Our Board

The aim and approach of Share the Dignity’s Board, with Managing Director and Founder Rochelle Courtenay, is to develop, implement, and maintain a culture and standard of good corporate governance, respected by both internal and external stakeholders, including our partners and sponsors.

The Board has in place protocols to ensure systems and processes are in place to protect the charity’s reputation and assure all donors, sponsors and other parties can have complete confidence in their donations.

The Board is committed to ensuring that principles of good governance are implemented openly and with integrity, commensurate with our broad objectives. All Board Directors, Executive Management, Employees, and Volunteers are passionately committed to sharing dignity and safety across Australia.

Simon Tolhurst - Chair

Simon is a Partner in HWL Ebsworth’s Litigation Team and has over 25 years of experience as a lawyer with a focus on dispute resolution and competition law matters. Simon advised all levels of Government, charitable institutions and corporates, small, medium, and large.

Simon has been named in The Australian Financial Review’s Best Lawyers® as one of Australia’s best lawyers in the Litigation category and has also been recognised in Doyle’s Guide as a Leading Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution Lawyers. He is also part of the HWL Ebsworth National Competition Law and Anti-Trust Group which has been recognised as a leading firm by both Chambers and Legal 500.

In addition to his legal work, Simon is also Chairman of ASX listed iCollege Limited (ICT) which operates in the vocational education sector, and is a director of Tyre Evolution, one of Queensland’s largest truck tyre retail businesses.

Rochelle Courtenay - Founder and Non-Executive Managing Director

Rochelle is Share the Dignity’s founder and Managing Director, however, the title she is most proud of though is ‘Pad Lady’. Rochelle has led a team of volunteers collecting around 2.5 million sanitary products across Australia.

When Rochelle first learned of homeless women going without basic sanitary items during their menstrual cycle, she decided the question was not 'why is no one doing anything' but rather, 'what’s stopping me from doing something?'.

In March 2015, Rochelle took matters into her own hands collecting sanitary items with her local community and distributing to local shelters. As a result, a simple idea of giving dignity to women, Share the Dignity was created and has grown to a national charity. Consequently, it has over 5,000 volunteers Australia-wide, and most noteworthy provides multiple initiatives aimed at giving dignity to women.

Jennifer Witheriff - Deputy Chair

Jennifer is the founder of Energise Leadership, an Australian company specialising in organisational and leadership development, executive coaching, training, and facilitation. Prior to establishing her own business seven years ago, she held leadership roles in Government.

As her company name suggests, Jen is about engaging and energising people in the practice of leadership. She is particularly passionate about women and their role as leaders in all aspects of life – at work, home and community.

Over the past five years, she has conducted international development programs at the University of Queensland for women leaders of Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. Working with these wonderful women has consolidated her thinking about the practice of leadership and how change can occur though grass roots movements.

Jennifer intends to contribute her knowledge and skills in women’s leadership development, empowerment, advocacy, and social inclusion in her role on the Board of Share the Dignity.

Nick Crethar - Treasurer

Nick has been the Chief Financial Controller of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Qld Ltd since 2011, providing him with a wealth of experience in the charity and not-for-profit space. His leadership skills and insights into managing teams in this space will provide Share the Dignity with a wealth of knowledge to enhance our continuous improvement processes.

Renowned as a meticulous, visionary executive who has demonstrated ongoing success in delivering an efficient, compliant financial operation across numerous iconic brand organisations. Leveraging off a diverse career to provide strategic and technical advice across operational, technology and commercial issues, Nick has extensive experience within the private and not-for-profit sectors. He has a proven capacity to utilise financial data, influence decisions, and obtain buy-in to drive efficiencies and business growth.

Nick is passionate about making a difference to the community and is looking forward to building on the solid foundations Share the Dignity already has, by ensuring its sustainability in a way that remains aligned to our goals and vision.

Matt Smith - Secretary

Matt Smith has joined the Board of Share the Dignity in June 2020, as our Company Secretary. As a Partner at Prime Accounting & Business Advisory, Matt brings a wealth of experience in strategic business planning, management, and financial analysis, as well as having acted in a board advisory capacity for a number of Australian companies.

Matt has a longstanding relationship with Share the Dignity and is inspired by the passion and goodwill that the charity invokes in the community. He is looking forward to being able to continue the work set down by the previous Board members to ensure that the charity continues to remain aligned to its values.

Michelle Taupau - Director

Michelle Taupau is the Managing Director and co-founder of The Disrupters. She brings 20+ years experience in partnership and stakeholder engagement and management success across the public and private sectors. Harnessing the unique power of sport. Michelle strategically connects brands, government, and media with athletes, teams, and events to create powerful partnerships. In her previous role as the NRL’s Community Relations Manager, her responsibilities included, management of strategic partnerships and Indigenous engagement and program management. She has also managed corporate sales and partnerships for Wests Tigers Rugby League and the Australian Apprenticeship Centre for NSW Business Chamber.

Michelle provides strategic direction to business and sporting bodies and athletes relating to strategic planning, community engagement strategies (diversity, multicultural, indigenous), talent optimisation and management, and sponsorship. Michelle brings a wealth of knowledge in stakeholder and community engagement, program delivery, sponsorship procurement, and activation strategies, and state and federal government lobbying.

Shayne Gilbert - Director

Shayne Gilbert is a founding Board Member of Share the Dignity, who has returned to the Board in June 2020. He has passionately advocated for the difference the charity makes. Shayne is an investment advisor, a passionate rugby coach, a father of four children, and a former teacher. Shayne brings to the charity a strong collaboration strategy to ensure the sustainability of the charity.

“As a father, a husband, a brother, and a son, I could not help but feel empathy for the women and girls Share the Dignity helps. My experience in the financial industry, along with my studies in teaching and psychology, ensure that my strengths are put to good use to help the charity flourish and continue their good work.”