Consumer Advisory Council

With 29 years of teaching experience, I am deeply passionate about advocating for asthma education, both for individuals living with asthma and carers of asthmatics. Having lived with asthma for 15 years, I bring a personal perspective of the challenges faced by those managing the condition. 

Throughout my career, I have dedicated myself to raising awareness about asthma, particularly in educational settings. I have trained many teachers on how to manage asthma effectively among students, empowering educators to create safer and more supportive environments. With a focus on the vital need for upskilling educators and ensuring that the latest asthma management practices are documented, shared and implemented. 

As a member of the Consumer Advisory Council, I aim to continue advancing knowledge and awareness of asthma. I am committed to supporting the organisation’s purpose and vision, to improve outcomes for all individuals affected by asthma. With my extensive experience in both the classroom and volunteer work, I am eager to be a spokesperson for the consumer by contributing to driving improved outcomes and fostering a greater understanding of asthma in the broader Australian community. 

Kym Holden is an advocate for asthma education, for people with asthma and those who care for them. The need for continuing education has been reinforced by many discussions with the public.

She has a long association with the Health Consumers Forum and ACT Asthma. Ms. Holden was involved in the territory-based organisation merging with Asthma Australia. Reinforcing the Asthma Australia consumer message to government is an important task for the Consumer Advisory Council.

Ms. Holden has a strong family link to asthma. She says the importance of asthma education was highlighted following a personal experience with asthma that required her to be hospitalisation in the intensive care unit. She is keen for more Australians to avoid the issues she and her family faced by more timely asthma education.

Find her on LinkedIn.

Jessica is a passionate Dentist and Pharmacist based in the ACT, and as a person who has lived with asthma since she was a child, she can appreciate some of the unique challenges of achieving and maintaining good asthma control. Her experience in community pharmacy and in public health service has demonstrated the successful outcomes that can be achieved through grass-roots engagement and proactive communication. In particular the challenges to receiving comprehensive and timely healthcare faced by members from a non-English speaking background. She believes her background and experience will provide unique insights to the Consumer Advisory Councils outputs which will promote deeper engagement and ultimately better health outcomes.

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Annalee is a Mum of two young children both of which have been disgnosed with asthma,  

During their health journeys it became evidient that her knowledge and understanding of asthma was limited despited being a Registered Nurse and Clinical Nurse Educator in rural New South Wales. This lead to countless hours of her own asthma research to ensure her children have the best possible quailty of life. Annalee lives in rural NSW and has travelled and worked in rural and remote areas both as a nurse and in the agricultural industry. She is too familiar with the struggles faced by rural patients and their family when they require healthcare and is passionate about advocacy of rural and remote communities and ensuring positive health outcomes despite your location. 

Mary is a qualified company director, company secretary and scientist, she started her working life at the ACCC where she began her passion for consumer protection.  She continues that focus as the Chair of the Competition and Consumer Committee for the Law Institute of Victoria. Her past roles include Group General Counsel for EBOS Limited, where she was proud to contribute to healthcare service delivery through community pharmacies. In addition to consumer protection and healthcare service delivery, Mary is passionate about collaboration.  She was part of a team that won an Australian Institute of Project Management – Victorian ICT Team of the Year Award in 2016 and was internationally recognised by the Association of Corporate Counsel as Global Counsel of the Year in that same year.

As part of the Consumer Advisory Council, she hopes to continue to raise awareness and knowledge of asthma, supporting the organisation in achieving better outcomes for all.

Find her on LinkedIn. 

Having lived in two countries and travelled extensively, I’ve seen firsthand how different healthcare systems operate and learned how to advocate for my own health. These experiences have strengthened my resilience, adaptability, and determination—I refuse to let chronic brittle asthma define me. 

Years of hospital visits, clinical trials, and pharmaceutical research have shaped me into a passionate advocate for patient rights, medical innovation, and asthma education. As a self-proclaimed “professional guinea pig” in numerous drug trials, I’ve witnessed groundbreaking advancements and the impact of research on improving treatments. This journey has fuelled my commitment to better care, supporting innovation, and helping others take charge of their health with confidence. 

