Our People

John Martin OAM – Chair

John Martin was born in the Netherlands, migrating to Australia as a teenager. Whilst trained as a teacher, he pursued a career in the media, first becoming involved as a coordinator of a Sydney Video Access centre in 1975. He went on to be Station Manager of 2MCE-FM in Bathurst, Assistant Manager at SBS Radio 2EA and then Station Manager at 2SER-FM in Sydney. From 1990 to 2019 John was General Manager of Television Oceania, a specialist satellite Pay-TV operator.

John is a former President of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) and of the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF).

Recently retired, John is researching the history of community broadcasting in Australia. 

On 26 January 2022, John was included in the Australia Day honours and awarded a Medal in the General Division of the Order of Australia (OAM), for service to radio broadcast media.

Vivian Schenker – Deputy Chair

Vivian has nearly forty years of experience as a broadcaster and media/communications manager in both the public and community sectors.

For nearly thirty years she was a journalist and presenter at the ABC and SBS, working on news and a variety of current affairs programs before becoming the host of Insight on SBS TV, and then the presenter of the ABC’s Radio National Breakfast. After a short but eventful period working in federal politics as a Senior Communications Director, she moved into the not-for-profit sector as Media and then Media and Communications Head at the Australian Red Cross until her retirement.

Vivian has travelled extensively in most of her roles both in Australia and overseas, interviewing former and current political, business and community leaders and talking with people from a huge variety of different backgrounds. Highlights included two trips to Australian bases in the remotest parts of Antarctica, coverage of the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984, many stories and a documentary in remote aboriginal communities around Australia, trips to refugee camps in Asia and Africa and coverage of countless federal elections and budgets. She also hosted or chaired many conferences and panels.

She has also provided high level training in media presentation and crisis management both in Australia and overseas.

About two years ago, Vivian joined 2RPH as a reader and then also as presenter of Inclusive Agenda, following in the footsteps of both of her parents who spent many of their retirement years at RPH.

Vivian spends the rest of her time with friends and family including an increasing tribe of adorable grandchildren; travelling (pre and hopefully post Covid); playing bridge (badly); singing in a local community choir; reading and cooking.

Geraldine Menere – Secretary

Geraldine Menere is a practising lawyer and Head of the Not-For-Profit Law program at Justice Connect, an accredited community legal centre and charity. Admitted to practice in 2014, Geraldine has extensive experience as a community lawyer working with both vulnerable individuals and the not-for-profit community organisations that assist them. Geraldine currently works with not-for-profit organisations to provide tailored legal advice, training and law reform and advocacy services on a broad range of legal issues. Prior to working with community groups and not-for-profit organisations, Geraldine assisted asylum seekers, refugees and migrants with civil law and immigration issues and worked at a large disability services charity. Before entering the legal profession, Geraldine worked in the banking and finance sector for a number of years as a leasing and asset finance specialist.

Denise Alexander

Denise Alexander has a background in health services and broadcasting, and she currently works on the executive team at Lifeline Australia.

Denise spent over 10 years at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, working in management roles in the early days of ABC Online and ABC Innovation, as well as at ABC TV. Earlier in her career she worked as a captioner for a non-profit accessibility provider for Deaf and hearing-impaired television audiences.  She has also served on the Classification Board of Australia.

Denise is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an accredited coach, and she has a Master of Business in Management. Originally from the UK, Denise lives in Sydney with her family.

Shawn Burns

Shawn is a journalism lecturer at the University of Wollongong, a former print and television journalist/news director and owner of the “Disability and Media Matters” blog. “Disability and Media Matters”, discusses and highlights the representation of people with disability in the Australian news media, and, importantly, showcases the reaction and perception of people with disability to that representation.

Shawn’s passion and activism for change is driven from experience: His son, Mac, has cerebral palsy. Shawn argues most reporting of people who live with disability falls into two categories, at either end of a spectrum – tragedy, or heroism. He believes news media has an important role to play in society’s understanding of disability and its intrinsic part in community.

Shawn was awarded his doctorate in 2021 for his thesis entitled “Did the end justify the means? An exploration of how Australian newspapers portrayed people with disability when reporting on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and what people with disability say about the coverage”.

Robert Estcourt AM

Robert Estcourt’s distinguished service was recognised in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday honours’ list. He was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) recognising his significant contribution as Chair of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research (an Australian medical research institute focused on the prevention and treatment of sleep and respiratory disorders, lung cancer and tuberculosis); member of the Woolcock’s Finance and Risk Committee; a member of the Board and Finance Committee of Radio 2 RPH; a member of the Investment Committees of The Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists; and the Australasian Sleep Association and the Lung Foundation Australia. He is also Trustee Director of the University of Cape Town Australian Alumni Trust.

