About Us | Our People
Our People
The work of CDF is a good news story. Our purpose isn’t profit, it’s supporting people and communities. To do this, our team remain the foundation of our success and the driving force behind our mission to continue funding from within.
With our head office situated in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, we also operate within the Diocese of Sale, Diocese of Ballarat and Diocese of Bunbury, and collaborate with other Development Funds across Australia and New Zealand to better serve the Catholic community. We
uphold the highest standards of practice and are committed to maintaining a strong governance framework that ensures that all funds entrusted to us are safe and invested back into the community.
Faith in action since 1956.
For over 65 years, our team have been guided by the principals of Catholic Social Teaching which not only build a society based on love, respect and human dignity but also align in mission with our community members and partner organisations.
We aspire to be a workplace where people are respected and valued, while providing opportunities that encourage our team to fulfil their talents and potential.
Our commitment to Modern Slavery
CDF is dedicated to eradicating modern slavery, in alignment with our mission to support the Church organisations that assist the disadvantaged and marginalised. We uphold human rights by ensuring our operations, services, and partners are free from modern slavery practices.
For more information, see our Modern Slavery Statement.
CDF Board Members
The CDF Board comprises of Diocesan staff, Parish Priests, Catholic Education Executives and lay people who are appointed by the Archbishop for their different areas of expertise and skills. This team meets on a regular basis to set the strategic direction of the Fund, while working with various subcommittees.
Most Rev. Peter A. Comensoli DD
Archbishop of Melbourne
Chairperson
Tim O'Leary
Executive Director Stewardship, Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne
Deputy Chairperson
Most Rev. Anthony J. Ireland STD DD VG EV GAICD
Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne for the
Southern Region
Rev. Anthony Doran
Parish Priest, Strathmore and Moonee Ponds Parishes
Dr John Ballard
Non Executive Director
Darrin Rawson-Harris
Chief Financial Officer,
Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne
Jacqueline Colwell
Non Executive Director
Francesca Lee
Former Chief Legal, Risk and Compliance Officer and Company Secretary of Newcrest Mining Ltd.
Damian Murphy
Director, Firmate Risk and Assurance Solutions Pty Ltd.
Eric Passaris
Partner Audit and Assurance, Grant Thornton
Corinne Proske
Chief Executive Officer,
Trust for Nature
Paul Velten
Chief Executive Officer & Director of Catholic Education, Diocese of Sale
John Comito
Director/Chairperson, NAB Europe
CDF Community Fund Board Members
The CDF Community Fund Board members are:
- John Ballard – Independent Consultant (Chairperson)
- Corinne Proske – Chief Executive Officer, Trust for Nature
- Tony Sanderson – General Manager, Catholic Development Fund Wollongong
- Dean Smith – Financial Administrator, Diocese of Rockhampton
Learn more about CDF Community Fund.
CDF Executive Team
Our executive team is committed to delivering the strategic vision of CDF, with skills and experience from both private and public sectors. They bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the operations of CDF and CDF Community Fund.
Matthew Cassin
Chief Executive Officer
David Brown
General Manager, IT
Andrew Carman
Chief Financial Officer
Brendan Hoy
General Manager, Client Services
CDPF Limited, a company established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, has indemnified the Catholic Development Fund ABN 15 274 943 760 (the Fund) against any liability arising out of a claim by investors in the Fund. In practice, this means your investment is backed by the assets of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. The Fund is required by law to make the following disclosure. Investment in the Fund is only intended to attract investors whose primary purpose for making their investment is to support the charitable purposes of the Fund. Investors’ funds will be used to generate a return to the Fund that will be applied to further the charitable works of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Dioceses of Sale, Bunbury and Ballarat. The Fund is not prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority nor has it been examined or approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). An investor in the Fund will not receive the benefit of the financial claims scheme or the depositor protection provisions in the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). The investments that the Fund offers are not subject to the usual protections for investors under the Corporations Act (Cth) or regulation by ASIC. Investors may be unable to get some or all of their money back when the investor expects or at all and investments in the Fund are not comparable to investments with banks, finance companies or fund managers. The Fund’s identification statement may be viewed here or by contacting the Fund. The Fund does not hold an Australian Financial Services Licence.
