Avant Mutual Board
The Avant Mutual Group Limited Board has six member directors and (as required by the Constitution) three non member directors who are also representatives from the Insurance Board. As your medical defence organisation, the responsibilities of the Mutual Board relate to providing overall guidance and control of the organisation and a focus on the needs of members. Each year, two of the six member directors retire by rotation providing two vacancies on the Board. Retiring directors are eligible to stand for re-election.
The directors on the Mutual Board are:
MBBS, FAMA, FRACGP (Hon), FAICD
Dr Hambleton is a specialist general practitioner and a former State and former Federal President of the Australian Medical Association (AMA). He was awarded the AMA Gold Medal for his services to the Medical Profession in 2015. Dr Hambleton has continued to contribute to the health reform agenda through membership of various Federal Government committees including the recent Strengthening Medicare Taskforce. He is currently the Specialist Advisor for the Australian Digital Health Agency and serves on the boards of the Digital Health CRC and Mercy Community Services.
Appointments: Chair of Avant Mutual Group Limited and Avant Group Holdings Limited, Director of Avant Insurance Limited and The Doctors' Health Fund Pty Limited (DHF), Chair of the Group Nominations Committee and a member of the DHF Audit Committee, DHF Risk Committee, Group Remuneration Committee, and the New Ventures Advisory Committee.
BSc, FIA, FIAA, FSA, FASFA
Mr Beck is an actuary by profession and has over 40 years’ experience in banking, insurance, superannuation and investments working in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, South Africa and the United Kingdom. He is a Director of Australian Retirement Trust (ART) Life Insurance (formerly known as QInsure) and was formerly the CEO of Pillar Administration, CEO of CommInsure, and Group General Manager, Strategic Development and Group Appointed Actuary at Colonial.
Appointments: Director Avant Mutual Group Limited, Avant Group Holdings Limited and Avant Insurance Limited, Chair of The Doctors’ Health Fund Pty Limited and Group Audit Committee, and a member of the Group Investment Committee.
BA (Hons), MBA, GAICD
Ms Cobb has a background in consumer finance, management consulting and aviation in Australia and Asia. Ms Cobb was formerly the Managing Director of GE Consumer Finance Ltd, responsible for Australian operations serving 3 million customers with lending and insurance products. Ms Cobb is currently a Non-Executive Director on Commonwealth Securities Limited and Independent Reserve Pty Limited boards and Chair of Cimet Pty Ltd. She is also a member of Scale Investors, a network that invests in and empowers women entrepreneurs, and a member of Chief Executive Women.
Appointments: Director of Avant Mutual Group Limited, Avant Group Holdings Limited, Avant Insurance Limited and The Doctors’ Health Fund Pty Limited (DHF), Chair of the Group Risk Committee, DHF Risk Committee and DHF Audit Committee, and a member of the Group Audit Committee and the New Ventures Advisory Committee.
MBBS, Dip Obst RCOG, FRACGP, MHL, GAICD
Dr Browne is a General Practitioner, General Practitioner supervisor and senior staff specialist at the Hornsby-Brooklyn GP unit, NSW. Dr Browne was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the June 2024 King’s Birthday Honours List for services to medicine as a general practitioner. Dr Browne has significant governance experience and is currently a non-executive director for Doctors Health Advisory Service NSW. She has extensive medico legal experience and was formerly the inaugural chief medical officer at Avant. Dr Browne is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Appointments: Director of Avant Mutual Group Limited and Avant Group Holdings Limited and a Member of the Group Risk Committee, Group Audit Committee and Group Investment Committee.
MBBS, FRACS
Associate Professor Farrell is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who works as a Senior Oncological Surgeon at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and is the Head of the Plastic Surgery Unit at Royal Darwin Hospital. She is a member of the Research Committee of the Australian Breast Device Registry and the Australian Access to Breast Reconstruction Collaborative Group. She is an Associate Professor at Monash University in the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
Appointments: Director of Avant Mutual Group Limited, Avant Group Holdings Limited and The Doctors’ Health Fund Pty Limited (DHF), and a member of the Group Audit Committee, DHF Audit Committee and DHF Risk Committee.
MBBS, FRACS
Professor Frydenberg is a urological surgeon practising in Victoria, specialising in cancer care. He is an Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Department of Surgery, Monash University and Academic Director of Urology, Cabrini Health. He is a Member of the Peninsula Health Board. He was the Chair, Department of Urology, Monash Health from 1997-2017, President of Urological Society of Urology 2015-2017, a council member and Chair of the Health Policy and Advocacy Committee for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
Appointments: Director of Avant Mutual Group Limited and Avant Group Holdings Limited and a member of the Group Risk Committee and the Group Investment Committee.
MBBS (Qld), FRANZCO, FRACS, FRACGP, FRCOphth, DipAppSc(Opt), GAICD
Dr Glasson is a practising ophthalmologist working in urban, rural and regional Australia as well as in East Timor. Dr Glasson is the former Federal President of the Australian Medical Association and was awarded the Gold Medal for his services in 2017. He has been awarded an Order of Australia for his services to rural and regional medicine. Dr Glasson has significant skills and knowledge in finance, management and governance and has served on a number of Boards, including the Medical and Allied Professional Superannuation Fund, Cancer Australia, St John Australia, Australian Medical Association, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists Board and QLD Urban Indigenous Health.
Appointments: Director of Avant Mutual Group Limited and Avant Group Holdings Limited and a member of the Group Risk Committee and Group Nominations Committee.
Dr Marjot is an emergency medicine specialist, who graduated top of his class from University College London before beginning his career in the NHS in London. After moving to Australia, Dr Marjot completed his emergency medicine fellowship with a medal for excellence and works full-time in frontline emergency medicine. In 2020, Dr Marjot served as a medico-legal adviser at Avant. Coinciding with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Marjot played a key role in analysing rapidly evolving information and translating it into nationally impactful education and advocacy initiatives to support the Avant membership. As a recent specialty trainee, Dr Marjot is passionate about safeguarding the wellbeing of early career doctors and ensuring that a lifelong career in medicine remains rewarding and sustainable.
ANZIIF (Snr Assoc.), CIP, FCII, BSc (Econ), GAICD
Mr West has over 35 years’ experience in insurance, with a particular focus on risk pricing and underwriting, reinsurance, claims and distribution management in both general insurance and life insurance. Mr West has worked in the UK, India and Australia, including as CEO of Vero Insurance and CGU Insurance. Mr West is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute. He is the Chair of Challenger Life Company Limited and a Non-Executive Director of Helia Group Limited and Suncorp Group Limited.
Appointments: Director of Avant Mutual Group Limited, Avant Group Holdings Limited, and The Doctors’ Health Fund Pty Limited, Chair of Avant Insurance Limited, Chair of the Group Remuneration Committee and the New Ventures Advisory Committee, and a member of the Group Nominations Committee.