2024 AGM and Board election

The Members re-elected to the MDA National Mutual Board are:

• Dr Genevieve Yates
• Dr Mellissa Naidoo
• Dr Michael Gannon
• Dr Simon Benson

This AGM marked the first with Tim Plant as MDA National’s Chief Executive Officer. All re-elected Members joined the Mutual Board in 2018, with the exception of Dr Genevieve Yates, who was elected in November 2021.

For the past twenty years, Dr Yates has worked as a GP in regional Queensland, NSW and Victoria and is currently practising in Ballarat, Victoria. She has combined clinical work with various medical educators, regulatory, medical writing, management and leadership roles. She worked full time as RACGP's General Manager of Education from January 2020 to March 2021. She also serves on MDA National Insurance's Cases (Eastern) and Clinical Underwriting Committees.

Having contributed to MDAN since internship, as a director for 6 years and current Chair of the Queensland State Advisory Committee, Dr Naidoo is a specialist medical administrator with experience in clinical and executive roles in both the public and private health sectors. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a master's in health management and dual fellowships with the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators and Australasian College of Health Service Management. Dr Naidoo is also a member of the MDAN Group's Nominations & Remuneration Committee.

Dr Gannon, currently President of the MDAN Mutual Board, is an Obstetrician & Gynaecologist with 18 years of experience as a specialist, being a Member since 1995 and deeply engaged with the organisation ever since. He is interested in medical problems in pregnancy, high risk pregnancy and stillbirth prevention. Dr Gannon is Chair of the WA Perinatal and Infant Mortality Committee and Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee at St John of God Subiaco Hospital. Aside from his work as a practitioner, Dr Gannon has dedicated his wealth of knowledge to various medical organisations, such as the Australian Medical Society (AMA), where he was the Federal President from 2016 to 2018 and President of AMA WA between 2014 and 2016. Dr Gannon is also a member of the MDAN Group's Capital Committee, Nominations & Remuneration Committee (appointed as Chair in July.

Dr Benson is a principal specialist GP in a busy non-corporate clinic in Melbourne’s west. Originally trained in the UK, he worked for a number of years in most hospital specialties before specialising. Dr Benson is an AGPT Trainer and University of Melbourne GP Supervisor. Outside of clinical practice, Dr Benson has been actively involved with RACGP, serving on the education expert committee from 2016-2018. He is currently involved in the well-known RACGP awareness campaign designed to lift the community profile of Primary Care, as one of the faces of “Your Specialist In Life”. MDA National looks forward to working with all four re-elected Members of the Mutual Board. We extend a heartfelt thanks to all Directors who have been working tirelessly to guide us through supporting doctors and promoting good medical practice across Australia. MDA National is a Member-owned mutual medical defence organisation providing extensive professional indemnity insurance to almost 50,000 medical practitioners, medical students and insureds across Australia. With a ‘doctors for doctors’ ethos since 1925, MDA National exists solely to support its Members in the moments that matter and promote good medical practice.

Available for interview:

MDA National President, Dr Michael Gannon (contact Kylie Philippzig)
MDA National Chief Executive Officer, Tim Plant (contact Kylie Philippzig)

General enquiries:

Kylie Philippzig National Manager,
Corporate Affairs & Communications (MDA National)
kphilippzig@mdanational.com.au