Outgoing Board Directors Associate Professor Michael Murray AM (far left) and Richard Gallina (3rd from left) with (from left to right) Dr Monica Trujillo, Kylie Cochrane, Michael Tandora, Professor Tracy Comans, Stephen Thomas, Sue Leitch, Andrew Simpson, Janice Besch and Professor Geoff McColl.

The recent NARI Annual General Meeting (AGM), held on Monday 24th November 2025, marked an important moment of transition and renewal for our organisation with outgoing Board Chair Associate Professor Michael Murray AM announcing the appointment of four new Directors to the NARI Board. The incoming members bring fresh perspectives and expertise to guide NARI’s mission of being a global leader in translational research into ageing. These include:

• Professor Geoff McColl - Emeritus Professor, previous Executive Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Queensland and former Head of the Melbourne Medical School at the University of Melbourne.
• Dr Monica Trujilo – Telstra Health’s Chief Health and Risk Officer, combining clinical expertise with digital solutions to address health and aged care challenges.
• Kylie Cochrane – Partner at Aurecon, global engineering and infrastructure advisory firm, and Chair of the Australian National University’s Advisory Board for the Institute for Infrastructure in Society.
• Andrew Simpson – Chief Financial Officer at NARI and SANE Australia with over a decade of board-level and executive experience and particular expertise in the Health, Education and Information/Data Management industries.

The AGM also provided an opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of the following NARI Board Members who stepped down from their positions after many years in their respective roles:

	Associate Professor Murray AM who provided outstanding leadership as Board Chair, Chair of the Governance and Nominations Committee and a member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee. His strategic vision and steadfast commitment to evidence-based care for older people strengthened NARI’s role as a national leader in ageing research.
	Richard Gallina who contributed expertise and passion in financial and accounting leadership to ensure NARI continued to thrive. He held positions as Chair of the Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee and a member of the Governance and Nominations Committee.
	Professor Danny Liew (resigned mid-2025) who brought a wealth of experience in senior academic and clinical roles, promoting the importance of NARI’s work remain both academically rigorous and practically relevant to health and aged care policy and practice. His guidance helped shape health economics and health services research examining the financial and clinical impact of health and wellbeing interventions for older people.

 

 We are deeply grateful to Michael, Richard and Danny for their years of service and leadership. Their contributions have left a lasting legacy and we wish them every success in the future. At the same time, we are excited to welcome our new Directors in time for our 50-year anniversary in 2026, whose skills and insights will help shape NARI’s next chapter.

NARI Director Professor Tracy Comans