About us
Our Board and Management
VincentCare's Board of Directors and Management team
Board of Directors
Bernie Bicknell | Board Chair
CPA, GAICD
Bernie is an experienced senior executive with a background of Finance and senior management roles.
He brings specialised knowledge of the retail sector, having been Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Mitre 10 Pty Ltd and Chief Operating Officer at The Godfreys Group. He was previously a Director and Chair of the Lighthouse Foundation and is currently a Director of Brainwave Australia.
Bernie is also Chair of the Group Finance and Group Investment Committees.
Michael Quinn
Michael has been involved in establishing and managing several businesses over the past 35 years.
Michael established the East Timor Scholarship Fund – funds are distributed by Australian Salesian Mission Overseas Aid Fund. He is President of the Parish Council at St Jude’s Parish in Langwarrin.
Michael is Deputy State President of the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria and a member of the Group Finance, Group Governance and Group Investment Committees.
Alyssa Caplan
Bachelor of Laws (Hons), Bachelor of Commerce (Major in Economics), Member of AICD and Fellow Governance Institute of Australia.
Alyssa is a senior commercial lawyer, specialising in large scale and complex contracting, having practised at Allens Arthur Robinson and as a corporate lawyer at Accenture, a multinational professional services company.
Held several roles on Accenture’s executive leadership teams, including as Director of Legal Services for North APAC. She has previously served on Boards in relation to the provision of affordable housing and supporting victims of family violence.
Alyssa is also Chair of the VincentCare Community Housing Board and a member of the Group Governance Committee.
Thomas Quinn
Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering (Hons), MBA
Tom has over 30 years of global experience as a business and major project executive in multiple sectors including infrastructure, manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, food and chemical service industries, in global public companies.
Tom is the former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Broadspectrum after a career of Australian and international roles in the engineering and construction sector.
He was recognised from 2010 to 2013 as one of the top 100 engineers in Australia by Engineers Australia.
Tom is also a member of the VincentCare Victoria Community Housing Board and the Group Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee.
VincentCare Community Housing
Board of Directors
Alyssa Caplan | Chair
Bachelor of Laws (Hons), Bachelor of Commerce (Major in Economics), Member of AICD and Fellow Governance Institute of Australia.
Alyssa is a senior commercial lawyer, specialising in large scale and complex contracting, having practised at Allens Arthur Robinson and as a corporate lawyer at Accenture, a multinational professional services company.
Held several roles on Accenture’s executive leadership teams, including as Director of Legal Services for North APAC. She has previously served on Boards in relation to the provision of affordable housing and supporting victims of family violence.
Alyssa is also a member of the VincentCare Victoria Board and the Group Governance Committee.
Brendan Foley
Bachelor of Business (Accounting), Graduate Diploma Information Systems, CPA, LSS BB
Brendan is State Treasurer of St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria – the parent of VincentCare Victoria.
Brendan’s career started in chartered accounting but quickly moved to the manufacturing sector where he gained great experience across the aluminium, petrochemical, metals manufacturing and glass packaging industries.
Brendan has held a wide range of senior executive positions within financial, commercial and IT operations across the manufacturing sector, including roles as CFO Australia, IT Security Manager Global, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Director of Business Improvement Asia Pacific.
Brendan has extensive overseas business experience, having worked in sixteen countries across Europe, Asia, the USA and China, where he directed the implementation of large scale business improvement and IT development projects.
Mario Lo Giudice
Bachelor of Economics, Registered Building Practitioner (Commercial and Residential), Member of Australian Institute of Company Directors, Member of the Housing Institute of Australia and Member of the Urban Development Institute of Australia
Mario is the Managing Director of Banco Group of Companies established in 1962, one of Melbourne’s most well established property developers specialising in socially and environmentally sustainable developments and urban regeneration projects, including residential buildings, shopping centres, apartment complexes, townhouse and mixed-use developments, industrial parks, warehouse shells and land subdivisions.
The organisation is committed to building a sustainable future for Australian cities and creating places people can proudly call home.
Thomas Quinn
Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering (Hons), MBA
Tom has over 30 years of global experience as a business and major project executive in multiple sectors including infrastructure, manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, food and chemical service industries, in global public companies.
Tom is the former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Broadspectrum after a career of Australian and international roles in the engineering and construction sector.
He was recognised from 2010 to 2013 as one of the top 100 engineers in Australia by Engineers Australia.
Tom is also a member of the VincentCare Victoria Community Housing Board and the Group Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee.
Ellie Schwab
Bachelor of Arts Law, Victorian Real Estate Licence holder
Ellie is currently Head of Portfolio at Dexus overseeing a $6b office asset management portfolio across Victoria and Western Australia.
She has over 20 years’ experience in the property industry predominantly focused on development management and project leadership of large scale, master planned, mixed use developments in Melbourne, Sydney and London.
Senior Leadership Team
Dr Jenny Fitzgerald AM
Group Chief Executive Officer
Dr Jennifer Fitzgerald AM, a distinguished leader in the field of social services and disability support, assumed the role of Group CEO at St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria in July 2023.
With a remarkable track record in the support services sector, including her successful tenure as CEO of Scope, Dr Fitzgerald brings extensive experience and compassionate leadership to our organisation. Recognised for her exceptional contributions, she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (AM) in 2021.
Growing up with a mother who volunteered for St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria, Dr Fitzgerald deeply appreciates the organisation’s values and transformative approach of providing a ‘hand up’ to those in need.
Paul Turton
Executive General Manager, Client Services
Paul has a dedicated history of working strategically in non-profit organisational management. He was formally General Manager Homelessness Services at VincentCare, our designated housing provider. Prior to that, he was a senior manager at Melbourne City Mission for many years.
Paul has a strong focus on peer learning, business coaching and service innovation.
