Council of State Presidents
Shaping the future of HR
The Council of State Presidents (CSP) represents all AHRI members and is charged with ensuring that the strategic interests of the HR profession are collectively voiced and addressed. The CSP consists of the AHRI National President, as its Chair, and the eight elected state presidents for each Australian State and Territory, to represent AHRI’s membership.
Key functions
Appoint
Appoint the National President (subject to Board concurrence), Commercial Directors, Member Directors and Nominated Directors (other than the Foundation Directors) to the AHRI Board
Advise
Advise the Board on issues affecting the development of the profession and members within their respective states and territories
Promote
Promote the objectives of AHRI as set out in Clause 1 of the AHRI Constitution
Develop
Develop state organised activities and submit budgets for approval by the company
Uphold
Uphold and enforce the Constitution’s rules, regulations and by-laws
Chair and State Presidents
Michael Rosmarin FCPHR
Chair of the Board
Michael has over 30 years of global transformation, cultural change, executive and human resources leadership experience across multiple industries and geographies. He is currently Managing Partner, Board, Succession & Leadership Advisory at Johnson Partners. Previously he was Chief People & Group Services Officer for MUFG Pension & Market Services (formally Link Group) and prior to joining MUFG Pension & Market Services, he was Chief Operating Officer at Stockland. Michael has held executive human resources positions at Stockland, Westpac Banking Corporation and Goldman Sachs in Australia and Asia and was also a Principal at the global management consulting and executive search firm Egon Zehnder.
Michael joined the AHRI Board as a non-executive director in 2018 and became Chair and National President in 2022. He is also a non-executive director of JewishCare, and was previously an Advisor to Handover AI, on the Boards of Mount Sinai College and the Stockland Care Foundation and a trustee of Westpac’s Staff Superannuation Plan.
Michael is an AHRI Fellow Certified HR Practitioner (FCPHR), a certified Organisational Coach and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master of Commerce degree from the University of NSW.
Erin Prothero CPHR
Erin Prothero is a senior HR and workforce leader with more than 20 years of experience across the Australian Public Service (APS) and professional services. As a Director at the Australian Taxation Office, Erin provides trusted advice on enterprise workforce priorities and complex organisational challenges. She has extensive experience in workforce strategy, planning and analytics, as well as capability development and organisation design.
Erin previously led the APS HR Professional Stream team, strengthening HR capability across the APS. Prior to this she contributed to major workforce engagements and global workforce shaping and digital mindset initiatives in the professional services sector.
A Certified HR Practitioner (CPHR), Erin has served on the AHRI ACT State Council since 2021, including as Vice President. She also previously led the ACT Workforce Planning and Analytics Forum and has been an AHRI mentor for several years.
James Hancock FCPHR
James Hancock is currently the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Wickvale, an executive culture advisory and strategy firm specialising in culture, talent, organisation design, M&A&I (mergers, acquisitions, and integration), and leadership. He partners with boards and executives across financial services and investment banking, private equity, educational institutions, and government to see and translate the criticality of culture, leadership and good governance on the success of their organisations.
James is a commercial leader that’s maintained passion for our profession – even though more of his career has been ‘outside the function’. He thrives to continuously push the profession forward to grow businesses, value and impact through people. To do that he leverages diverse experiences across People & Culture, Institutional Banking and Markets, Strategy, Digital and Transformation.
James holds a Bachelor of Business (HR) and Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) from Macquarie University, is a Fellow Certified HR Practitioner (FCPHR), a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD), and is well versed across Strategy and Agile methodologies.
His work has received recognition from AHRI and globally via the Society for Human Resource Management in the United States.
He also currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of the Australian Online Giving Foundation.
Anita Carver CPHR
State Director
Anita Carver is a people and capability leader passionate about strengthening organisations through leadership development, workforce capability and cultures of learning.
At the Northern Land Council, Anita leads learning strategy and systems that support leadership capability, employee engagement and workforce development across one of Australia’s most complex and geographically dispersed operating environments. Her approach combines strategic insight with practical delivery, ensuring learning is embedded in the flow of work and accessible in the moments that matter most.
Anita believes the most effective learning happens every day through curiosity, collaboration and shared experience, and that development should be embedded in how people work, lead and collaborate.
