CLAIRE HEWAT
Chairperson
Claire qualified as a Dietitian at the University of Sydney and has had a long career in the profession achieving the status of Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian. For over 20 years Claire has been in senior executive roles as a Director of Community and Allied Health in South-Western Sydney and CEO of Dietitians Australia (14 years) and Allied Health Professions Australia (4 years). She has served as a director on four national and one international board including the National Alliance of Self-Regulating Health Professions (NASRHP). Claire has extensive experience in professional recognition and accreditation practices and is currently an Association Advisor with Associations Forum.
ALISON JACKSON
AudA nominee
Alison Jackson is an experienced audiologist with over 15 years in the field, specializing in both adult rehabilitative and diagnostic audiology. In 2020, she completed an MBA from Melbourne University, blending clinical expertise with strategic leadership. For the past five years Alison has been working as the Senior Clinical Performance Consultant at Specsavers, supporting partners in delivering high-quality clinical services. She also plays an integral role in ensuring compliance with Hearing Services Program regulations and maintaining clinical standards.
BILL RAYMOND
AudA nominee
Bill Raymond has been an audiologist for fourteen years, an outcome no one could have predicted after he was diagnosed with severe to profound hearing loss at the age of eighteen months. Bill has been fortunate enough to have experienced audiology in indigenous communities, charity, hospital, ENT and university settings, and additionally with both paediatric and adult populations. For the last ten years Bill has also worked in private practice with Bay Audio where he is now the Clinical Operations Manager. One of his primary responsibilities is managing compliance for over 120 clinicians and growing. He has an undergraduate degree majoring in psychology and a Master of Business Administration, obtaining Dean’s commendations for outstanding academic achievement in all three of his qualifications. Through his ERC role Bill is looking forward to giving back more to the profession that has done so much for him.
DEAN MOORE
ACAud Inc. HAASA nominee
Dean has almost 25 years of industry experience ranging from working with a large hearing aid manufacturer in sales, marketing, product support and training to working in private practice. This has given him a very broad background in the hearing industry in Australia.
Along with this Dean has been involved in ACAud not only as a member, but also past committee member on the Membership Advisory Panel.
This background provides a great understating of our field and the potential challenges ahead with changing services delivery models.
HELEN MIKOLAJ
Community member
Helen Mikolaj has vast areas of special interests including disability, healthy positive ageing, medication safety and diabetes. She has provided consumer representation on a number of committees including treatment guidelines and standards. Helen advocates for better health outcomes for health consumers on a range of forums, including Health Consumers Alliance of South Australia (HCASA), Consumers Health Forum (CHF), and Diabetes SA.
Helen has represented the community at Healthy Cities Onkaparinga for a number of years and currently serves as treasurer and public officer. She is President and Public Officer of Celebrate Seniors City of Onkaparinga Committee Inc. and co-ordinates the Young at Heart Exhibition and organises the Noarlunga Diabetes Support Group provide information and support to members and their families.
Helen is also a volunteer with the City of Onkaparinga, serving on the Every Generation Onkaparinga Committee and Volunteer Advisory Group. In addition, Helen is President of Southern Cross Toastmasters and Editor of the CatChat magazine for Mitsubishi 4WD Club of SA.
JACQUI WILSON
AudA nominee
Jacqui has worked as a clinical audiologist for over 16 years in the regional area of the Northern Rivers in NSW. Audiology was her second career having qualified and worked as a solicitor in Brisbane for over 10 years. She has worked for several different audiology organisations in the Lismore/Ballina area providing adult and paediatric diagnostic and rehabilitation services. For the last 6 years, Jacqui has been the Specsavers audiology partner for the Lismore and Ballina adult rehabilitation audiology clinics. She was the sole clinical audiologist for both but was also responsible for the management side of those businesses (staff training and mentoring, financial reporting, OHS compliance etc). One of her clinics was completely flooded during the Lismore flood in 2022. She sold those businesses in February this year. After enjoying a well-earned break, Jacqui will join Hearing Australia’s First Nations Outreach Team and commence a Masters of Public Health at the University of Tasmania. Jacqui is committed to high standards in audiology and all health care settings to ensure quality client care, practitioner wellbeing and responsible government spending.
SHARON OLIPHANT-KING
ACAud Inc. HAASA nominee
Sharon has worked in the audiology industry for 22 years and has owned her own business for the past 10 years and holds a diploma of Hearing Device Prescription and Evaluation. Sharon has studied and gained certificates in Understanding Dementia, Preventing Dementia as well as cerumen removal courses. Sharon has also served on the HAASA board as the Continuing Education Officer and held this position for 8 years. Sharon has a keen interest in providing not only excellent hearing care but has recently started another business to support the local community with a Cerumen removal service.
Being a rural provider Sharon has numerous clinics in the Tamworth and surrounding districts traveling up to 200km to service these communities. Sharon holds herself to a high standard of care and is a regular contributor of articles on hearing care in local news publications.
TIM BENSON
Community member
Tim Benson spent over 30 years as a Corporate Services Manager in the finance industry. After taking an early redundancy, he commenced a part-time career in Health Consumer Representation and Advocacy.
His passion in the health arena is safe, high quality, ethical, and accessible healthcare for all Australians. He has worked at local, state, federal, and international levels in a number of areas including: Dietetics, Radiology, Diabetes, Physiotherapy, and Pathology.
As well as his role with Audiology, he is a member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians Ethics Committee, a member of the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists Code of Conduct Committee, and a Patient Safety Champion for the World Health Organisation.
He was the sole community member on the Lead Clinicians’ Group (predominantly clinicians from different disciplines) that provided advice to two federal health ministers; an inaugural member of the Physiotherapy Board of Australia; and a former member of the Western Australian Clinical Senate Executive.
He was the 2014 City of Bayswater Citizen of the Year, is married with two adult daughters, three grand-children, and a very bossy miniature poodle (Belle); and enjoys travel, as well as dining out, music and the movies.
WILLIAM OLAYOS
ACAud Inc. HAASA nominee
William (Bill) Olayos is an audiologist working independently in private practice in his own clinic in Victoria. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Biology from the University of North Carolina, a Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne, and did his post-tertiary qualification in audiology at the University of Melbourne.
He has been an audiologist for over 35 years, 32 of those in independent private practice. Bill is a Fellow and past President of ACAud, a past President of the Australian Association of Audiologists in Private Practice (now IAA), and was founding Board Member of the Hearing Business Alliance.
He has represented professional interests to numerous Federal Health Ministers during his various roles. He was a member of the Federally constituted Hearing Services Advisory Committee during his time as President of ACAud. He was there in 1993 when the current Hearing Services Program was started.
Bill is committed to, and passionate about, his profession and is fully cognizant of the need to maintain professional standards and ethics in the face of increasing pressures from the industry and elsewhere.