Yvette Lamont

Ms Lamont is the CEO and Executive Director of the Australian Press Council.  She has extensive Corporate, Legal, Regulatory, Governance, Strategy, M&A, Corporate Affairs, Dispute/Reputation/Crisis Management and Commercial Leadership experience (particularly in ASX-listed and start-up/IPO environments).

She has deep industry knowledge and transaction experience – both in-house and as an external advisor – in the disrupted media sector and related emerging technologies across diverse media operations, including radio, publishing, out-of-home and digital, and has a background in subscription television and acting for commercial television.

She was previously Group General Counsel and Company Secretary of ASX-listed media and entertainment company ARN Limited (formerly HT&E Limited and known before that as APN News & Media Limited). Prior to this she was General Counsel of Australis Media Limited, an ASX-listed subscription television company, and a Senior Associate at international law firm Allens (in the Media & Technology Group).

Yvette is  a Graduate  member  of  the  Australian Institute  of  Company  Directors  and  is admitted  to  the Supreme  Court  of  New  South  Wales  and  the High Court  of Australia.  She has been a representative on Australia’s Right to Know coalition,  formed  to address concerns about freedom of speech in Australia. She also sits on the Law  Council of  Australia’s  Media &  Communications Committee,  is  a  member  of  the  Communications  and Media Law  Association and Women in  Media and was previously a Non-Executive  Director  of a significant Indigenous media organisation, CAAMA (Central  Australian  Aboriginal  Media Association).

Pawan Luthra

Pawan Luthra is the founder director of Wealth Creation Advisers – a
highly successful boutique financial planning advisory practice based
in Sydney. The practice advises high net worth individuals on wealth
accumulation, asset protection, tax strategies, estate planning and
superannuation.

Pawan also works with NRL team the Rabbitohs as part of their
Wellbeing offering, specialising in financial coaching for the team.

In another role, Pawan is the CEO of the Indian Link Media Group which he co-founded in 1994 with his wife Rajni. Indian Link prints newspapers in Sydney and Melbourne, has a 24/7 Indian internet radio which started in 2002, and has a strong footprint in the digital and social media space. Its excellence in news reporting and representing Australia’s Indian community has been recognised with over 28 awards through the NSW Premier’s and NSW Parliament Multicultural Media Awards and Victorian Multicultural Awards. Pawan himself has twice been awarded Multicultural Journalist of the Year and multiple times for News
Reporting.

Over the years, Pawan has become the voice of the community, being called upon to comment on various issues local, national and international. He is a regular guest on ABC TV’s The Drum, and on ABC Radio Sydney (Richard Glover’s Drive show and Journos Forum, Sarah McDonald’s Evenings and Breakfast).

His comment and opinions are sought frequently in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, and the Daily
Telegraph in Australia, India Ahead TV in India, and TIME magazine and BBC internationally.

He has advised Cricket Australia and AFL on ways to reach out to the Indian Australian community. He was also appointed as Brand Ambassador for the ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia in 2020 and 2022. Pawan’s wife Rajni is the editor of the Indian Link Group and shares her passion for media with him.

They have two children – Devna, a speech pathologist currently working in London, and son Manan who is about
to graduate in Law-Media from Sydney University. Pawan enjoys solving financial challenges for others, reading and debating on current day politics, is an avid armchair cricket and a rugby fanatic, and enjoys the
occasional glass of good red.

Michele Watts

Michele Watts holds an Arts/Economics Degree from the University of Canberra and began her career with the Federal Treasurer in Canberra. Michele was then appointed Marketing Manager of Bass Entertainment Tickets (now Ticketek), working with multiple event promoters, theatrical venues and media organisations. She also developed a subscriber database to communicate regularly with groups, priority and corporate customers. Michele launched her communications company, providing public relations and marketing consultancy services to not-for-profit, music, and corporate organisations such as Celestial Harmonies Records, Marist Youth Care, Blind Golf Australia, and School TIES Educational Tours.

Michele has always been highly involved in the wider community and has held executive positions at Lane Cove Public School, Sydney Girls High School (Chair), and sports and industry bodies. She volunteers at Greenwich Hospital and founded her local Lane Cove Residents Association, which communicates via newsletter to raise awareness of relevant issues and bring the community together.

After losing her eyesight to a rare genetic condition, Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), Michele now works with several low-vision service providers, including Guide Dogs NSW, Vision Australia and the Macular Disease Foundation. She is also a competitive blind golfer, representing Australia in the 2018 World Championships.