Meet the Board of Directors

Emily Milton Smith

State Commissioner

Emily is State Commissioner of Girl Guides NSW, ACT & NT and previously Chair of the Board. A lifelong Girl Guide, Emily has held numerous leadership and management positions at national, state, region and local levels, and brings a depth of international experience, including representing Girl Guides Australia at previous World and Asia Pacific Regional Conferences and events. 

With strong governance-level and executive experience across several for-purpose entities in local and global contexts, Emily has chaired and been a member of several boards and committees with a focus on gender, youth engagement and education. 

Currently, Emily serves on the International Council of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, as a global adviser at The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, and as an active Member of UN Women Australia’s Sydney Chapter with its fundraising focus for projects in the Asia-Pacific. She also serves as a Branch Councillor for Scouts NSW.  

Emily has recently served on the Executive Committee of the National Council of Women NSW and on the Global Youth Board of Unilever’s Dove’s Self Esteem Project reaching 25+ million people. 

A Women Deliver Young Leader Alum, Emily has represented Australia on countless occasions including at the United Nations ECOSOC Youth Forum, the Youth Takeover General Assembly, and APEC. She has led international youth delegations to high level events, including the Commission on the Status of Women in New York and the Conference of Parties. 

She holds a Master of Public Policy and other qualifications and certifications in leadership, change, partnerships, and governance, and has completed the AICD Company Directors Course. Her areas of expertise span digital policy, data governance and internet systems, international development, regulation, social services, and rights. Her experience includes a residency at Singapore’s Impact Hub.

Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II honoured Emily naming her a Queen’s Young Leader, 1 of 240 people in the world to earn this distinction. 
Emily works at Australia’s leading food rescue charity, OzHarvest, leading its corporate engagement function in NSW/ACT with a focus on partnership programs, corporate events, and fundraising, to enable businesses to deliver impact and take action on climate change and hunger. During the Covid pandemic, Emily was part of the leadership team managing Australia’s largest emergency food relief project. 

Prior to OzHarvest, Emily was a national manager at The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Australia responsible for governance and programs.
 

Lisa Walters

Honorary Treasurer & Chair of the Finance, Audit, and Investment Committee

A senior executive and Chartered Accountant Lisa is a graduate of the Australian Company Directors Course, Lisa has demonstrated financial management and reporting skills with a strong background in reporting and decision support at a Board level. 
She possesses strong operational cross functional knowledge including Finance, Information Technology, Human Resources and Sales and Marketing and has proven business development capabilities including the strategy development and implementation.
Lisa brings a fresh and modern perspective to Guiding.  She has extensive corporate and not for profit experience which, combined with her Guiding experience and “can do” attitude means she truly understands the needs of Guiding.

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Belinda Allen

Elected Director

Belinda has extensive experience and expertise from 35 years volunteering as an Adult member of Girl Guides in many Leadership roles; at the community level, Leader of Youth and Adults, Region roles, State roles including State Commissioner and six years as a Director, eight years as a member of the Finance Management Committee and National roles including five years as a Director, and World Association of Girl Guides & Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) roles including Governance Support volunteer role in the Asia Pacific Region, a member of the Asia Pacific Regional Conference Procedural team and Head of Logistic for WAGGGS Juliette Low Seminar. Belinda successfully led two major reviews for Girl Guides Australia - Uniform Review and Promise and Law Review, both major change management projects. Belinda has mentored many young women, Leaders, and Managers over many years. Belinda has extensive PR, Communications, and event management experience. Belinda also has experience volunteering with other For Cause organisations and 28 years of experience in Executive Search.
  

Sue Belling

Elected Director

Sue has been heavily involved in all facets of Guiding leadership and management throughout her adult life at District, Region, State and a GGA committee role. Having lived in both regional and metropolitan areas in her previous retail career, Sue has seen the impact quality Guiding provides for all members. Sue has previously trained across NSW & ACT and is currently mentoring new Managers. Sue understands the impact of policy and technological change on our Volunteers and is still an active District Manager and a campsite committee member. Having been at the face of transformational changed in an extensive retail career, and as an adult member of Guiding, Sue has a sound track record of leadership and collaboration and can provide a considered sounding board for strategic change in the organisation.

