At Weave, our Board of industry leaders generously donate their time, energy, passion and expertise to help us build a strong connected community with opportunities, equity and justice for all.
Nellie Pollard-Wharton
Chair and Non-Executive Director
Nellie Pollard-Wharton is a proud Kooma woman, mother and social worker, born in Townsville, and raised in Meanjin (Brisbane), before moving to the Eora nation. Since then, Nellie has grown up and is raising her son and daughter on Gadigal, Wangal and Bedgegal lands.
She is an Associate Lecturer in the School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW, whilst also undertaking her HDR program focussing on Aboriginal Community Led Solutions to Prevent Unintentional Child Injury.
Nellie holds a Bachelor of Social Work (Hons) from the University of New South Wales.
As a social work student, Nellie first joined the Weave family whilst on her clinical placement at the Weave Woolloomooloo Community Hub. Since then, she has continued to follow Weave closely. She joined the Weave board in 2021 and is also a part of the Fundraising Committee.
Nellie is passionate about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, wellbeing, self-determination and justice. In her various roles and community work she continues to develop her practice and pedagogy to ensure that Indigenous knowledges, genuine collaboration and leadership are core components of any actions associated with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Jonathon Captain-Webb
Vice-Chair and Non-Executive Director
Jonathon is a Gomeroi and Dunghutti man, born and raised in the Redfern Aboriginal community, with deep cultural grounding and lived experience in Aboriginal knowledge systems, cultural governance, and community-led decision-making.
He currently serves as Director of the First Nations Program at the Environmental Defenders Office, where leading a national team supporting First Nations peoples to protect Country, cultural heritage, and water through law reform, strategic advocacy and legal intervention. Jonathon’s work sits at the intersection of First Nations land justice, cultural heritage protection, and Indigenous governance systems, with a focus on translating community knowledge, first law and responsibility into systems that deliver lasting structural change.
Christopher Whitnall
Secretary and Non-Executive Director
Christopher Whitnall is the Founder and Managing Director of talkforce, a leadership and communication skills consultancy, providing services to the private, government, sporting and not-for-profit sectors. Christopher annually donates 15-20% of his time to non-profit organisations.
Christopher joined the Weave Board in December 2017 and is dedicated to assisting the Weave team build a strong, connected community and deliver services to young people and families that assist with their education and wellbeing.
Chris Mills
Treasurer, Chair of Audit & Risk Committee and Non-Executive Director
Chris is an accomplished leader and executive with over 25 years’ experience driving transformative change across the corporate sector. He is currently the Managing Director of Wpay, a leading omni channel payments platform operating across Australia and New Zealand that is owned by Woolworths Group. Chris joined Woolworths Group in 2018 and prior to his role with Wpay was General Manager and Head of Mergers & Acquisitions with responsibility for corporate development, acquisitions and divestments, strategic investments and partnerships, and equity market transactions for the Group.
Prior to joining Woolworths Group, Chris spent more than 15 years in investment banking with Goldman Sachs, where he was Head of Consumer, Retail and Healthcare in Australia & New Zealand, and Citi. Chris also serves as a Non-Executive Director of Australian Payments Plus.
Matt Roope
Chair of Fundraising Committee and Non-Executive Director
Matt Roope is a Partner at strategy advisory practice GNG Partners, where he works with corporate, not-for-profit, and public sector clients to develop sustainable growth strategies. Matt draws on over two decades of experience leading teams in strategy, commercial, and M&A functions across a variety of industries and organisations in Australia, Europe, and Asia.
Matt joined the Weave Board in November 2024. Prior to this, Matt worked with Weave for several years, including as a volunteer in the Tutoring Programme, and as an advisor to the Board and leadership. Matt is energised by the positive impact that can be achieved when people are empowered to change their lives with place-based, community-led programs.
Matt is Chair of Weave’s Fundraising Strategy Committee.
Roxanne Saunders
Chair of Community & Culture Committee and Non-Executive Director
Roxanne Saunders is a proud Biripi woman from Taree on the Mid-North Coast of NSW and works in the Aboriginal People and Culture team for the Department of Planning, industry and Environment, she is committed to growing and developing public sector career pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected, regardless of difference.
Prior to this Roxanne worked in the Diversity and Culture team for the Department of Planning where she used her expertise and experience in diversity and inclusion, organisational culture, leadership, human resources and knowledge and project management to develop programs that change the way business is done.
Roxanne is a member of the local Redfern community and has been an advocate for Aboriginal people, families who have been impacted by justice systems while working for Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network.
Roxanne joined the Weave Board in 2020, as she is committed to making a positive difference through culturally appropriate policy development, services and programs that assist our amazing Weave team in delivering services to young people and families.
Kuyan Mitchell
Chair of Governance Committee and Non-Executive Director
Kuyan Mitchell is a proud Wiradjuri, Gnunnawal and Bundjalung man from Cowra NSW. Kuyan is a Director at Impact Policy and brings extensive experience in policy, system reform and community-led design.
Kuyan has worked across government and community sectors in senior leadership roles, supporting organisations and communities to strengthen outcomes for young people and families. His work centres cultural governance, ethical leadership and strengthening organisations to deliver lasting impact for community.
He brings experience in co-design, strategic leadership and culturally grounded evaluation, alongside a strong commitment to Aboriginal self determination and accountable governance.
Kuyan joins the Weave Board with a deep commitment to community-led solutions and supporting young people and families in South Sydney to thrive. He is passionate about strengthening organisations that are trusted by community and led with integrity.
Peggy Dwyer
Non-Executive Director
Dr Peggy Dwyer SC has proudly served on Weave’s Board since 2015, and was Chair of the Board from 2018 – 2022. Peggy is a barrister at Forbes Chambers, and is now a Senior Counsel specialising in criminal law, coronial inquests and Commissions of Inquiry and medical disciplinary matters. Prior to this, she worked as a solicitor for the Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS) in Redfern and the Northern Territory for close to a decade.
Peggy loved her time working with the Redfern community and first met the Weave team in the year 2000, when working as a children’s lawyer. Weave was then called ‘South Sydney Youth Service’ and the team worked to support Peggy’s clients through Court and to deal with the underlying issues for each child — like being victims of abuse at home or bullying at school, drug use, homelessness, parents in crisis, or mental illness. Like they do today, the youth workers supported children and families whatever the problem, helping them to connect with each other and the community and empowering kids to change their own lives and avoid criminal offending.
Peggy is passionate about using the law to assist people who have had a challenging start to life. While lawyers are important to help people navigate the criminal justice system, Peggy believes the work Weave does is truly transformative — she loves how Weave creates a safety net for young people and fosters a loving, safer community.
Cindy Penrose
Non-Executive Director
Driven by a commitment to make a difference to the lives of the most vulnerable people and communities, Cindy is a nationally recognised leader, social innovator and advocate with a proven track record in delivering major change initiatives in complex political, social and organisational environments.
Cindy draws upon her demonstrated skill set in organisational leadership, governance and strategy, policy development, cultural transformation, advocacy and social innovation, to assist individuals and organisations delivering impactful and purposeful programs. Cindy is often recognized for her natural ability to connect with people and communities with strength and compassion and for her leadership style that fosters a culture of inclusion, bringing teams along with her to build long-lasting strategic relationships.
Her influential role in the social impact sector is underscored by her successful track record in policy and legislative reforms, which have been pivotal in transforming the social landscape and empowering Australia’s most vulnerable populations to thrive.