Our Story
Every story has a beginning. This is ours…
How it all began
On 20 November 2014, Animal Therapies Ltd director Wendy Coombe went to work like any other day as a senior manager for a large ASX-listed corporation. However, that afternoon – with no memory of how she got home – her life took a dramatic turn. A critical path for Wendy’s recovery came in the form of an Assistance Dog called Jack.
The wide-reaching therapeutic benefits of animal-assisted services are now well documented, but Wendy’s personal experience identified some major gaps in the sector within Australia.
Until now, there has been no national organisation advancing health through animal-assisted services as a whole.
Animal Therapies Ltd, a registered Health Promotion Charity, was established on 21 February 2018. It offers an impartial lens creating linkages, partnerships and joint initiatives between recipients, the private, public, education & community sectors.
OUR PURPOSE Advancing the understanding, acceptance and accessibility of animal-assisted services for those suffering trauma, disability and adversity.
OUR VISION is to become Australia’s leading institution for promoting the prevention and control of mental illness, disability, disease and human suffering using animal-assisted services.
OUR VALUES
- Transparency
- Health
- Equality
- Respect
- Animals
- Partnership
- Yielding Positive Outcomes.
There are so many wonderful stories…
Our Board
Brian Zanker
Chair
Brian has over 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry, providing strong leadership over the course of his career. He is currently Chair of the NSW State Executive at the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) and has an extensive network of corporate relationships throughout Australia.
Candy Gibson
Director
Candy is a communications professional with extensive experience in journalism, publishing and the higher education sector in both Australia and the UK. Her expertise includes writing, public relations, video production and social media.
Ric Lamont
Director - Digital
Ric is a startup and strategy professional who brings deep technical and commercial expertise to the board. Ric is responsible for guidance and oversight of the development of our National Register which will connect those in need with AAI practitioners and service providers.
James Flavin
Director - Finance
Thirty years in Finance & Operations, last ten years at C-Level. Insistent on robust corporate governance, meaningful risk management and useful reporting. Industry coverage: Superannuation, Financial Services, Not-For-Profit (NFP), Energy, Infrastructure, Construction, Transport and the Faith Community. Responsibility coverage: Governance, Strategy, Accounting, Regulatory, IT, HR & Payroll, Treasury and Finance.
Wendy Coombe
Director
Wendy has held board roles and senior management positions across a number of industries, including CEO of a not-for-profit business advisory service which held contracts with the government and supported the growth of small business.
Deborah Jones
Company Secretary
Deborah has 25 years’ experience, internationally and within Australia, in supporting executives, vice presidents, board members and directors in multiple industries, including food and beverages, financial, automotive, mining and legal sectors. In 2017 Deborah completed her MBA in Corporate Governance.
Scott Charaneka
Director - Legal Counsel
Scott has comprehensive experience in governance. He presently acts for many of Australia’s largest private and public sector institutions. Scott has previously worked as an in-house counsel at Legal & General and ING, is a regular speaker at conferences, has designed key training programs for boards and responsible managers and has received a number of awards.
