Michael Wenzel
CA CIA RCA Bcom (Chair)
Michael joined the Board in February 2014. He is a Fellow Chartered Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, Registered Company Auditor, a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of
Company Directors and a Certificated Member of the Governance Institute of Australia. Michael is the Chief Financial Officer of QBiotics Group and provides advisory services from his own firm. Michael previously worked in the audit and advisory division of KPMG in Cairns for over 13 years as a senior engagement manager, key client contact and quality control reviewer on a variety of external and internal audits
Michael Swannell
Deputy Chair
Michael joined the Board in November 2022. Michael has an extensive career built on management and technical expertise that spans management consulting, financial services and information technology. He has worked in the financial services sector for over 20 years and has undertaken work for domestic and international banks, fintechs, technology providers, card issuers and merchants.
Michael has been involved in the mutual banking industry since the early 2000’s and has also participated in many of Australia’s industry-wide payments projects including the build of the real-time payments system (NPP), establishment of the domestic card payments scheme (eftpos), and the implementation of mandatory PIN for debit and credit cards.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Macquarie University.
Rowan Wilson
Secretary
Rowan joined the Board in August 2020. Rowan is a litigator and dispute resolution lawyer at Miller
Harris, with expertise across a wide range of industry areas including construction, property, insurance, banking and finance, and insolvency. She has a Masters of Commercial Law at Melbourne University, and a pragmatic, problem-solving and forward-thinking approach to her work. After several years at a large firm in Melbourne, Rowan enjoys the personal interactions that come with a smaller firm and a smaller city. Her experience in commercial law and connection to the Cairns community are valuable contributions to the Board.
Nadine Edwards
Nadine joined the Board in June 2018. Born in Cairns, Nadine holds degrees in both law and accountancy from QUT, Brisbane, and has practised as a solicitor with national law firms in Brisbane and Melbourne. In March 2004, Nadine joined the family business LJ Hooker Cairns Edge Hill and has built and maintained a reputation as a trusted name in real estate in Cairns. Nadine is a Life Member of the exclusive LJ Hooker Captains Club Multi-Million Dollar Chapter which recognises the top producers within the entire LJ Hooker network.
George Brooks
George joined the Board in 2019. Cairns born and raised, he holds degrees in economics, commerce and applied finance. Having held a number of executive positions within major banks interstate, George brings financial services experience in marketing, home lending and financial planning distribution. After a period of self employment as a mortgage broker, his focus now is residential property development in South East Queensland, where he has worked closely with Disability Housing providers and the NDIS to provide accessible housing.