Board

Julie is a chartered accountant with extensive Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) experience. Julie was CEO of MyIntegra, a leading provider of plan management and support coordination services in the disability sector. Julie has also held senior roles with HBF, Murdoch University and Bankwest.

Julie has almost 20 years of non-executive director experience across the community services, aged care, disability, education and tourism industries.  She is currently the Chair of Disability Intermediaries Australia, a non-executive director of Curtin Heritage Living, and a Commissioner with the Insurance Commission of Western Australia.

Julie has a Bachelor of Business from Curtin University and a Masters of Accounting from University of Western Australia.  She is a Fellow member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Chris Yates has worked in the field of disability services for 25 years. He has worked directly with people with disability; has managed disability services in a regional area and has held senior roles with responsibility for services across the whole of Western Australia. He was closely involved with the State rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme in Western Australia.

Chris is committed to ensuring people with a disability have access to supports and services which enable them to participate fully as citizens in our community. He has worked closely with a wide range of disability service providers to assist them to flourish as they provide valued services to their communities.

Chris has a Bachelor of Arts, a Graduate Diploma in Education and a Masters Degree in Educational Management. His masters research focussed on transition from school for young people with a disability. He is a fellow of Leadership WA.

Dr Paul Bailey MB BS FACEM PhD GAICD MStJ is a Western Australian Emergency Physician with extensive experience in healthcare systems and clinical governance. He also has clinical expertise in metropolitan and regional Emergency Departments, fixed and rotary wing aeromedical retrieval, and expedition medicine.

Paul's substantive role is Medical Director for St John Western Australia. In addition, he holds an adjunct academic position at Curtin University and is an active researcher in the areas of cardiac arrest, trauma systems, anaphylaxis and stroke.

Carla is an accomplished strategist, analyst and facilitator. She has 20 years’ experience in the public and private sector across urban development, transport and infrastructure, community and economic development and professional services.

As a consultant advisor, she works with listed companies, state and local government, not for profit organisations and Small to Medium Enterprises. She has held senior roles for ASX and multi-national companies, government agencies and professional services firms across Australia.

Her expertise in leveraging customer and stakeholder insight to inform strategic positioning for organisations; teams; projects and places, result in clear, measurable direction that align with market, regulatory and policy drivers.

Carla is a Founding Director of Ink Strategy, specialising in visioning, alignment and direction setting.

Lawson Dixon is an experienced business leader - CEO, marketing executive, and entrepreneur who has worked in some of the largest multinational advertising agencies in Australia and Asia.

Lawson is currently CEO of Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation, a Western Australian Charity which provides youth development programs on the STS Leeuwin II - a three-masted 1850's style barquentine-built ship - Australia's largest sail-training tall ship.

Lawson is also the national General Manager for Black Dog Ride Australia Ltd, a leading grass roots mental health charity which promotes awareness of depression and suicide prevention.

Anthony is a seasoned IT professional with over three decades of experience in the sector. He is a Senior Program Manager within the Azure Cloud Division at Microsoft, where he leads customer and field engagement strategies and drives the adoption and implementation of cloud services across the Asia region.

As a Non-Executive Director at SensesWA, he uses his IT expertise to guide and innovate within the organisation, supporting their strategic growth plan. He holds a Degree in Information Systems, a Masters in Information Technology, and a Graduate certification from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

He is passionate about purpose-driven engagement, clear outcomes, and leveraging technology to empower individuals and organizations to achieve more.

Laura is an experienced director, executive, and coach renowned for her dedication to operational excellence and fostering a unified purpose across the organisations she serves. With a diverse background spanning mental health, disability, healthcare, manufacturing, and resources sectors, she brings a wealth of experience to her role as a Board Director with SensesWA.

Her leadership philosophy centres on building stronger organisations through innovation, transparent communication, and leadership coaching. Laura is adept at navigating organisational transformation and strategic change, consistently delivering ambitious outcomes.

Laura holds an MBA, along with bachelor’s degrees in Science and Psychology. She is a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, a Prosci Change Practitioner, and a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). Laura also serves as Non-Executive Chair for Miners’ Promise and as a Non-Executive Director for Samaritans, demonstrating her commitment to impactful governance and community service.

Julie is passionate about human rights and has a strong personal connection to the mission of making a positive impact on people living with a disability through the provision of disability services.

She is General Counsel and Head of Legal & Risk Manager at Keystart – a purpose driven organisation delivering social impact by helping Western Australians into an earlier path of home ownership, while also contributing to social housing and homelessness initiatives in partnership with the WA Government.

Julie leads a team of legal, risk, and compliance professionals. She brings expertise in risk management, strategic policy development, and legal compliance having implemented a range of initiatives. She holds a law degree from Queen’s University Belfast and postgraduate qualifications from the UK and Australia, is admitted to the Supreme Court of WA, Supreme Court of England & Wales, and the New York Bar.

Her commitment to social impact aligns with SensesWA’s mission to improve the lives of people living with disabilities.