The Board of Sonic Healthcare announced that, as part of the Board's continuous renewal process, Professor Christine Bennett AO and Dr. Katharine Giles have agreed to join the Board as independent, non-executive directors with effect from 26 September 2022. They will stand for election by shareholders at the company's 2022 Annual General Meeting. Based in Sydney, NSW, Professor Bennett is a specialist paediatrician with over 40 years of healthcare industry experience across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.

Her roles have involved providing clinical care, strategic planning, and senior operational management. She holds a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Sydney, and a Master of Paediatrics from the University of New South Wales. She is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and has an active commitment to and involvement in medical professional issues, social policy and medical research.

Professor Bennett was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2014 Australia Day Honours in recognition of her distinguished service to medicine and health care leadership. Professor Bennett is an experienced non-executive director in publicly listed, private and social enterprises. She is currently a non-executive director of ASX-listed Regis Healthcare (since March 2018), and an outgoing non-executive director of Telstra Health Pty Ltd. In December 2021, Professor Bennett retired from The University of Notre Dame Australia where she was Deputy Vice Chancellor, Enterprise & Partnerships (in 2020 and 2021) and Dean, School of Medicine, Sydney for over ten years.

Her professional experience has included being Group Executive and Chief Medical Officer for MBF and the Bupa Health and Care services, CEO and later Chair of Research Australia, Managing Director of Total Health Enterprise Ltd, Partner in Health and Life Sciences for KPMG Australia, CEO of Westmead Hospital and Community Health Services, General Manager for the Royal Hospital for Women and Head of Planning in NSW Health. Dr. Giles resides in Perth, WA and holds a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (Hons) and an MBA (Dean's Honours list) from the University of Western Australia. She is a registered medical practitioner with the Medical Board of Australia.

After initially practicing as a medical doctor, Dr. Giles moved to commercial pursuits which combined science, medicine and health. Dr. Giles is currently Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of OncoRes Medical (since 2017), which specialises in biomedical innovation. Dr. Giles is also a Venture Partner at Brandon Capital Partners (since 2012), a venture capital firm dedicated to developing and supporting Australian life sciences businesses.

She was previously an Investment Manager with Stone Ridge Ventures, a fund manager specialising in seed-to-early-stage technology investment. Dr. Giles has start-up experience in medical apps, diagnostics and fitness devices and has served on the boards of private healthcare-related technology companies. She is a member of the Curtin University Commercialisation Advisory Board.

This year's Annual General Meeting will see the retirements of Dr. Philip Dubois and Dr. Jane Wilson AO; effective from the conclusion of the AGM. Dr. Dubois was appointed to the Board in 2001 following the acquisition of Queensland X-Ray (Sonic's radiology practice), where he was the practice leader. His presence on the Board played an important role in consolidating Sonic's radiology businesses into a cohesive group.

Dr. Dubois retired from his executive role as CEO of Sonic's Radiology division on 30 June 2020, having facilitated seamless succession from both his previous role as CEO of Queensland X-Ray, and then as CEO of Sonic Radiology. Dr. Wilson, a registered medical practitioner, joined the Sonic Board as a non-executive director in 2010, bringing broad experience in governance and company oversight. Her role as the Chair of the Risk Management Committee since 2010 has been invaluable, never more so than during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Board and management of Sonic Healthcare wish Philip and Jane the very best for the future, and sincerely thank them for their leadership and sage counsel. They have both played important roles in the development of Sonic Healthcare. Following the 2022 Annual General Meeting, Sonic's Board is expected to comprise seven independent directors (including the Chairman) plus two executive directors (being the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer).

In keeping with the company's Medical Leadership culture, the Board will include a pathologist and three medical practitioners. The Board's current gender diversity objective will also be satisfied, with 44% of directors being female.