Prue Carpenter

Elected Director

Prue has held a variety of roles in Guiding over 35 years, firstly as a Leader of Youth and thereafter in managerial roles including but not limited to State Commissioner. Passionate about education for girls and life long learning, Prue has been a Director on the Board of a large Anglican School for Girls. The importance of a strong education for women compliments Prue's passion for Guiding and service. Prue has initiated and overseen marked changes in Guiding involving structure, management, training, property and culture.


Luisa McDiarmid

Elected Director

Luisa has extensive career experience across local and state government, small business and education. With a knowledge of Guiding extending from the Unit level to WAGGGS, Luisa has an excellent understanding of the inter-relationship between Girl Guide entities and the role of the Board and am confident of being able to make significant contributions to future governance in the best interests of our Youth Members. 

Dakshata Sharma

Elected Director

Dak began Guiding as a Junior Guide in India, to Brownies, Guides, and Rangers in the UK, Senior Guides and now dedicated Unit Leader in NSW. Guiding has been a journey of personal growth and profound connection to the organisation’s values. Balancing grassroots leadership and contributing to high-level projects has given Dak a unique appreciation for Guiding’s impact.


Guiding has shaped Dak's professional pursuits, focusing on women and children’s wellbeing. From developing women’s policy at the federal level with the Equality Rights Alliance to advocating for financial literacy in a DV service, Dak's journey has now led her to a state government role overseeing policies and projects for accessible playspaces in NSW.


Andrew Da Silva 

Co-opted Director 

Andrew has an undergraduate in psychology and film from Sydney University, a Masters in marketing from UTS and has studied advanced leadership and management from Harvard Business School. He is an experienced Director with expertise in marketing and strategy and has worked across various sectors including media and communications, travel and entertainment, financial services, consulting, automotive and not-for-profit. In addition to Andrew’s passion and experience in not-for-profit and community organisations, Andrew is keen to apply his skills in marketing and media strategy, customer and member experience, data analytics, segmentation and channel improvement to help deliver business results. 

Andrew is a Director of Business Consulting at EY and helps to lead their global Financial Services Transformation Team, focusing on helping organisations to improve revenue and customer experience while reducing cost and risk. 

Andrew is also a volunteer surf life saver (where is serves as a board director), is a father and is passionate about helping support and empower the next generation of girls and young women to become leaders in their world. 

 
 
 

Catherine Jewell 

Co-opted Director 

Catherine has a Bachelor of Forest Science and a Master of Social Science, as well as qualifications in public sector management and governance. Over a 25 year career with the public service, at both a state and Commonwealth level, she has worked with Boards and diverse stakeholders to develop fit-for-purpose governance frameworks for a number of significant programs and transformation agenda. She has led high-performing, diverse teams in establishing customer-centred program management offices and enabling functions, supporting best practice governance and risk management across grants and major projects.
With a passion for partnering with communities, Catherine is a skilled process facilitator and stakeholder engagement practitioner, approaches which she weaves into all her work. She currently runs her own facilitation practice, working with organisations, community groups and Boards on strategic planning, governance, and community engagement.
Having lived and worked in regional Australia for much of her life, Catherine is passionate about supporting regional and remote communities, and for building a strong, sustainable future for the next generation.

 
 
 
 

Tracy Marshall 

Co-opted Director 

Tracy is a senior executive, qualified accountant and graduate of the Australian Company Directors Course. She has over 20 years experience with expertise in finance, strategy, governance and measurement & evaluation. Tracy is the Chief Financial Officer of Australian Wool Innovation owner of the globally recognised Woolmark brand. She holds executive director roles in The Woolmark Company and a number of its global subsidiaries. 

One of Tracy’s strengths lies in her ability to navigate complex regulatory environments and implement robust governance structures. She has experience in establishing and maintaining effective governance policies and procedures, ensuring that the entity operates in accordance with legal and ethical standards.

Originating from the UK, Tracy was involved in Guiding from an early age, having started as a Brownie and eventually, for 15 years, becoming a Guide/Ranger leader before holding various roles at County level prior to relocating to Australia. Tracy brings this perspective to the role and is keen to bring her experience both in Guiding and corporate governance in the not for profit sector to this role.

 
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