The Benevolent Society announces new Board appointments

The Benevolent Society is pleased to announce the appointment of Julie Cleary, Chris Knoblanche AM, Michael Bromley, and Paul Ronfeldt to its Board of Directors.  

The Benevolent Society Board Chair, Ken Smith AO, said: “On behalf of the Board of Benevolent, I am pleased to welcome four new members of our Board: Julie Cleary, Chris Knoblanche AM, Michael Bromley, and Paul Ronfeldt. Their experience in business leadership, strategy, workplace culture and safety makes them valuable additions for the next phase of Benevolent’s growth as we finalise our new three-year Strategic Plan.” 

Julie brings extensive experience delivering audit and advisory services at KPMG across both Australia and the US.  

Chris has over 40 years of experience in financial markets, and is currently Chairman of PM Capital Limited. 

Michael is an experienced technology and innovation-focused leader and currently the Founder and CEO of VentureSpark.  

Paul brings over 30 years of expertise in areas employment, work health and safety law, and is currently a partner at Thomson Geer. 

The new appointments come as three long-term members of Benevolent’s Board step down. Nancy Milne and Andrew Yates concluded their directorships in September and October 2025 after four and 10 years of service respectively. Rod Young’s directorship ended on 24 November after nine years of service. 

“We sincerely thank Nancy, Andrew, and Rod for their years of dedication and leadership. They’ve had a tremendous impact shaping Benevolent into the organisation it is today and we thank them for their contributions.” 

The new appointees bring significant governance experience leading not-for-profit and social services organisations. 

Julie was previously on the Board of Father Chris Riley’s Youth off the Streets. Chris previously served as Chairman for the Australian Ballet, and Trustee for the Sydney Opera House Trust. 

Michael is currently Non-Executive Director at Jabiru Community Services, Sequal Ltd, Learning Links, and Siblings Australia. Paul has a long history of providing counsel to the not-for-profit and public sectors.  

Ahead of commencing, Michael, Julie and Paul visited Benevolent sites in south-east Queensland to meet with staff, clients, and the local communities the organisation supports. Additional site visits are planned in the coming months to continue building these important connections. 

“Our commitment is consumer-led, through extensive consultation with key partners and stakeholders, focussing not only on the support we provide, but on strengthening our organisation as a whole. Through initiatives like the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Board Advisory Committee and Aged Care Consumer Advisory bodies, we aim to ensure stakeholder and consumer voices drive innovation and continuous improvement,” added Ken. 

“I’m looking forward to working with our new board members, and the unique perspectives they bring, to help Australians live their best life on their own terms.”