Ambulance Victoria Board

Our Board of Directors

Andrew Crisp

Board Chair

AM APM

Andrew served a distinguished 40-year career with Victoria Police where he held a number of senior executive positions, finishing in the role of Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations. In 2018, Andrew was appointed as Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner, a position he held for five years.

In these roles Andrew provided strong leadership and was a calm, familiar face for Victorians during some of the most significant emergencies the state has faced including the 2019- 20 bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic response.

In both his police and emergency services roles, Andrew is regarded as someone with sound judgement who builds effective teams that deliver positive outcomes for the Victorian community. It is important to Andrew that all voices are listened to, and that inclusion and diversity are front of mind when it comes to organisational culture and service delivery.

Andrew is well known as a champion for multicultural and faith communities and firmly believes he is a better person and leader through those relationships. Andrew joined the Board of AV in July, 2024 however he took a leave of absence from his role as a director to undertake the role of Interim CEO at AV from the 21 August, 2024 to 30 June 2025.

Andrew was appointed Ambulance Victoria’s Board Chair in July 2025.

Allison Smith

Board Member

B.Acc, GAICD, CA (Australia and Scotland)

With extensive experience in multiple industries, Allison is recognised as a leader in a number of disciplines, but specifically financial analysis and reporting. She has held senior finance, retail, merchandise, marketing, supply chain and IT roles in some of Australia’s most influential organisations.

Allison has a passion for innovation and cultural enhancement in the public health and emergency services sectors.

She is also a Board Member of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health where she chairs the Finance and Capital Works Committee. She was previously the Deputy Chair of Peninsula Health where she was also Chair of the Finance, Resource and Capital works Committee and a member of the Audit and Risk Committee, People & Culture Committee and the Remuneration & Nominations Committee.

She is a member of the Australia & New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Allison has recently been an independent member of the Ambulance Victoria Board’s Audit and Risk Committee.

Amanda Watt

Board Member

BCom LLB (Hons) LLM GAICD MAPP

Appointed July 2022.

Amanda’s 30 years’ experience advising the public and private sectors across education, health, essential services and manufacturing has seen her work with clients on strategic and sustainable workplace solutions, reflecting a comprehensive understanding of risk management, particularly around employee relations and culture.

Amanda has extensive expertise in employment, industrial, and equal opportunity law. She has a deep appreciation of the human, societal and economic impact of systemic sexual harassment and discrimination in our workplaces.

She was a contributor to the Champions of Change Coalition’s report: Disrupting the System – preventing and responding to sexual harassment in the workplace and has supported the work of the Respect@Work Council(opens in a new window) on its best practice guidance for confidentiality agreements. on its best practice guidance for confidentiality agreements.

Amanda has been independently recognised by Best Lawyers in the areas of Employee Benefits, Labour and Employment, Government, and Education, and as a leading individual in Employment Law by the Legal 500 Asia Pacific.

Amanda Chairs the Equality and Workplace Reform Committee and is a member of the People and Culture and Quality and Safety Committees.

Denise Heinjus

Board Member

Appointed July 2023.

Denise is an experienced leader in driving positive cultural and clinical change for the mutual benefit of an organisation, its people, and the community.

Denise is passionate about shaping ‘just’ workplace cultures, in which an organisation’s people thrive as individuals and team members. Throughout her career, she has worked closely with employees and volunteers to create strategies, procedures and resources to minimise harm from occupational violence and sexual harassment.

Denise values the importance of and fosters environments of shared leadership, teamwork and genuine community consultation and engagement. She is committed to closing the health gap for First Nations peoples and is encouraged to see the increasing numbers of health workers identifying as First Nations.

Denise was Executive Director of Nursing at the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) for 16 years. Prior to her appointment at RMH, she held similar roles as Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery at Monash Health, Illawarra Area Health Service and Northern Sydney Central Coast. Her roles have included managing nursing services, workforce and education, residential aged care, allied health services, Aboriginal health and emergency management.

Denise’s nursing career spans 55 years. She became a Registered Nurse in 1972 before completing her midwifery training in 1973. She has achieved a Graduate Certificate in Management and Masters of Health Science (Honours).

