Our Team

Dr Robert Johnson

Director & Chair

Dr Robert Johnson (BVSc MANZCVS CertZooMed BA Grad Dip Asian Studies) graduated from the University of Sydney in 1977. He currently works in zoo, wildlife, and livestock welfare practice.

Robert is a member of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists (Feline Medicine) and holds a Certificate in Zoological Medicine from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. In May 2015 he was elected President of the Australian Veterinary Association and formally recognised as a Fellow of the AVA in 2020. Robert has extensive clinical experience in zoo animal medicine and has presented and written widely on reptile, zoo and wildlife medicine. In his spare time Robert draws cartoons and tries to learn stuff.

Dr Hugh Millar

Director & Deputy Chair

Dr Hugh Millar (BVSc MANZCVS PSM) is a highly regarded veterinarian and biosecurity professional, who has worked extensively over 35 years in biosecurity management and disease control.

Dr Millar was Victorian Chief Veterinary Officer for 11 years, and for 5 years was the Executive Director for Biosecurity Victoria, responsible for policies and programs for plant and animal biosecurity, animal welfare, invasive plants and pest animal management, domestic animal regulation and control of use of agricultural and veterinary chemicals. He is a member, by examination, of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists, Epidemiology Chapter, and was awarded a Public Service Medal in 2011 in his role as Chief Veterinary Officer for Victoria. Dr Millar has extensive professional networks within government and with industries at the national and state levels.

Dr Millar has had extensive experience in the area of One Health, forging links over his career with his counterparts in public health and infectious disease management. He is a strategic thinker, not afraid to ‘think outside the square’.

Dr Millar is currently working as a biosecurity and disease management consultant to government and industry.

Dr John Allen

Director & Treasurer

Dr John Allen is the most recent addition to the VBB Board, bringing with him a wealth of experience in epidemiology and international animal health programs.
After leading DFAT and ACIAR animal and zoonotic disease research and control projects in Indonesia, John vastly expanded his assignments to areas such as Lao, Thailand, Vietnam, Bhutan, Mongolia, and Yemen to name a few.

Following completion of an MBA, John sought a change of career and followed an interest in licensing and commercialisation of research outcomes. Since 2009, John has been the Program Leader for CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness through their International Engagement Program

John also has made a significant contribution to the ethical conduct of research involving animals and has chaired and held membership on animal ethics committees in Australia and has facilitated the establishment of ethics committees in developing countries.

Dr Helen Byrnes

Director

Apart from her role on the board of VBB, Helen is the current VBB Program Co-ordinator for the Sikkim Anti-Rabies and Animal Health (SARAH) Program.

In this capacity, she works closely with the local co-ordinator Dr Thinlay Bhutia in the management of the program.

Helen joined VBB in 2006 when she volunteered in the SARAH Program. She subsequently volunteered on VBB’s Ladakh and Bylakuppe projects before taking on her current roles. Helen graduated with first class honours in veterinary science from University of Queensland in 1988 and subsequently completed a Bachelor of Medical Studies and Graduate Certificate in Trade Mark Law and Practice. Helen is a member of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists by examination in pharmacology. She also has private veterinary practices in Brisbane, Australia.

Jane Sharwood

Director

As the Special Advisor, City of Melbourne, Jane works closely with a wide range of stakeholders to drive economic development and position Melbourne as a world-class city in local, national and international markets.
By building strong and ongoing partnerships with key city stakeholders, domestically and internationally, during the past 22 years, Jane has positioned Melbourne as a city that collaborates with its long-standing international city partnership. Jane also worked for the Victorian Government, councils in remote New South Wales and regional Victoria, in community development and recreation services and for over 30 years, enjoyed supporting her family mixed farming enterprise.

Jane was appointed in 2007, as the lay member of Museum Victoria’s animal ethics committee.

