Sarah Matheson AM
B.LLB (Hons), B Arts, GAICD
Member – Audit and Risk Committee
Sarah spent more than 25 years in legal practice, including 20 years as a partner in the Intellectual Property Group of a large commercial law firm, and also held management roles with responsibilities for recruitment, training, performance assessment and pastoral care. A founding member of the firm’s pro-bono committee, she regularly acted for not-for-profit organisations in the health, social investment, access to justice, arts and environmental sectors, as well as First Nations clients.
Sarah is an experienced Non-Executive Director and has served on Boards over more than 20 years spanning medical research, social justice, community services, law reform, vocational training and tertiary education. She is currently the Chair of the Board of The Australian Ballet School and a member of its Nominations and Remuneration Committee; the Deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuroscience Foundation and a member of its Finance Committee; a Director of Homeward Housing Pty Ltd (affordable housing) and a member of the Intellectual Property, Commercialisation & Tech Transfer Committee which advises the Board of One Basin CRC Limited, a research centre that aims to address climate, water and environmental threats in the Murray-Darling Basin.
Sarah previously served as the President of the Board of the Victorian Public Interest Law Clearing House (now Justice Connect) and on the Advisory Boards of the law schools of the University of Melbourne, Monash University, and Deakin University. She was also a senior member of the Board of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property.
Sarah holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne. She was made a member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the law, intellectual property protection, and the not-for-profit sector. Sarah is a graduate of the Company Directors Course and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.