Throughout her career, Denise has held professional appointments at the University of Melbourne, Australian Catholic University, Deakin University and University of Wollongong.

Dipak Sanghvi

Board Member

Appointed July 2022.

Mr Dipak Sanghvi is a pharmacist and pharmacy owner in Victoria and is currently Board Chair of Member Benefits Australia Pty Ltd, Musculoskeletal Australia and Monash Health.

His previous positions include President of the Pharmacy Guild Victoria Branch 2006-2011, Board Chair of Gold Cross Products and Services Pty Ltd, Board Chair of Return of Unwanted Medicines, Board member of Guild Insurance and Superannuation and Meridian Lawyers, as well as several other board positions both in the community and the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr Fergus Kerr

Board Member

MBBS, FACEM, MPH, FRACMA, GAICD

Fergus Kerr joined the Royal Melbourne Hospital as Chief Medical Officer in 2022, having been Group Director of Medical Services and Clinical Governance at Cabrini Health in Melbourne. Fergus was appointed as an Emergency Physician and Toxicologist at Austin Health in 1997.

10 years later, in September 2007, he undertook a new challenge as Director of Emergency Medicine, and in 2011 he extended his leadership roles by taking up the Medical Directorship of the Medical and Emergency Clinical Services Unit.

More recently in a desire to develop his leadership capacity formally, Fergus completed his Fellowship with the Royal Australasian College for Medical Administrators following which he took up the role as the Executive Director of Medical Services at Peninsula Health.

In 2016 Fergus returned to Austin Health in an Executive position as the Chief Medical Officer. He has a strong interest in Toxicology, spending two years undertaking specialist training at the University of Pittsburgh and was pivotal in establishing the Victorian Poisons Information Centre at Austin Health. He has previously been an examiner with the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and, up until January 2018, continued to practice clinically.

Paula Morgan

Board Member

Paula is a proud Gunnai woman and a Registered Nurse with decades of health sector experience.

Paula’s nursing career took her to the Northern Territory and Western Australian Aboriginal communities – an experience that is very close to her heart today.

Paula has spent the last 15 years at Lakes Entrance Aboriginal Health Association (LEAHA), initially working as a community nurse before moving to the role of Chief Executive Officer.

Vijaya Vaidyanath

Board Member

Vijaya Vaidyanath is the inaugural CEO of Homes Melbourne – a special entity of City of Melbourne. Prior to this role, Vijaya was the CEO of City of Yarra in Melbourne from July 2012 – January 2022. Vijaya spent over a decade as CEO at Waitakere City Council and as the CEO of Rodney District Council in New Zealand. She is a Board Member at Procurement Australia, Zoos Victoria, Parks Victoria, Ambulance Victoria and Vision Super.

Vijaya’s exemplary qualifications include a Senior Executive Fellow of the John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, MBA from JMKatz Graduate School of Business in Pittsburgh USA, Master of Arts (Economics) and a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from the University of Bangalore.

Vijaya draws inspiration from a variety of global thought and academic leaders as well as from her overseas mentors who have shaped her world view and led to her interest in social justice and values-based leadership. She has been a leader from the very early stages of her career in sectors such as commercial and central banking, international finance, and local government in both New Zealand and Australia.

Vijaya is renowned for her innovation, integrity, inspiring leadership style and a unique ability to deliver results. She instils a strong sense of pride and passion in her staff who deliver exemplary outcomes for our communities. Her strong belief in building coalitions and harnessing community capacity has been her work philosophy.

Wenda Donaldson

Board Member

Appointed July 2020.

Wenda is a public sector and not-for-profit senior executive, combining her non-Executive Board career with her role as a General Manager at Uniting Victoria and Tasmania.

Wenda has held executive roles with the Australian Red Cross, Australian Department of Education and the Australian Sports Commission.

Wenda has proven expertise in advocacy for policy reform and investment to enhance outcomes for those experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage. She has also been involved in the establishment of inter-governmental and multi sector partnership agreements to deliver on major public policy reforms.

Updated 2 July 2025