Jane holds a Bachelor of Arts (Australian National University), Graduate Diploma in Recreation Planning (University of Canberra), a Certificate in Wool Classing and is a member of the Australia Institute of Company Directors.

Nina Dejmanee

Director

Nina is a strategic advisor to organisations across the private, public and for-purpose sectors with a specific focus on organisational capability, culture and design. She joined the Board of VBB in 2019. Nina currently runs her own independent management consulting practice.
She has previously held consulting roles at Ernst and Young and Bendelta and worked in people strategy and analytics at Macquarie Bank. She holds a degree in psychology (M. Org Psych; B. Psych (hons)) and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Nina has a strong personal interest in animal welfare, animal cognition and behaviour, and the mutually beneficial relationship between animals and humans, an interest strengthened through her previous volunteer work with Delta Therapy Dogs Australia.

A passionate animal advocate, Nina shares her home with three indomitable rescue pets.

Dr Melanie Latter

Director

Melanie graduated from the University of Sydney in 1986, and completed a PhD in veterinary pathology in 1997. She worked in cattle practice on Norfolk Island before returning to teach veterinary pathology at the University of QLD.

In 2010 Melanie changed career paths to pursue her life-long interest in animal welfare, taking a role as a Senior Policy Officer in the Queensland government’s animal welfare unit. During this time she obtained Membership of the ANZCVS in animal welfare science, and a Graduate Certificate in Policy Analysis through the Griffith University Business School. Since 2015, Melanie has worked in a leadership policy and advocacy role for the Australian Veterinary Association.

Melanie is a past member of the NSW NPWS Animal Ethics Committee, and the UQ Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics Advisory Board. She is a current member of the ACT Government’s Animal Welfare Advisory Board since 2015, and the ACT Veterinary Practitioners Board since 2018. Melanie is passionate about improving animal welfare both domestically and internationally.

Prof Julia Beatty

Director

Jules graduated from the RVC, London in 1989 and has worked shelter, primary and referral practice in the UK, Sydney and Hong Kong. She holds a PhD in virology from the University of Glasgow, Fellowship of the ANZCVS in Feline Medicine and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in London. Her current role as Chair Professor in Veterinary Medicine and Infectious Diseases in the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, CityU, has seen her lead the establishment of the first clinical department of the first veterinary school in Hong Kong. Improving animal welfare in the region, a core mission of the school.

Jules is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has served on the Veterinary Practitioners Board of NSW, as the Director of the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital and Associate Dean of Clinical Sciences at the University of Sydney, President of the
Feline Chapter of the Australia and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists and she currently sits of the RCVS Fellowship Scientific Advisory Panel, as well as international grant review and editorial boards. Jules is the founding Director of the Centre for Animal Health at Welfare at CityU, Professor Emerita at the University of Sydney, and Adjunct Professor of Small Animal Medicine at Texas A&M University.

She currently lives in Hong Kong with her partner, Vanessa, and 2 pre-loved and currently-loved cats, Albert and Joey.

Dr Kirsty Officer

Director

Kirsty graduated as a veterinarian from Murdoch University in 1995. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts (Politics and History) and a Master of Veterinary Studies (Conservation Medicine). Alongside her career as a veterinary clinician, Kirsty has maintained strong professional interests in animal welfare, public health, and conservation medicine.

Kirsty first encountered VBB as a volunteer in 2007 and was a part of the team which delivered the first VetTrain initiative in India 2009. She remains passionate about the health and welfare of community dogs, and continues to be regularly involved in dog health programmes both within Australia and overseas. Since 2009 Kirsty’s work has been centred in Southeast Asia, with roles in the development and oversight of sustainable veterinary programmes with organisations focused on wildlife conservation and welfare. Working alongside remarkable veterinarians across a range of different contexts has strengthened Kirsty’s belief in the power of accessible and relevant veterinary education initiatives to improve animal welfare.

Kirsty is currently undertaking a PhD, focussed on the transmission of human disease to captive wildlife.