Tony Ahern

Tony joined St John Ambulance WA in 1973 as a 15-year-old cadet. In 1980 he moved from being a first aid volunteer to career ambulance officer.

In 1989 he moved into accounting and computing services taking a lead role in modernising St John’s administrative and financial systems while completing his Master of Business degree in Information Systems. In 1995, Tony was appointed to the position of Finance Director on the Executive, was made Deputy Chief Executive Officer in 2000 and Chief Executive Officer in 2006.

At a national level he chaired the Strategic Business Advisory Committee of the CAA for over a decade and was CAA Chairman from 2010 to 2013. Tony retired from the role of CEO at St John WA in 2018 and served on the St John WA Board from 2019 to 2023. Tony is a current Board member of the WA Primary Health Alliance.

Matthew Cannon

Fellow Australasian College of Paramedicine

Former Chief Executive and Commissioner of the National St John Ambulance Service of Papua New Guinea

Matt is a paramedic and registered nurse with 17 years of experience across Australia and the Pacific. He served as Commissioner and Chief Executive of the National St John Ambulance Service in Papua New Guinea from 2016 to 2025, with responsibility for PNG’s national emergency ambulance and aeromedical service. He has also worked extensively with St John across Australia, alongside roles with NSW Ambulance, NSW Health, the NSW Minister for Health, and Ambulance Victoria. His experience spans frontline operations, system support and development, research, technological innovation, and executive leadership.

He has contributed to the Council of Ambulance Authorities over six years as a Board member, including serving as Deputy Chair in 2024/25. Matt was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s New Year Honours 2026 for services to ambulance. He is also a Paul Harris Fellow (Rotary International), a Commander in the Order of St John, and a Fellow of the Australasian College of Paramedicine.

Professor Belinda Flanagan (PhD) 

Belinda is Dean and Head of School for the School of Paramedicine and Public Safety at the University of Tasmania. She brings close to 30 years of experience as an academic, registered paramedic, nurse, and midwife. Her work spans education and research across emergency services at a national level.

Belinda supervises higher degree by research students and has authored peer-reviewed publications and delivered conference presentations internationally. As Dean and Head of School, she leads undergraduate and postgraduate programs and manages major partnerships with NSW Health, NSW Ambulance, Ambulance Tasmania, Tasmania Police, and the Australian Defence Force. She also leads the development of a National Centre for Training and Research in Emergency Response and Resilience.

Jennie Helmer

Chief Operations Officer at the British Columbia Emergency Health Services

Jennie Helmer brings over 30 years of experience in emergency health services across British Columbia. She began her career in 1993 as an Advanced Care Paramedic and now serves as the Chief Operations Officer for BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS), one of the largest EMS systems in North America. Jennie holds both a Master’s in Education and a Master’s in Business Administration.  She is also a Board Member with the Paramedic Chiefs of Canada.

Beyond her leadership and academic work, Jennie remains deeply connected to her roots, contributing to her family’s organic potato farm. She brings the same dedication, adaptability, and problem-solving mindset required in farming to her role in navigating the complex and evolving landscape of modern Emergency Health Services.

Freddy Lippert MD

International Chief Medical Officer at Falck

Associate Professor at Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Freddy Lippert, MD, FERC, Honorary Member of the European Resuscitation Council (ERC), is International Chief Medical Officer at Falck and Associate Professor at Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.

He is founding member and current president of the European Association of Emergency Medical Services (EMS Europe) and founding member of the Global Resuscitation Alliance (GRA). With over 25 years in emergency care, including 10 years as CEO of EMS Copenhagen EMS, he is an experienced clinician, medical director, and researcher specializing in system design, innovation and implementation. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Jason Killens

Chief Executive, London Ambulance Service

Chair, Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE)

Jason is Chief Executive of the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, providing 999 and 111 services to the UK’s capital city. Prior to his current role, Jason was the Chief Executive of the Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust (2018 to 2025), which is the national provider of 999, 111 and non-emergency patient transport services for Wales. Jason has worked internationally as the Chief Executive of the South Australian Ambulance Service (2015 to 2018), prior to which he held various senior leadership roles in the London Ambulance Service, including Executive Director of Operations.

With three decades of service in the ambulance sector and having commenced his career as an Emergency Medical Technician, Jason is passionate about the delivery of high-quality, safe and effective patient care in partnership with a workforce of highly skilled, engaged and healthy people.

Jason is an Honorary Professor at Swansea University School of Human and Health Sciences and was awarded the Kings Ambulance Service Medal (KAM) in the 2023 Birthday Honours List. Jason assumed the role of Chair of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives in September 2024.

Dave Robinson

Dave held the Chief Executive role with WFA for 4.5 years, from 2021 to 2025. He has more than 20 years’ experience across the community, health and public service sectors.

Before joining WFA, Dave was the CE of MASH Trust, an NGO in the health sector that provides mental health, addiction and disability support services. Before this, he was Chief Operating Officer at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and held senior management roles within the New Zealand Army and New Zealand Defence Force.

Dave holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Otago, an MBA from Massey University and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Dave now oversees the business-enabling functions at Universal College of Learning (UCOL), including Finance, People & Culture, Digital, Facilities Management, and Corporate Assurance & Risk. UCOL is a government-funded institute of technology and polytechnic serving New Zealand’s lower North Island.

Professor Vivienne Tippett

Head of School, Queensland University of Technology, Retd

Adjunct Professor Vivienne Tippett has extensive experience as a researcher, author and consultant in health systems, with a special interest in emergency pre-hospital, disaster and emergency health systems. Her work has been recognised with an OAM for services to medical education (2018) and a Distinguished Service medal from Queensland Ambulance Service (2012) for services to paramedic research.

Between 2013 and 2021 she was Lead Researcher for the Warnings and Communication Theme of the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC which was recognised with a CRC Association national award for research innovation (2019).