I’ve been a patient advocate both locally and internationally, speaking at public events, serving on pharmaceutical advisory panels, and sharing my story to help health professional understand the challenges of people living with asthma.  

By day, I’m an Operations Manager; by weekend, I chase adventure, fuelled by a love of travel and hot air ballooning. The irony isn’t lost on me—being passionate about giant bags of hot air while managing severe asthma—but I take it all on with humour and enthusiasm. 

My mission is simple: to prove that life with asthma can be full of adventure, laughter, and possibility—one deep breath at a time. 

Ricardo is a psychology student with a strong background in research, crisis support, and community engagement. As a mature student and former internationally awarded chef, he brings a unique perspective on workplace wellbeing, stress management, and behavioral change. 

His passion for consumer advocacy and public health is deeply personal—he has struggled with severe asthma, often finding the medical model frustrating due to its lack of empathy and patient-centered care. As a father to a daughter with asthma, he has firsthand experience navigating the challenges of managing a chronic condition, including severe asthma incidents, which have fueled his commitment to improving education, access to resources, and support for affected families. 

Ricardo also volunteers as a crisis supporter with Lifeline, strengthening his ability to support diverse communities. With dual citizenship in Mexico and Australia, he is dedicated to inclusive and culturally sensitive healthcare approaches. 

Through the Consumer Advisory Council at Asthma Australia, he hopes to advocate for more compassionate, patient-focused asthma care and contribute meaningful insights to improve support systems. 

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Eloise Robertson is a passionate advocate for Asthma Australia. After being diagnosed with brittle asthma as a child, her condition worsened in her teen years leading to her frequently being hospitalised. She has shared her journey on media platforms, including A Currency Affair, ABC News and The Canberra Times, and served as the face of Asthma Australia’s 2021 campaign. 

Eloise is passionate about asthma education and engaging the public in basic asthma first aid. She hopes during her time on the Consumer Advisory Committee she will be able to meaningfully give back to the Asthma Community.  

Outside of Asthma Australia, Eloise is a passionate cyber engagement professional dedicated to fostering diversity in the cyber security industry. As the Community Manager at the Australian Women in Security Network (AWSN), she leads initiatives that elevate and empower women in cyber security. 

Sundram was born in Malaysia he maintains his conversational language interest in Tamil (mother tongue) and Malay (national language of Malaysia).  He was the Foundation Chair of the Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council, and served two terms as the Victorian Multicultural Commissioner. He has also been on the Ministerial Advisory Council for Responsible Gambling in Victoria, and maintains his interest and passion to advocate for CALD communities. Sundram has held senior academic positions including Adjunct Professor with University of Manipal, India and Associate Professor at James Cook University in the School of Medicine and Dentistry. He has been a local and international consultant on community engagements and has conducted Intercultural Education for health professionals and organisations. He has conducted health education training and workshops for health professionals in Australia, Japan, Indonesia, China and Malaysia. He still presents at international, national and regional conferences upon invitation. Sundram has completed several projects on multicultural aspects, and publishes widely in journals, magazines and in books. Currently he is about to launch his autobiography, ”One Dream, Four Countries”. Sundram was awarded the Centenary Medal from the Commonwealth Government for his work with migrants.

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I have been involved with Asthma Australia and its predecessor organisations since 2013 when I raised substantial funds for asthma in 2013. I did this as I lost my mother to asthma aged 4 and I have two boys who have, and one who continues to, suffer from acute asthma. I have been involved in community charity organisations since 2008 and understand the challenges of raising awareness and building engagement. I am a member of the AA CRG – oral corticosteroid stewardship campaign and the AA CRG – digital platforms and technology for asthma management to improve the lives of all Australians who suffer from asthma and support their carers. 

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Simone is an experienced CEO, lawyer and governance professional. She has worked across a variety of sectors including legal, health, advertising, banking and the arts.

She is currently CEO of the ACT Law Society, the peak body for solicitors working in the ACT. Previously, Simone was CEO of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine and worked as in-house counsel and company secretary for the Advertising Standards Bureau.

Simone previously served on the boards of the former Asthma Foundation ACT and the Australian Multiple Birth Association. As a parent to children with asthma, Simone also has personal experience with the challenges facing people with asthma.

Find her on LinkedIn