision for the not-for-profit sector is to see more reliance, cooperation and resource sharing to ensure not-for-profits are more sustainable in making a difference in the lives of all Australians, which compliments his ambition to help others build relationships and community so young people are known, loved and can see their value and influence on the world around them. Andy firmly believes leadership is accessible to everyone - not just those with a badge or appointed in leadership roles.

Layton

Chief of Staff

Layton Fraser is the Chief Of Staff of The Youth Impact Foundation. Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Layton moved to New Zealand when he was young and eventually moved to Australia to co-found Burn Bright with Andy Skidmore. After eight years of Burn Bright, The Youth Impact Foundation was founded to create and sustain an even greater impact. Layton has a background in the sporting industry and sports coaching, having previously studied for a sports degree and working for both New Zealand Cricket and the BLACKCAPS for over six years, including during the 2015 Cricket World Cup, which serves as a highlight.

Layton also developed a keen interest in leadership and the opportunities that came with it. This started with Layton being one of the founding members of the Hauraki District Youth Council and flowed on to him attending many leadership forums and events around the globe.

Layton approaches his professional life and experience creation from a unique perspective – allowing him to constantly challenge and push boundaries to create the best and most impactful experience for all involved. Layton’s curiosity, open-mindedness, and commitment towards understanding, explaining, and navigating the leadership space create a thought-provoking and mindset-challenging experience for those who engage with him. While not working, you may find Layton enjoying golf with his friends, 4wding and camping, or a lazy weekend on the couch watching whatever sport is on offer.

Alison

Chief Commercial
and Strategy Officer

Alison Wright is an experienced executive with more than 20 years as a strategic leader with deep expertise in growth, transformation, brand and stakeholder engagement across the for-purpose, health, cultural and corporate sectors. As CEO of The Reach Foundation, she led the organisation through its transformative merger with Youth Impact Foundation following a compressed period of reshaping and strengthening the business.

Previously, Alison held senior executive leadership roles at APRA AMCOS, National Health Co-op, the National Gallery of Australia, Australian Grand Prix Corporation and Visteon across Asia Pacific. A former ABC journalist and China-based business leader, she has significant change leadership experience. She has served on three for-purpose boards and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, with executive education at Harvard Business School.