Board
Sabine Dejey
Chairperson
Master of Management, MBA, GAICD
Appointed in 2022, Sabine is a Senior Executive and Company Director with experience in Financial Services, early stage venture investing, governance and the Education Sector. Sabine was elected Chairperson in October 2024.
From her 12 years at a world leading insurance company, Sabine gained a strong risk management background as well as an authentic approach to enterprise culture. She has developed a genuine interest in accompanying start-ups.
She is a non-executive director of University of Melbourne Genesis pre-seed Fund and a board observer at Switch Automation, a platform leading the digital evolution and decarbonization of buildings.
She is the Founder of BabelBooks, an online bookstore that encourages the reuse of books within Australia and funds publications in First Nations languages, to preserve Australia’s unique heritage. Having been educated in five different countries, Sabine values multi-culturalism and is committed to supporting EdConnect Australia in its ambition to improve educational and wellbeing outcomes for disadvantaged or at-risk young people across Australia.
Ben Peacock
Deputy Chairperson
Ben was appointed to the EdConnect Australia Board in November 2018.
Ben is founder of Republic of Everyone, a company that pioneers innovative ways to make social and environmental causes more commercially compelling. He is co-founder of the Garage Sale Trail, Australia’s number one community day and Grow it Local, a grassroots movement to encourage more people to grow food in their own backyards.
He believes strongly in both the experience of age and energy of youth and is especially enamored by the possibilities when the two are brought together.
Ben is also Director of the Future Business Council and the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute.
David Barwise
Company Secretary
LLB, LLM
David Barwise has over 20 years legal, regulatory and compliance experience within the legal industry in Australia, Europe and Asia.
David was a partner in a leading global law firm for 15 years, a member of its European management board, held a variety of product, client and regional management positions and acted as the relationship partner for a number of financial institutions.
David is a director of Gyrostat Capital Management, Gyrostat Capital Management Advisers and Gyrostat Downside Protection Australian Equities Advisers.
He has worked in Australia, London and Singapore, and holds a variety of post graduate qualifications in law, business, accounting, finance, corporate governance and risk management.
John Inverarity
Non-Executive Director
BA Dip Ed MBE AM Cit WA
John was appointed to the Board in 2021. John has taught for 36 years in Perth, Adelaide and England, the last fourteen years as Headmaster of Hale School. John then went on to teach at the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle and was Warden of St George’s College at UWA for six years. He became State Manager for WA of Teach for Australia in 2015 and held this position for three years. John is currently an Ambassador for Teach for Australia.
John played first class cricket for Western Australia and South Australia over a period of 23 years. He played six Tests for Australia and captained WA to four Sheffield Shield trophies.
Matt Reed
Non-Executive Director
Matt Reed was appointed to the EdConnect Board in 2024.
As Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of Alcoa Corporation, Matt leads the daily operations of the company’s global bauxite, alumina, and aluminum assets. As a member of the Alcoa Executive Team, he helps shape the organisation’s strategic direction.
Matt has more than 25 years of Australian and international resource sector experience. He joined Alcoa in June 2023 as Vice President Operations, Australia, and President, Alcoa of Australia. Prior to this, he was the Operations Executive at OZ Minerals, leading operating assets and brownfields projects in Australia and Brazil.
Matt holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) from Adelaide University and an MBA from Deakin University.
He is passionate about Alcoa’s social performance activities and partnerships worldwide, which aim to support the communities in which it operates.
Lesley Street
Non Executive Director
Master of Education, Bach. of Education, Dip. of Teaching
Lesley is an experienced and enthusiastic educator, who as principal in four Australian secondary schools and two international schools, all with diverse contexts, has gained district, state and national recognition for delivering successful outcomes for students.
Lesley is the current Principal for Mount Lawley Senior High School. Mount Lawley SHS is a large, complex multi-cultural school with 1985 students and approximately 200 staff and offers a breadth of curriculum choices. It has a rich history of student success and achievement, including where the EdConnect program originated from in WA.
Lesley is a strong communicator with well-honed change management, negotiation and public relations skills. She prides herself on her collaborative work to maximise student learning outcomes to enable them to become successful, confident global citizens.
Yawar Zoeb
Non Executive Director
Yawar Zoeb was appointed as a Non–Executive Director in 2022.
Yawar Zoeb specialises in Public Sector Governance, Assurance and Financial Management. He has spent over two decades across the Western Australian Public Sector within senior roles in Governance and Assurance across the Departments of Health, Education, Agriculture and Land Administration. He has also taught at Murdoch University Western Australia and the Aventis Learning Group in Singapore. He has assisted in strengthening governance across the Papua New Guinea’s central and provincial administrations as part of an AusAid initiative to strengthen accountability and build governance capability in central institutions. More recently he was involved in strengthening governance and accountability within a NfP Aboriginal Corporation within the East Kimberley region. He has also worked in various commercial enterprises in India. He is a fellow of CPA Australia, a Certified Information System Auditor and has a keen interest in Funds Management, running his own private company.
Yawar strongly believes in the power of education in transforming lives, especially within the youth. He is a keen advocate and supporter of rights for women and children escaping domestic and family violence. He also serves as a Board Director for Starick, a charity supporting women and children escaping domestic and family violence.