Executive team

Romilly Madew AO FTSE HonFIEAust was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2022. 

Prior to joining Engineers Australia, Ms Madew was CEO of Infrastructure Australia overseeing the organisation's critical role in helping governments prioritise projects and reforms that best serve our communities. 

Ms Madew served as CEO of the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) for 13 years. In acknowledgment of her contribution to Australia’s sustainable building movement, Ms Madew was awarded an Order of Australia in 2019.

She is currently a Member of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) Infrastructure Forum, Member of Placemaking NSW Advisory Committee, Director of Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Independent Chair of the Currawong State Park Advisory Board (NSW), Federal Government appointee on the Circular Economy Ministerial Advisory Group and G20 EMPOWER – Empowerment and Progression of Women's Economic Representation, Member of the National Women in Transport CEO Advisory Group, Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers Enabling Better Infrastructure Steering Group (UK) and Director of Minerva Network (supporting Australia’s elite sportswomen).

Ms Madew is a Fellow of the ATSE, Honorary Fellow, Planning Institute of Australia and Life Fellow of the GBCA. 

Claire Foo joined Engineers Australia in August 2021. Claire is focused on building the organisation’s digital capabilities and offering through a significant digital transformation. Claire leads the Technology and Data and Analytics functions to lead and champion the use of information, data, insights and technology. Her focus is building the digital maturity of the organisation to enable a digital ecosystem that enables, inspires and advances engineering in Australia.

Prior to her current role, Claire was the Chief Information Officer of the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and before this of the Department of Environment and Primary Industries. She has held roles across the public sector in spatial information and strategy and represented Victoria in cross-jurisdictional spatial information boards and councils. Claire has experience across both the private and public sector and has held roles in the technology sector and banking.

Claire is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Directors and holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Business Administration from the Melbourne Business School.

Jo Gullick joined Engineers Australia in April 2023. Jo leads the Finance and Risk teams that provide financial and risk management services, business partnering and reporting for the organisation and its subsidiaries. Jo is focused on ensuring sustainable and responsible performance and growth of the organisation into the future.

Prior to her current role, Jo was the CFO, Company Secretary and Head of Business Innovation at the Property Council of Australia, and prior to this Chief Accountant for The Australian Industry Group. She has held roles in a broad range of industries including an ASX publicly listed company, NFP industry associations, performing arts, retail and chartered accountancy. Jo has more than 30 years’ experience in finance and corporate governance.

Jo is a Fellow of both CPA Australia and the Governance Institute of Australia and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the Australian National University.

Sarah Jenkins has focused her career on delivering a positive social impact and has more than 15 years' experience working for engineering professional bodies in the UK and Australia. She has led the strategy functions at the Institution of Engineering and Technology – the UK equivalent of Engineers Australia, and at Cancer Research UK, the UK’s largest fundraising charity.   

Sarah is responsible for member services at Engineers Australia including CPD, customer service, assessments, volunteer support and local engagement across Australia and our international chapters. Her mission is to work with members and employees to grow Engineers Australia’s positive impact in advancing society through great engineering. 

She has two degrees from the University of Cambridge in Philosophy and an MBA from the University of Warwick.

With a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (first class honours), Michael has more than 25 years’ domestic and international experience. Michael has worked across the manufacturing, finance, and professional services sectors with Ford Motor Company, Pacifica Group, National Australia Bank, Deloitte and PwC. His career journey has seen him go from fitter and turner, to engineer, to consultant. Most recently, he was a Director of Business Operations Consulting at PwC where he led the firm’s process excellence capability. 

Jane MacMaster FIEAust CPEng EngExec NER has worked as an aerospace, mechanical and systems engineer in Australia and internationally, focusing primarily on supersonic flight vehicle design, operations research and rapid prototyping in the defence sector. 

She has qualifications in Engineering (Mechanical) and postgraduate qualifications in International Relations. Jane has previously worked as a senior advisor within the strategy unit of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and as a management consultant in the financial services sector. Most recently she was Founder and Director of Ponder Enterprises, where she used her engineering skillset to address complex societal challenges. Jane also developed a conceptual model and practical techniques for complex problem solving which she taught at universities and to staff from Commonwealth and state and territory government departments. 

Prior to joining Engineers Australia as Chief Engineer, Jane held several volunteer positions at Engineers Australia, including as a member on the Accreditation Board, Chair of the Canberra Division Mechanical Engineering Committee, and member of the Canberra Division Women in Engineering committee. She is currently a Board Member for the Australian Council of Professions.

Damian is an advocacy and public policy professional with more than 20 years’ experience, contributing to a number of the most influential advocacy campaigns in Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Damian has worked on US Presidential campaigns and has advised many senior leaders, including a Prime Minister in best practice communication and advocacy strategy. Damian is passionate about data-driven, evidence-based policy and advocacy and has a deep understanding of the media and communications landscape and its imperatives.

Damian holds a BA (Government and International Relations) from Sydney University and is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School Leadership Program.  

Ricky joined Engineers Australia in October 2020 as the Executive General Manager of People and Transformation. He is now the Group Executive, People and Strategy.

During his career Ricky has held several HR leadership roles and most recently was the Director – Human Resources for the CSIRO, leading a team of more than 100 across Australia. Ricky’s strong business acumen and track record of delivering impact has positioned him to be a valued business partner across many industries including research and development, technology and the public sector. He has a strong focus on driving business outcomes through shaping organisational culture, developing high performing teams and creating exceptional employee experiences. 

Ricky is responsible for the People and Strategy Group including internal communications, change, business transformation, strategy, culture and people. The group’s focus is bringing together our strategy, talent and new ways of working to deliver on our purpose to advance society through great engineering.  

Ricky is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Directors and holds a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) with Honours. 

Vida is responsible for the legal affairs and corporate governance of Engineers Australia. She has almost 20 years of legal experience, the majority of which was gained as a senior lawyer at top tier law firm Allens where she worked in mergers and acquisitions, equity capital markets, general commercial law, and insolvency and restructuring. She has represented clients locally and internationally across many sectors, including financial services, energy and resources, manufacturing and retail.

Vida holds a Masters degree in law and Bachelor degrees in law and science from the University of Melbourne, advanced certification from the Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association and is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia.