Peter Harrison
President

Peter has had a long involvement with Alkira, being the Treasurer for more than 30 years. He was appointed President in 2015 following the retirement of June Charlesworth.

Peter qualified as a Chartered Accountant after completing a Bachelor of Business at RMIT. His career includes 20 years as Managing Partner of second-tier accounting firm William Buck, two short term roles as CEO of legal firms Phillips Fox and Herbert Geer and Rundle, and 10 years with consulting engineering firm AECOM as their CFO for operations in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East.

More recently he has been consulting to several leading legal and accounting firms in Melbourne. Peter is the Chair of the Wesley College Foundation and a former Chair of the Wesley College Council.

Dianne Bassett
Senior Vice President

Dianne is the mother of one of Alkira’s participants, Rhys. She brings to her role a keen sense of the challenges faced by modern families with an adult child with an intellectual disability. Dianne is a member of the Community Supports Committee. Her career included Reception Manager & Patient Fees Manager at the aged care facility, St George’s Health Service, Kew. She joined the board in 2003. Dianne was made an Alkira Life Governor in 2017.

Ramsay Gunasekera
Secretary

Ramsay has been employed in the Information Technology (IT) industry for over 30 years, as a Project Executive/Manager and has solid business acumen with proven experience in the IT field. He is a Senior Member of the Australian Computer Society and his core strength is to apply technology to help clients design, build and run businesses.

He has worked across industries such as Banking, Telecommunications, IT Managed Services, Retail, Government, Logistics and Not for Profit organisations. Further, he has been an active mentor for graduates at IBM and has mentored graduates at the Melbourne and Monash Business Schools. Ramsay has also worked with Deakin University Management in implementing the Willing and Able mentoring program for disabled people.

In his spare time, he is a biographer for Eastern Palliative Care. Ramsay is the father of Cory Gunasekera, an Alkira participant, who has been at the Box Hill campus since May 1997. Ramsay and his family have lived at Blackburn South for over 40 years.

Christopher Miller
Board Member

Brother of a former Alkira resident, Maree, Chris grew up in a dedicated Alkira family. A businessman, hairdresser and event organiser, he joined the board in 2003 and brought to it a strong business network and keen promotional skills. He has a special commitment to the wellbeing of people with intellectual disabilities as they age and contend with issues such as dementia. Chris has been an active member of many business groups including the sub-committees on local councils, chambers of commerce and traders associations and service clubs such as Rotary. In 2014, Chris was made an Alkira Life Governor. Chris also holds a Certificate IV in Disability.

Peter Holdsworth 
Board Member

As the father of an Alkira participant, Peter has a deep commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities are supported to live their lives in the community as valued and participating citizens.

Peter is a management consultant and the director of Pathways Australia, a company specialising in providing advice, support and consultancy services to not-for-profit organisations throughout Australia and internationally.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in business, a Masters degree in Leadership and Management and a Graduate Diploma in Corporate Governance. Peter is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is a Churchill Fellow.

Peter joined the board in 2021 and is a member of the Finance, Audit, Risk and Property Committee.

Ron Walker
Board Member

Ron’s daughter, Ruth, started at Alkira aged 4½ in 1970 and Ron has been actively involved with the organisation since 1978. He served on the board between 1982 and 1988 and rejoined the board in 1997. During both periods he has held the position of Senior Vice-President, and he was President from 2007 – 2012. He is the owner of a kitchen manufacturing and retailing company and a former President of the Kitchen and Bathroom Industry of Australia. Ron is also a past member of Furniture Industry Training Council. In the early 1980s, he was the Founding President of the Box Hill Special Development Centre. In the past, Ron has also been a Member and President of the former Alkira Fathers’ Auxiliary. He brings to the board-wide skills in business and governance.