Executive Team
People of vision
Aaron Chia – Chief Executive Officer – FCA BEc MAICD
Aaron Chia was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Guide Dogs SA/NT in May 2017. Prior to this, Aaron was the CEO of the Motor Accident Commission (MAC) in South Australia, and former Deputy CEO of the SA Ambulance Service.
Starting his career as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Whinney (now EY), he moved into commerce and quickly took on senior executive roles across different sectors in Victoria and South Australia such as retail, finance, health, biotechnology, construction, hospitality and manufacturing.
Current External Board and Committee memberships include CBB (Community Business Bureau) Incorporated (Board Chair); Uniting Care Wesley Bowden (Board member); SA Fire & Emergency Services Audit and Risk Management Committee (Member); Super SA Board (Deputy Board member) and Netherby Tennis Club Inc. (President). Previous positions held include SA Government State-wide ICT Services Governance Committee (member); SA Health Procurement Approvals Committee (Deputy Chair); SA Health eHealth Finance & Procurement Committee (Member), SA Health One Procurement Implementation Steering Committee (Chair); Saint Ignatius’ College Legal & Finance Committee (Member); Spastic Centres of SA (SCOSA) Foundation (Treasurer) and Western Domestic Violence Service Inc. (Treasurer). These positions have enabled Aaron to use his vast knowledge and skills for the benefit of the community.
Aaron has a Bachelor of Economics from Monash University, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia (FCA), and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD).
Ollie Kratounis – Chief Operating Officer – B. Acc, Grad Dip CA, GAICD
Ollie Kratounis brings more than 20 years experience in strategic, leadership and project management to the Guide Dogs SA/NT Executive Team. Appointed in January 2018, Ollie has experience in a range of enterprises including not-for-profit, community service, health, education, publicly listed companies, as well as the service and financial sectors. Ollie has previously held high level executive management roles at the Royal Flying Doctor Service Central Operations, Hills Industries Limited and KPMG.
Ollie's community service includes serving on the boards of the Star of the Sea School and Marine Discovery Centre. She is also involved in the Henley Community Garden. Ollie has a Bachelor of Accountancy, a Graduate Diploma of Chartered Accounting and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Katherine Stocco – Chief People and Culture Officer – B Arts, Prof Dip in Human Resources Management
Katherine is a human resources professional with over 30 years experience in the Banking and Finance sector. Katherine has held senior Human Resources and Organisational Development roles with ANZ Banking Group in Sydney and Adelaide and more recently held an Executive HR position at Beyond Bank Australia. Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts, Professional Diploma in Human Resources Management and is a member of the Australian Human Resources Institute.
Peter Hurcombe – Executive Manager, Corporate Services – BAcc, BA, FCIS, FGIA, MAICD
Peter is an experienced Executive who has held senior management positions with large Australian organisations in Australia and USA and most recently as part of the Executive team within the RAA.
As General Manager Strategy, Peter was accountable for RAA Group Strategy, Investments, Risk & Compliance and Corporate Governance. He previously led RAA Business Development, responsible for formulating development strategies, identifying and considering strategic opportunities and executing business development initiatives.
This follows corporate roles in the head office of Southcorp Limited, including several years as President of Southcorp USA located in Atlanta USA, leading shared service operations for US businesses in packaging, appliances and wine industries.
Peter joined the Executive team in November 2018.
