CareFlight’s Board of Directors ensure we stay true to our vision and uphold our code of conduct and ethics.
CareFlight’s goal is to provide a world class rapid response medical retrieval service.
In achieving this goal, CareFlight’s Board of Directors and employees are expected to conduct themselves ethically and to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.
Our Corporate Governance statementCode of conduct and ethics
The community has a right to expect that charitable organisations are conducted efficiently and effectively, with integrity and transparency.
The CareFlight Code of Conduct and Ethics prescribes behavioural, professional and ethical standards expected of the Board of Directors and employees in carrying out their duties. The Code is intended to ensure employees perform their duties in a professional manner which demonstrates respect for the individual, promotes public confidence and trust in charities and enhances CareFlight’s reputation in the community.
CareFlight seeks to promote an organisational culture that reflects the underlying values of fairness, respect and integrity.
The Code of Conduct and Ethics aims to ensure that CareFlight employees are aware of their rights and responsibilities. The Code also fosters a work environment which promotes peak performance and a fulfilling and enjoyable work experience.
The Code of Conduct and Ethics is set out in full in CareFlight’s Policy & Procedures Manual.
The Board
The Board’s role is to:
- Provide strategic leadership and direction for CareFlight
- Set management’s goals and approve the annual budget
- Monitor and review the Company’s risk management strategies including the integrity of internal control and management information systems.
The Board constantly monitors and reviews the Company’s compliance with its statutory obligations. This ensures that the Company meets its legal obligations. It also provides assurance to CareFlight supporters that their decision to support CareFlight is making a difference to the community.
The Board appoints and monitors the performance of the Chief Executive Officer. The CEO is accountable to the Board for the management of CareFlight within the policy and delegated authority levels approved by the Board.
Directors are expected to act with the highest ethical standards, having regard to CareFlight’s vision, mission and guiding principles, charitable status and community service ethos. The Board supports and observes the Code of Conduct for Directors issued by the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
A full description of the Board’s role appears in the Corporate Governance Statement.
Board members
The Hon Brad Hazzard, BA, DipEd, LLB, LLM
Independent Non-Executive Director Chairperson of the Board
A former Australian politician, Brad was first elected as the Member for Wakehurst in 1991, a role he fulfilled continuously for 32 years. During his distinguished political career, Brad spent 12 years as a senior Cabinet Minister and 16 years as a Shadow Minister. In that time, he worked across 17 portfolios including as Attorney-General, Social Housing Minister, Family and Community Services Minister and Planning and Infrastructure Minister. He is passionate about Indigenous issues and has been closely involved in projects in First Nations communities.
Mick Frewen, BA, MMgt, GAICD
Chief Executive Officer
Mick has many years of management experience in the aeromedical retrieval and medical services sector coming to CareFlight after a long career with International SOS. Mick commenced his career in the military, serving for 20 years in the army in Commando and SAS roles, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Mick’s demonstrated experience in leading organisations in challenging commercial and military roles, combined with his experience in and knowledge of the emergency medical retrieval sector, make him eminently well qualified to lead CareFlight.
Sue Bailey GradDipMktg MAICD
Independent Non-Executive Director
Sue has over 30 years’ experience in telecommunications. She has worked for Telstra, Virgin Mobile in Australia and the USA, and most recently Optus where she was a member of the executive leadership team. From 2010 to 2013, she was the CEO of Virgin Mobile Australia. Sue has a wealth of experience in marketing, large-scale business transformation and complex project management. She is also a Director of Chorus Limited, an ASX and NZX-listed New Zealand telecommunications infrastructure business. Sue has been a Director since September 2020.
Dr Robert Turner MBBS (Hons), FANZCA (ANZCA), Dip DHM (SPUMS), Dip Advanced DHM (ANZCA)
Independent Non-Executive Director
Rob is a former CareFlight Registrar and Specialist who completed more than 300 missions with the organisation. He currently holds various positions at Prince of Wales Hospital as a Senior Staff Specialist in Anaesthesia and Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine and Administrative Head, Anaesthesia. Rob also dedicates his time to training the next generation of doctors, acting as a mentor and lecturer for medical students, resident medical officers, registrars and consultants at the University of New South Wales and Prince of Wales Hospital. Rob is also co-Chair of the Prince of Wales Clinical Council. He balances these roles along with his position as Commander in the Royal Australian Navy. Rob has been a Director since October 2019.
Ian Vanderbeek, BBus, GAICD 
Independent Non-Executive Director
Ian started his aviation career in 1981 as a pilot in Papua New Guinea before moving to Europe in 1988 to fly for a large London-based charter airline. There he transitioned into aviation management, with responsibility for safety and quality functions within the airline. He was then appointed Operations Director, and later Managing Director. He has over two decades’ experience as a Managing Director and CEO of fixed wing and rotary aviation companies. In addition to his European experience, Ian has also worked in regional and corporate aviation in Australia and Asia. Ian has been a Director since December 2016.
Jodie Baker, B.Comm UWA, GAICD, TFASFA 
Independent Non-Executive Director
Jodie has over 30 years’ experience in corporate/investment banking and funds management. Jodie’s executive experience includes being a managing partner of board, risk, and governance advisory firm Blackhall & Pearl; CEO/MD of fintech business Morgij Analytics and senior executive risk roles at ANZ, Société Générale and BT Financial Group. She is currently on the Boards of Beyond Bank, where she chairs the Risk Committee and Federal Government agency, and Export Finance Australia, where she chairs the Audit and Risk Committee. Jodie has been a Director since October 2022.
Edward Mallan, Adv Dip HospMan, BComm, MBA,
Grad Dip WHS, GAICD
Independent Non-Executive Director
Eddie has over 15 years’ experience in executive roles in the private and public sectors. His experience has been gained in a range of industries including infrastructure, mining, supply chain, logistics, mass manufacturing, technology and utilities. Eddie has a strong commercial focus, with particular interest in risk management, business improvement, safety and cyber security. Eddie has resided in Northern Australia for nearly 15 years, and currently lives in Darwin where he is General Manager Commercial at Territory Generation. In Eddie’s previous role at North Queensland Bulk Ports he negotiated and managed a rotary aviation services contract, and developed a keen awareness of air safety. His career has seen him spend periods living in remote mining camps and working in overseas locations, so he has a real appreciation for the importance of air ambulance and medical retrieval services. Eddie is also a non-executive director of Asthma Foundation Northern Territory.
Sarah Dewar, CA, BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance
Independent Non-Executive Director
Sarah has over 25 years executive experience ranging from small organisations to those with complex structures and turnover from A$15m to A$2bn. She has worked in travel and heavy industry across a diverse cultural mix and different ownership structures including privately owned and private equity/fund managed, predominantly with organisations on a growth curve.
Sarah brings with her an enhanced Aviation skill set, acquired in roles with Airport Development Group where she worked on numerous projects for Darwin, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek Airports, as Skytrans CFO and, most recently, Chartair CEO in Darwin.
Erin McMullen 
Company Secretary
Founder and Director of Company Secretary Australia, Erin has experience in company secretarial roles for various publicly listed and unlisted entities, including the not-for-profit sector. Prior to this Erin worked in Executive Support and Managerial roles across a number of organisations.
