Meet the Executive Team
Kevin DF Brown MBA, MSc, BEng(Hons), CEng, FIET, FAIM, GAICD
Group Chief Executive Officer
Kevin joined St John WA as its first Group Chief Executive Officer in January 2023. His appointment will focus on high quality care and services being delivered.
Kevin brings more than 20 years’ experience in corporate, operational and commercial roles in airports across Australia and the United Kingdom. During that time, Kevin led a complex range of operations across 24/7 environment, most recently at the Perth Airport as Chief Executive Officer. Kevin led the Perth Airport team for more than six years, overseeing significant growth during his tenure, ensuring that runways and terminals remained operational through the COVID-19 pandemic, with great benefit of WA and Australia.
Kevin has a strong reputation of leadership, growth strategy and driving transformational change while at the same time demonstrating positive culture development. He will bring his wealth of experience to further develop all of St John WA’s services.
Kevin’s experience extends to prior Board roles within Tourism Western Australia, Australian Institute of Management in Western Australia (AIM WA) and Committee for Perth. He is a current St John Event Health Services Volunteer, General Council Member of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia, and a Practitioner Fellow for the University of Western Australia’s Public Policy Institute.
Antony Smithson FSA, GAICD
Chief Operating Officer
With over two decades of experience in managing complex business operations, Antony uses his technical expertise and capability to support St John WA in fulfilling its operational functions to high professional standards.
As a member of the executive team, he ensures that policies, processes, practices, and executive decisions support and further St John WA's operational capabilities. Antony joined St John WA in 2014 as the Executive Director Finance and Supply Chain and has excelled in supporting the operations of the organisation ever since. Having worked in a diverse range of large multi-national organisations Antony has extensive commercial experience in overseeing strategic reviews, commercial agreements, partnerships and joint ventures, contract tendering and statutory reporting.
Antony is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) and a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). He holds a Bachelor of Physics and Computer Science from the University of Manchester.
Scott Higgins APM
Chief Performance & Risk Officer
Scott joined St John WA in April 2019 to lead the implementation of the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan and ensure effective corporate governance, including a robust risk management framework.
Scott brings a wealth of experience from 33 years with WA Police, most recently as the Commander of State Traffic where he was responsible for delivering Western Australia’s road safety enforcement strategy.
Scott holds a Bachelor of Business (Human Resource Management) and a Graduate Certificate in Applied Management.
Aaron Crowther GAICD
Chief Brand & Reputation Officer
Aaron joined St John WA in 2019. His portfolio includes Marketing Programs, Community Engagement, Brand Media, Fundraising, Group Business Development and First Aid. Aaron has a broad set of experiences, spanning his time as a journalist, to roles with local health and global technology enterprises. He has also run some of Australia’s most awarded integrated marketing and public relations agencies.
His focus at St John WA is on driving consistency of brand expression throughout the organisation so its values, purpose and legacy are clearly seen and understood.
Aaron has an undergraduate degree in Arts, with majors in writing and media production, as well as a Post-Graduate Certificate in Business Administration. He is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
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Tamsyn Howard
Chief People, Culture and Development Officer
Tamsyn has over 20 years' of multi-disciplinary People and Culture leadership experience, including specialised health sector knowledge and expertise managing complex multi-site operations. Tamsyn specialises in fostering values-based cultures with a focus on driving innovation, service improvement and productivity in conjunction with best practice leadership and management.
She brings expertise in designing and transforming people-centric strategies, which will prove beneficial as St John works towards positively influencing workplace culture following the 2022 Culture Survey.
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Deon Brink MStJ, GAICD, MHSM
Executive Director Ambulance Operations
Deon has been a paramedic for 22 years, (road, helicopter and fixed wing) working in services in WA and abroad. During his 13 years at St John WA, Deon has held positions including on-road Paramedic, Clinical Team Leader, Clinical Support Paramedic, Clinical Governance Operations Manager and General Manager Clinical Services. Deon has been an Advanced Paediatric Life Support instructor since 2011 and a course director since 2015.He represents St John WA on committees with the Australasian Council of Ambulance Authorities and WA Trauma and Stroke and holds an Adjunct Research Associate position at Curtin University. He is a steering committee member and associate investigator for the Centre of Research Excellence Pre-Hospital Emergency Care at Monash University and holds a Master's Degree in Health Service Management from Monash University, Melbourne.
Darren Webb
Executive Director Primary Health
With more than 20 years' experience in executive health management, Darren is responsible for overseeing the delivery of St John WA's Primary Health services within the rapidly changing and challenged, health care system.Through his role, Darren demonstrates leadership and adaptability, leveraging his strategic thinking and extensive knowledge to develop and implement initiatives that improve quality service delivery and drive growth in St John WA's Primary Health unit.
Across his career, Darren has held senior operational, general management and CEO positions across both public and not-for-profit sectors including positions at Symbion Health, Healthscope Pty Ltd and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Ryan Marshall CA, MAICD
Executive Director Finance & Supply
With more than 20 years of experience, spanning public practice and commercial roles, Ryan has a wealth of experience as a finance leader. Ryan combines his unique perspective with strategic leadership to guide St John WA’s intricate supply chain and finances.As an executive leader, Ryan manages the long-term financial sustainability of St John WA. Ryan has significant experience in contract management and negotiations, mergers and restructuring, as well as financial transformation and system integrations. His dynamic approach has seen him lead the way
in major Australian organisations.
Joining St John in 2013, Ryan held the position of Head of Finance until his appointment as Acting Executive Director of Finance and Supply Chain in October 2020. Ryan’s leadership style has helped create a cohesive, collegial and highly professional finance team at St John.
Ryan holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Corporate Administration, and completed his Chartered Accountant qualifications whilst employed at Ernst & Young. Ryan is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Christian Rasmussen
Executive Director Information Technology
With more than 30 years’ experience across a range of global industries, Christian’s proven track record of business-focused
IT leadership has driven successful digital transformations, as well as organisational change management and technology leadership.Christian leads a transformational body of work identified during St John’s recent Business Process Review, which made several recommendations relating to our organisation’s IT systems and processes. It will help to guide and support St John into the next phase of our future.
Christian is a member of the Australian Computer Society (ACS), Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) – US Computer Society, Project Management Institute (PMI), Information Systems Audit & Control Association (ISACA), and the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Belinda Thorne MStJ
Chief of Staff
Belinda has been with St John since 2012. She has a diverse background, working in support roles for several not-for-profit organisations. She studied Communications and Theatre & Drama and spent some time as a puppeteer in her early career.During her time with St John Belinda has managed the Fabric scholarship program, helped to coordinate a program to bring first aid training to communities in Vietnam, and has been involved across multiple departments in delivery of various publications, events and programs. She is well connected with St John’s national and international counterpart organisations and branches.
As Chief of Staff, Belinda’s objective is around working to amplify the success of the organisation through seeking gains in productivity and impact for the CEO and Executive, and by making time, information, and decision-making more effective.
Career highlights with St John also include singing with the St John band, Critical Incident, as part of the Corporate Battle of the Bands. Belinda has an Advanced Diploma in Leadership and Management and is a Member of the Order of St John.