Board of Directors
The Board sets the strategic direction of WATC (with the agreement of the Treasurer) and establishes the policies and principles under which WATC operates.
Michael Barnes PSM
Chairperson
Mr Barnes assumed the role of Chairperson when he became Acting Under Treasurer in the Department of Treasury in 2014. Mr Barnes was appointed Under Treasurer in 2015. As Under Treasurer, he is the principal economic and financial policy adviser to the Government of Western Australia. He is also the Chairperson of WATC’s People and Remuneration Committee. Prior to joining the Department of Treasury in 1997, Mr Barnes worked in the Commonwealth Treasury, where he commenced his career as a graduate in 1992. Mr Barnes holds a Bachelor of Business degree with Honours in Economics, and was awarded a Public Service Medal in the June 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours for outstanding public service to State government finances in Western Australia.
Michael Court
Deputy Chairperson
Mr Court was appointed to the Board as Deputy Chairperson in July 2017. Mr Court was appointed Deputy Under Treasurer in September 2016, which followed more than five years as the Executive Director of the Department of Treasury’s Economic business unit. Mr Court joined the Department of Treasury in 1997, after working in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Commonwealth Treasury and the London Underground Ltd. Mr Court is a member of the Government’s Energy Transformation Taskforce and the Bankwest Curtin Economic Centre Advisory Board, and is a non-executive director of Horizon Power.
Kaylene Gulich PSM
Chief Executive Officer
Ms Gulich commenced as CEO of WATC in February 2019. Ms Gulich has extensive experience in public policy, knowledge of financial markets and expertise in the Western Australian economy. Ms Gulich has previously held senior roles within the Department of Treasury, as both the Executive Director of the Economic business unit and the Executive Director for Infrastructure and Finance. As well as being a member of CPA Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Ms Gulich has previously been a Director with Gold Corporation and is currently a Director on VenuesWest’s Board. Ms Gulich recently assumed the position as Treasurer for IPAA WA. Ms Gulich was awarded a Public Service Medal in the June 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours for outstanding public service to Western Australia through a range of roles.
David Brumby
Director
Mr Brumby was appointed as a Director in February 2020. He has worked in wholesale finance for over 30 years across product and relationship areas, both in Australia and overseas. Between 1999 and 2011, Mr Brumby headed Westpac’s Institutional Bank in Western Australia. In 2011, Mr Brumby moved to New York to head Westpac’s Corporate & Institutional Banking business, and between 2014 and 2017, he was the Portfolio Manager/Executive Director for Westpac’s Natural Resources portfolio. Mr Brumby has degrees in mining engineering from the University of Sydney and the University of NSW, and an MBA (IMD). Mr Brumby now acts as an advisor in the natural resources sector and runs a beef-breeding farm with his wife.
Philippa Hobson
Director
Ms Hobson was appointed as a Director in February 2020 and is the Chairperson of the Audit Committee and a member of the People and Remuneration Committee. Ms Hobson is a Risk Consulting Partner at RSM in Perth. Ms Hobson has over 20 years of internal and external audit and risk consulting experience, as well as gaining commercial experience as Finance Manager of a large funds management organisation. Ms Hobson has worked extensively with clients in the public and private sectors, providing audit, enterprise risk management and governance services, internal controls reviews and process redesign, regulatory and financial targeted reviews, and Sarbanes-Oxley control reviews. Ms Hobson’s industry experience covers government, utilities, not-for-profit, financial services and manufacturing. Ms Hobson is passionate about understanding how an organisation’s culture impacts on its performance and conformance. Ms Hobson is on the council for the WA Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors and on the Arts Festival Committee at Newman College.
Susan Murphy AO
Director
Ms Murphy was appointed as a Director in January 2019. As CEO of Water Corporation from 2008–2018, Ms Murphy led the multi-faceted organisation that supplies drinking water to two million customers and wastewater services across 2.6 million square kilometres. Ms Murphy played a pivotal role in ensuring sustainable services were maintained during a time of declining rainfall, growing population and scarce water supplies. In each year from 2009 to 2015, Ms Murphy was listed as one of the 100 most influential engineers in Australia by Engineers Australia. Ms Murphy was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2019 for distinguished service to the natural resources sector in Western Australia, and to engineering.