Her career spans the public, private and for-purpose sectors, shaping a grounded and collaborative leadership style informed by real-world operational experience.
She holds a Master of Human Resource Management and Bachelor of Commerce from Curtin University, along with qualifications in Training, Assessment, Leadership and Mentoring.
An AHRI Certified Practitioner (CPHR), Anita has served on the AHRI Northern Territory State Council since 2021 and was appointed NT State President in 2024, championing connection, capability and professional growth across the Territory.
Dr. Anna Blackman FCPHR
Dr. Anna Blackman is a strategic learning, leadership and workforce development expert with more than 20 years’ experience designing and delivering high-impact capability solutions across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. A former Associate Professor of Business, she has led award-winning learning programs, mentoring initiatives and workforce strategies across the health, education, infrastructure, disability and government sectors.
Anna specialises in workforce planning, leadership development, executive coaching and organisational capability, with a strong focus on driving sustainable performance and cultural change. She holds a PhD focused on the effectiveness of coaching, underpinning her evidence-based approach to leadership and organisational transformation.
Anna is the founder of The Talent Table, a growing business community connecting leaders, professionals and business owners through meaningful conversations on contemporary workplace and leadership topics.
Liana Reinhardt FCPHR
Liana is currently the Chief Experience Officer at Credit Union SA, where she is responsible for delivering the member experience across the retail and lending channels. She also serves as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Kudos Services, an employee-controlled mutual in the disability services sector.
Prior to her current role, Liana held positions in the not-for-profit, retail, and FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) industries. Her experience includes serving as National People Manager at Workskil Australia, Director of People and Development at Ralph Lauren, and holding various roles at Kellogg’s, including positions within the APAC supply chain.
Liana joined the AHRI South Australia State Council in 2021, became the State President in 2024, and joined the AHRI Board in 2025. She is an AHRI Fellow Certified HR Practitioner (FCPHR), a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAIDC), and holds a Graduate Certificate in Professional Education and Training, a Diploma of Management, a Diploma of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing, and is an Accredited Mental Health First Aider.
Liana lives in a neurodiverse household with experience of autism, and ADHD, which has driven her passion for disability inclusion and positive psychology practices.
Freya Beech CPHR
Freya is a forward-thinking and experienced People Leader, she is known for creating high-performing, inclusive workplaces where people and culture thrive. With a strategic, innovative mindset and a commitment to continuous improvement, she leads initiatives that drive engagement, performance, and growth.
A trusted contributor and advisor to executive teams, Freya brings insight, empathy, and influence to leadership and culture conversations, leading impactful people and culture initiatives that align with strategy and business goals. Her passion for giving back sees her contribute as a non-executive director across not-for-profit organisations and championing equity, inclusion and well-being in the community. Grounded by a deep commitment to family, Freya values balance and purpose. These work-life integration principles and her values guide her leadership and her approach to building meaningful workplaces.
Freya joined the AHRI Tasmania State Council in 2017 and became TAS State President in 2021.
Dr. Maresa Seabrook FCPHR
Dr. Maresa Seabrook is a strategic people and culture leader, researcher and executive with a passion for solving complex organisational challenges, building capability and creating high-performing workplace cultures. With experience across technology, higher education and professional services, she specialises in organisational transformation, workforce strategy, leadership capability and culture.
In her current role as General Manager People, Culture, Capability and Wellbeing at the Law Institute of Victoria, Maresa leads initiatives that strengthen organisational performance, employee experience and wellbeing, while helping shape contemporary people practices across the legal profession. Prior to joining the Law Institute, she held senior leadership roles at Netcraft and RMT University. Maresa holds a PhD in Human Resources from the University of Sydney Business School.
Lucy Harding Williamson CPHR
Lucy Harding Williamson is a People and Culture leader with more than two decades of international and Australian experience. She has worked across a broad range of industries, including oil and gas, IT, defence and aerospace, financial services, and higher education. Her career has spanned a mix of large multinational organisations as well as growing businesses. She has held a broad range of People and Culture roles, including learning, leadership and organisational development, organisational change, technology implementation, workforce planning, talent and strategic remuneration.
She is the director of LHW Consulting, holds qualifications in Business Psychology, Change Management and Project Management, and is driven by leaving people and workplaces better than she finds them.
