Board of Directors
FCAN BOARD
Director Profiles
The FCAN Board is appointed under the FCAN Constitution to govern FCAN.
Directors are Accredited Financial Counsellors and independent co-opted directors.
Geoff Cornwall
Occupation:
Financial Counsellor,
South Coast and Country Community Law
Chair
Geoff has been a Financial Counsellor since 2013, working for Lifeline Macarthur, Wesley Mission, Uniting, Illawarra Legal Centre and currently with South Coast and Country Community Law (formerly Shoalcoast Community Legal Centre). He is an accredited Trainer for the Diploma of Financial Counselling and in 2020 he facilitated the Intern Program in NSW and ACT.
He was previously a Director of FCAN in 2019-2020; has tertiary and post graduate qualifications in Surveying, Economics and Management; has completed the Company Directors Diploma with the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has served as a Director on a State Owned Corporation Board for 8 years and on numerous Committees in a volunteer capacity.
Vanessa Emery
Occupation:
Financial Counsellor, Wesley Mission Financial Counselling Service
Deputy Chair and FCA Representative
Vanessa has been employed as a Financial Counsellor since 2013. Vanessa has worked for Parramatta Mission and now as Practice Specialist (Team Leader) at Wesley Mission where she manages a team of 10 financial counsellors while completing her own case work. Vanessa was previously an FCAN Director from 2018 to 2020 and has been a member of the FCAN Creditor Liaison Committee (now National Creditor Liaison Group) since 2019. Vanessa represents FCAN members on the National Representative Council made up of the State Peaks and represents FCA on the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) Consultative Group
Rob Benton
Occupation:
Financial Counsellor, National Debt Helpline (Uniting Dubbo) and Flood Relief Specialist (secondment) Northern Rivers and QLD
Treasurer
Rob has been both a Financial Counsellor and a Gambling Counsellor since 2009, working for Lifeline Central West, Salvation Army Moneycare, and most recently, for Uniting NSW as a Financial Counsellor on the National Debt Helpline. He has worked in the finance industry for over 45 years, been a business owner and an active board member in service organisations, a chamber of commerce and numerous Non-Profit NGO’s, such as Royal Far West Children, NALAG & a Neighbourhood Centre. He was an FCAN Board member from 2015 to 2021. He has remained actively involved in FCAN’s Creditor Liaison Committee (now the National Creditor Liaison Committee) and coordinates the NDH/FCAN Network Group.
Susan Cheetham
Occupation:
Financial Counsellor, Salvation Army Moneycare
Membership Secretary
Susan’s background is in strategic and statutory planning, mental health, local government management, school chaplaincy and mediation. She has been a financial counsellor for nine years, working for financial counselling services located on the Far South Coast and Southern parts of NSW. Susan was on the ground after the 2019-20 New Year bushfires, so gained valuable experience in natural disaster financial counselling, particularly working with people who have been traumatised, and insurance matters.
As the FCAN Membership Secretary Susan is responsible for conducting the FCAN Accreditation process.
Chris Heckenberg
Occupation:
Financial Counsellor, Anglicare
First Nations Representative
Chris is a proud descendant of the Gadigal Nation of First Peoples whose traditional lands cover the inner City of Sydney and its waters, harbour and ocean. It is only in recent times that his family has been able to celebrate their heritage, as has been the case for many Stolen Generations descendants who had their identity hidden from them.
He has over 30 years’ experience as a Financial Counsellor in NSW, Victoria and the ACT. Chris established the FCAN Riverina regional meetings and has taken on advocacy roles including serving as Financial Counsellor Representative on EWON Board and addressing systemic issues with local government debt management practices.
Rovind Kant
Occupation:
Financial Counsellor, Salvation Army Moneycare
Rovind joined the financial counselling sector in 2010, initially with CatholicCare in the Northern Territory. His background prior to financial counselling was in finance, insurance, mortgages, business and engineering. He has served on boards of other not for profit charity organisations for the past 16 years and is passionate about social justice within the financial counselling framework. His contribution includes Reserve Bank consultation with financial counsellors, stakeholder liaison with lenders and utilities, the small to medium lending reforms, supporting students and FCs, ABC media covering mortgage stress tips and facilitating group activities.
He has worked at Salvation Army Moneycare since 2013 where he assumes financial counselling supervision and leadership responsibilities.
Graham R Smith
Occupation:
Financial Counsellor, Edgeworth Neighbourhood Centre
Graham is currently employed as a financial counsellor for the Community Management Advisory Project which is connected to Edgeworth Neighbourhood Centre in Newcastle. His previous employers have been Muru Mittigar Aboriginal Cultural and Education Centre in Penrith and Samaritans Foundation in Newcastle, having worked in the sector for the last fourteen years. Graham served as FCAN Chair from 2013 to 2019 and was a member of the FCA Sector Leaders Forum and FCA Representative Council during that time.
Graham re-joined the FCAN Board in 2021, and was the Membership Secretary and FCA Representative up until 2024.
He has extensive working experience within the community/ welfare sector that spans back to the late 1970’s. Having worked with disadvantaged communities in Western Sydney on a broad acre public housing estate, in rural areas of NSW as a youth worker and in Central Australia, where he spent 6 years living on remote First Nations communities in the Great Sandy and Great Victorian deserts running community development programs.
Beth Schwalbe
Occupation:
Financial Counsellor, Anglicare
Beth became a Financial Counsellor in 2019, motivated by a passion for helping vulnerable clients and promoting a fair and equitable financial system. She previously worked as an accountant for small and large businesses, both in Australia and internationally.
Beth regularly delivers workshops on topics such as money management and scams. She also provides training to other Financial Counsellors and community workers and she helps facilitate the FCAN Western Sydney Network Group. Beth is a director on the Board of the Financial Rights Legal Centre and is a CPA and holds a Diploma in Corporate Governance.
David Coorey
Independent Co-opted Director
David has more than 20 years’ experience as a solicitor working predominantly in the area of consumer law. This includes 16 years experience working with vulnerable clients at Legal Aid NSW, as well as large scale litigation experience (Freehills) and more recently as a decision maker (Ombudsman) at Australian Financial Complaints Authority.
He has held Directorships at Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), Insurance Ombudsman Service and been appointed as Consumer Representative to Insurance Council of Australia and ASIC Customer Advisory Panel. David is currently employed as Special Counsel – at Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers working in the area of TPD.
David Ross
Independent Co-opted Director
David’s career has encompassed executive and board appointments in sales management and general management in companies operating in sectors including information technology, private education and distribution. He has had experience as a Managing Director and as a board member of a public company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. David was a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD) and remains a director of several of his own private companies. Following his retirement from corporate life, David has worked in the sector as a volunteer financial Counsellor, interim FCAN EO in 2014, and a volunteer Lifeline telephone counsellor.