Meet the Mother's Day Classic's new directors

The Mother's Day Classic, which has raised $33 million for breast cancer research over the past 20 years and has its sights set on raising $40 million by 2020, has welcomed three new directors to its board: HESTA's Stephen Reilly, NGS Super's Thomay Gatis and Cbus Super's Robert Pickering. Industry Moves finds out a little about their reasons for joining, what they hope to achieve, and discovers that one is an ex-DJ, one is a published novelist, and one is drawn to those who stand up for what they believe in.

Stephen Reilly

Chief Operating Officer at HESTA

Stephen has more than 20 years' experience working as a management consultant and executive manager, driving strategy across the banking, wealth management and superannuation sector.

What drew you to the board of the MDC Foundation?
Well of course, it's a great event for a great cause. But more personally, my mother is a breast cancer survivor and almost died when I was four. So I am incredibly grateful for the treatments of the time and keen to contribute in the best way I can to raising money for future treatments.

What do you hope to achieve during your term?
The Mother's Day Classic is one of Australia's great charities and community success stories. The main goal for me is to protect, continue and grow that story. Beyond that it would be to help the event tell its story in a way that cuts through all the noise and alternative events that are competing for our attention.

Do you have a secret skill/hidden talent?
I am a published novelist. In a world of LinkedIn, that is probably not a secret, but given that Ninety East Ridge came out in 2002, and given how hard it is to find, I think we can safely call it hidden.

Thomay Gatis

Customer Relationship Manager at NGS Super

Thomay has worked in in the superannuation industry for over 20 years in retail, public-sector and industry super funds. During this time, she served for more than a decade in a voluntary capacity as Chair of Women in Super (SA) and oversaw the development of the MDC event in South Australia.

What drew you to the board of the MDC Foundation?
The opportunity to be involved at the highest level to better understand and provide input to the governance and strategic focus of the Mother's Day Classic.

What do you hope to achieve during your term?
To draw on my experience at the local event level to help inform and guide decisions, so that the event can continue to provide the community with an opportunity to engage for a common cause - to support those affected by breast cancer but to also raise funds so that a cure can be found.

Who do you most admire and why?
Not one person in particular but I'm drawn to those who are true to their values in all that they do - both personally & professionally and do not shy away from standing up for what they believe in.

Robert Pickering

Head of Technology and Digital Transformation at Cbus Super

Robert has more than 15 years of senior IT management experience in large public and private companies both nationally and internationally across industries as diverse as financial services, education, digital, manufacturing and technology.

What drew you to the board of the MDC Foundation?
Personally, my life has already been touched by family members with breast cancer, namely my mother and grandmother, so for me it was an opportunity to make sure my nieces in particularly, who are genetically predisposed to suffering from breast cancer have the best possible chance at it not being a thing by the time it's likely to affect them and so that other families avoid the same sort of challenges that we had. Professionally, there is an outstanding existing board in place that I believe I can learn a lot from working with them to further the cause of the Mother's Day Classic Foundation.

What do you hope to achieve during your term?
Assisting wherever I can to help the Foundation meet its goal of $40M donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation by 2020 and hopefully being able to run the whole 8km course without having to stop to rest unlike last year!

Do you have a secret skill/hidden talent?
A long, long time ago I used to be an entertainer/DJ for weddings, birthdays, functions etc - in fact, that's how I met my wife whose 21st birthday I djayed!

To find out more about the Mother's Day Classic and how you can get involved, visit: www.mothersdayclassic.com.au