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Better leadership to nurture positive relationships
The Better Place Australia Executive Team
Kirstan Corben
Chief Executive Officer
She/Her/Hers
She/Her/Hers
Kirstan Corben is the Chief Executive Officer of Better Place Australia, appointed in August 2025. With more than 20 years of leadership experience across health, community, sport, and government sectors, Kirstan brings a deep commitment to equity, wellbeing, and the power of community to create lasting change.
Her career has been shaped by a passion for improving lives—whether through leading public health campaigns, shaping policy in mental health and gender equity, or building partnerships that make services more accessible and inclusive. She has held senior roles at VicHealth, Alfred Health, the Danny Frawley Centre, and within the Victorian Government, always working to ensure people and communities are at the heart of decision-making.
Kirstan is known for her thoughtful, collaborative leadership style and her ability to bring people together around a shared purpose. She currently serves on several boards in the health, community, and sports sectors, where she contributes her experience in governance, strategy, and social impact.
At Better Place Australia, Kirstan leads with a strong belief in the organisation’s purpose: to help people become more resilient, improve their well-being, and feel empowered to shape their own futures. She is proud to be part of a team that works every day to build stronger, more connected communities—where everyone feels valued, supported, and safe.
Graeme Westaway
Executive Manager - Engagement & Growth
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He/Him/His
Graeme believes all people should be able to live their lives fully, in socially connected ways without fear of coercion or discrimination. With a science, communication and services development background, Graeme is behind Better Place Australia’s digital presence, corporate communications, stakeholder management and growth generation.
He has held executive and senior leadership roles across the not-for-profit, mutual and corporate sectors. He is a board member of Family & Relationship Services Australia (FRSA) and also serves as a member of the FRSA Finance, Risk and Governance Committee and a member of Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group. He brings to Better Place Australia a strong background in developing strategies to drive growth, digital engagement and service innovation. He has a passion for raising ageism awareness, elder abuse prevention and respecting the right of all people to self-determination.
Olivia Darcy
Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary
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She/Her/Hers
Olivia is passionate about making a difference. Olivia started her career in chartered accounting before moving overseas to work in investment banking. Upon returning to Australia, Olivia worked for ANZ in a variety of roles across projects, corporate communications and finance. Following a lifestyle change, she moved to a farm in regional Victoria and worked as CFO of a community-based, not-for-profit aged care facility igniting a passion for using skills gained from a corporate background in the “for purpose” sector.
Olivia has a Bachelor of Business, is a CPA and has a Certificate in Governance Practice from the Governance Institute of Australia. Olivia has three young boys and is treasurer of their school council and is a board member of Fairway Bayside Aged Care.
Olivia joined Better Place Australia in 2022.
Craig Dennis
Chief Operating Officer
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He/Him/His
Craig Dennis has over 20 years experience in IT systems, information management and information technology strategy. Craig has held a number of senior and and executive roles, and has a extensive experience in technology change consulting, advisory and business leadership roles. Craig’s expertise in business automation systems for small to medium businesses has enabled Better Place Australia to develop new key IT strategies and systems. Craig has a long history in volunteer work, including helming senior roles in the Country Fire Authority and consulting to a number of not-for-profits.
Craig joined Better Place Australia in 2017.
Maurice Valle
Executive Manager People and Culture
He/Him/His
He/Him/His
Maurice brings extensive generalist Human Resources experience to Better Place Australia, having held numerous senior roles in the People and Culture space across various industries and sectors. This includes not-for-profit, retail, manufacturing, infrastructure, financial services, and government. Maurice has a strong background in strategic business partnering, employee relations, process improvement, governance, and all areas of operational HR across the employee lifecycle. Maurice is driven by the opportunity to add value and make a real difference through a relationship-based approach to engaging with staff and stakeholders.
Maurice joined Better Place Australia in 2023.
Rhonda Withers
General Manager Elders Services
She/Her/Hers
She/Her/Hers
Rhonda is a Registered Nurse and Senior Healthcare Manager with over 20 years of experience working with older Australians. She has held Clinical, Quality and Operational Management positions across Australia in community services and in Residential Aged Care. With a strong focus on quality assurance and inclusive service delivery, Rhonda excels in developing, implementing, and evaluating aged care services. Rhonda has been involved in strategic planning at a senior management level and she has been able to effectively influence and undertake change management processes across organisations. Rhonda has been instrumental in establishing the Residential Aged Care Psychological Services program across Victoria. Since joining Better Place Australia in 2018, she takes pride in the organisation’s commitment to fulfilling its mission and values. Rhonda is very passionate about providing exceptional services for Older Australians and zealous about advocating for the same.
Leanne Lewis
General Manager Mental Health Services
She/Her/Hers
She/Her/Hers
Leanne worked as a Social Work practitioner in mental health, family violence and counselling services before taking on senior management roles in the mental health and homelessness sectors. Leanne is passionate about delivering high-quality, trauma-informed services and building high-performing organisations that deliver lasting social outcomes. She brings expertise in strategy development, change management, and measurement and evaluation.
Leanne has an MBA and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is currently a Director at St Mary’s House of Welcome – a homelessness organisation working with some of Melbourne’s most vulnerable people.
Kristen Poel
General Manager Mediation
She/Her/Hers
She/Her/Hers
Kristen Poel began her career as a Social Worker in South Australia before expanding her expertise across multiple states. She is also a registered Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, specialising in Family Law and the delivery of Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) services. Joining Better Place Australia in 2013, Kristen initially managed the Family Relationship Centre’s counselling program. Kristen serves as the General Manager of FDR for Better Place Australia. Kristen’s focus lies in managing services for separated families, with a strong commitment to ensuring the best possible outcomes for children.