Executive Team

Chief Executive Officer

Kate is a contemporary leader with 25 years’ experience in the For Purpose sector and federal government, including health, education, foreign affairs and media. Kate was appointed CEO at Asthma Australia in October 2024. Prior to this, she was the NSW Director at Australian Red Cross, leading a diverse team of 5000 staff, volunteers and members. Kate has held roles as a senior adviser to a former Australian Health Minister and worked with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australian Dental Association, and the ABC as a journalist.

Kate is driven by a belief in the transformative power of collective action. She is inspired by opportunities to advance policy, champion research breakthroughs, and harness technological innovation, with the goal of achieving lasting, system-wide improvements in health outcomes. Kate holds a Master of Not-for-Profit and Social Enterprise Management (UTS) and a Bachelor of Communication (CSU) and serves as a Non-Executive Director and Adjunct Fellow at Macquarie and UTS Business Schools.

Director – Services and Impact

Nigel has a health care professional background as a Registered Nurse, and has worked in the not for profit sector in leadership roles for nearly 25 years. His experience covers a number of diverse roles from working in organisations with a focus on disability and chronic health conditions such as MS,  to working with asylum seekers and refugees newly arrived to Australia . Nigel is driven by a strong ethic of fairness, equity, equal access and social justice. This is Nigel’s second time working in the asthma field having worked for Asthma South Australia in the early 2000’s.Nigel combines a collaborative working style with a focus on creativity and person centredness, to drive program delivery that is focused on improving the lives of people with asthma. Nigel has a Bachelor of Nursing and post graduate qualifications in health service management and leadership.

Director – Development

Karen Gair is a strategic fundraising and marketing communications leader with over 20 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector. As Director of Development at Asthma Australia, she leads fundraising, revenue, marketing, communications and philanthropy, supporting the organisation’s mission to improve the lives of people with asthma.

Karen has held senior roles across a range of healthcare and educational institutions, including as Managing Director of San Foundation (supporting Sydney Adventist Hospital) and leading science and medical advancement at the Australian National University. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), a Fellow of the Fundraising Institute of Australia (FIA) and holds an MBA.

Known for her collaborative and purpose-driven leadership, Karen is passionate about building strong partnerships, empowering teams and delivering measurable impact for the community.

Director of Public Affairs and Policy

Rebecca brings over 20 years’ experience across the university, government, and non-government health sectors. She is a results-driven executive recognised for leadership, strategic engagement and translating evidence into actionable insights that inform policy and practice.

Before joining Asthma Australia, she was Executive Director at the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (AHHA), leading the Deeble Institute for Health Policy Research and AHHA’s policy, advocacy, communications, and publications.

Rebecca holds a PhD in Neuroscience (ANU) and a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science and Biology (UoW) and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Deakin University.

Rebecca has a deep understanding of the Australian health system and a strong track record in driving policy impact. She is passionate about building sustainable, equitable and responsive systems that improve the lives of people and communities and is committed to improving outcomes for people living with asthma.

Director of Corporate Services

Michelle is a Chartered Accountant and experienced financial professional with a strong commitment to social impact. She has gained valuable insights working across diverse industries and has chosen to dedicate her career to not-for-profit organisations, aiming to make a meaningful difference. Michelle is especially passionate about raising awareness of asthma and supporting Australians living with respiratory conditions, reflecting her dedication to improving community health and wellbeing.

Executive Team Clinical Advisor 

Professor John Blakey is a clinical advisor and spokesperson for Asthma Australia. He is a Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth. His subspecialty interest is in asthma and related conditions. John has a strong record of quality improvement and service development activities, particularly relating to the use of newer connected technologies. His discipline-bridging collaborative research has been published in leading journals, and he has ongoing studies relating to the prediction of future asthma attacks. 

Find him on LinkedIn.

Executive Team Clinical Advisor 

Chris has been involved in Health Informatics for over 20 years. Trained in Rural and Remote Medicine and General Practice, he worked for 13 years in rural Victoria. He assisted with the early adoption of GP desktop systems in the area,  and in developing distance education programs. Since moving to Melbourne in the year 2000, he remains a practising clinician in emergency, anaesthetics and general practice. 

He completed a PhD on ‘Doctors, Patients and Computers, the New Consultation’ in 2008, and has written extensively on the adoption and use of computers in the consultation environment. As Clinical Adviser (research) to Outcome Health, he is working with data management and quality assurance activities. He advises national bodies on policy issues pertaining to informatics and change management. He was the clinical design lead for the first three releases of Australia’s national health record (myHR) and has adjunct academic appointments at Monash, Melbourne and Macquarie universities.  

His extensive wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion in the health sector is evident through the 100 plus refereed  journals and books that have been published. Dr Chris is a member of the Professional Advisory Council (PAC) at Asthma Australia.

Find him on LinkedIn