James Flintoft appointed Burnet Chair following Mary Padbury’s retirement

Burnet Institute is delighted to announce the appointment of experienced Non-Executive Director James Flintoft as its new Chair, following the retirement of long-serving Board member and Chair, Mary Padbury. 

Ms Padbury, Burnet’s first female Chair, has served the Institute with distinction since joining the Board 15 years ago, including the past 7 years as Chair. 

Leaving a lasting legacy of strong leadership and governance, Burnet has experienced significant periods of increased impact, enhanced sustainability, and cemented its position as a leading health and medical research institute during Ms Padbury’s tenure. 

During her time with Burnet, the Board oversaw several transformative achievements including the development of the Institute’s ambitious 2030 Strategy, a comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and major strategic transactions such as the sale of Burnet’s property assets at the Alfred to GIC and the commercialisation and sale of 360 Biolabs to BioAgilytix. 

Ms Padbury also championed important governance reforms that have strengthened the Institute’s foundations for the future. These included the introduction of independent board reviews, clearer separation between board and management roles, support for increased management resources, and more structured, data-driven reporting and succession planning.  

“Mary has given an extraordinary amount to Burnet over the past 15 years. As Chair, she led with clarity, generosity and a deep commitment to our purpose, helping shape the organisation we are today and will be in future,” said Burnet CEO Professor Brendan Crabb AC. 

“I am incredibly grateful for her leadership, wisdom, and the care she brought to everything she has done for Burnet and the communities we operate in. Mary’s razor-sharp focus on best-practice governance and commitment to purpose has left Burnet well positioned to achieve our vision of a more equitable world through better health. On behalf of the entire Burnet team, I would like to express our deep gratitude to Mary and wish her all the best for the future. 

“We know that we have strong foundations on which to build, with the support of our exceptional incoming Chair, James Flintoft,” said Professor Crabb. 

Mr Flintoft has been a member of the Burnet Board since 2023, currently serving as Chair of the Finance Audit and Risk Committee and having previously chaired the Australian Institute for Infectious Disease Committee. He brings extensive experience across the private and public sectors, including strategy consulting with McKinsey & Co, commercial banking with ANZ, and policy and service delivery roles with the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet and Regional Development Victoria. 

An experienced Non-Executive Director, Mr Flintoft currently serves on the boards of Transport Accident Commission, Development Victoria, Foundation for Regional & Rural Renewal, Foundation House for Refugees, Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Care (VCCC) Alliance and Epworth Healthcare Group. 

“I would like to congratulate James on his appointment as the new Chair of Burnet,” said Professor Crabb.  

“His extensive experience in the medical, government and private sectors will be invaluable as we look to navigate a changing global medical and health research sector, funding challenges and an uncertain geopolitical environment. We are delighted that James has agreed to support Burnet in this important role and continue to drive us forward as we strive to ensure that no one is left behind.” 

Mr Flintoft will officially commence as Chair on 1 February 2026.