Our Board

Our Board oversees organisational performance, financial sustainability, risk management and compliance; appoints, supports and monitors the Executive Director; sets the organisation's strategic direction and governance framework; and maintains accountability to Association members through effective stewardship of the organisation's resources and transparent governance.

The MSF Australia Constitution provides for a Board of up to eleven elected Directors including the appointment of a Director from MSF France. Each year, the Association elects Directors at the Annual General Meeting. With the exception of the President, all Directors serve in a voluntary capacity and receive no remuneration for their Board responsibilities.

MSF Australia board members

Dr  Nikola Morton, President

Dr Nikola Morton is an Australian paediatrician with extensive experience both in the Australian health system and across humanitarian settings globally. She completed her paediatric specialisation in Australia before joining MSF in 2014 working on assignment in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Kenya. In 2017 Nikola joined MSF Operational Centre Paris as the paediatric advisor for over seven years, providing clinical technical support both remotely and in projects for paediatric and newborn care across a range of projects and emergency settings.  

Nikola continues to work clinically at The Sydney Children’s Hospital Network as the clinical lead of the Paediatric Refugee service at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.  Nikola was appointed to the Board of the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network in January 2022 and oversees the Safety & Quality portfolio. In 2024 Nikola joined the Clinical Excellence Commission, a pillar of the NSW Ministry of Health, as the Medical Lead for the Paediatric Patient Safety Program.  

Nikola was elected to the MSF Australia Board in May 2025, and elected president in May 2026.  

Scarlett Wong, Vice President

Scarlett Wong was elected to the MSF Australia Board in 2024. She is a Clinical Psychologist who has been on 5 field assignments including Occupied Palestinian Territories, Uganda, Türkiye and Kiribati. She brings with her a breadth of experience in clinical governance in clinical, humanitarian and research settings. 
Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales (UNSW); and a Masters of Clinical Psychology from Western Sydney University. She is currently a PhD candidate at UNSW investigating decolonising approaches to Global Mental Health in Humanitarian settings.

Dr Sivapalan (Siva) Namasivayam, Vice President

Siva was re-elected to another 3-year term on the MSFA Board at the 2025 AGM in May.
He will also continue as Vice-President, the role to which he was first elected in 2024. Since 2024, Siva is a Trustee of the MSF New Zealand Charitable Trust. As a Board member, Siva has assumed several roles, notable amongst them is his current responsibilities as MSFA's representative on the Australia Pacific (APAC) Forum and the International General Assembly. He has a keen interest in making APAC a reality and a success, having been involved in its evolution and in the formation of the Malaysia branch office. In June 2025, Siva was elected Chairman of the Forum (which has representatives from four partners – Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Australia).

Kerry Atkins, Treasurer

Kerry was elected to the Board in May 2019, and holds a Graduate certificate in Humanitarian Leadership from Deakin University, as well as being a certified CPA. She has done MSF field missions in Nigeria and Libya and is an active member of the MSF Australia Association. Kerry has worked for many NGOs such as Oxfam Australia, the Black Dog Institute, the Sunrise Project, the World Bank (PNG program), and The Nature Conservancy Australia. She has experience and skills in financial management, strategy, governance, risk, leading teams, capacity building and implementing change, and operational planning. Kerry is currently the Corporate Services Director at Caritas Australia and is is part way through the Company Directors course at the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Dr Jananie Balendran

Dr Jananie Balendran joined MSF in 2015 and was appointed Board Director in 2024. She has worked extensively internationally in a variety of development and humanitarian medical roles including with the World Health Organisation. With MSF, she has completed three field missions in Papua New Guinea, Nigeria and Burundi Tanzania Border.

Jananie is committed to a career improving Womens Health globally. She is an Obstetrics and Gynaecology Fellow and is on the RANZCOG Global Health Committee. She holds a Masters of International Public Health, Diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Dr Matthew Reid

Dr Matthew Reid has been a member of the MSF Australia Board in 2007-2010, 2015-2018 and in 2023, and was MSF Australia President in 2008-2010. He is also a MSF New Zealand Trustee. He has worked for MSF in Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan, Russia and most recently in South Africa in 2012-2014, as doctor, project coordinator and medical coordinator.

He represented MSF Australia at the MSF International General Assembly, the highest governing body of MSF in 2011-2017. He is a public health medicine specialist and medical officer of health working in Õtautahi Christchurch, New Zealand for the National Public Health Service, and has a Master of Public Health and a Diploma in Child Health.

Jana Armstrong

Jana was appointed to the Board in May 2024 and is also the Treasurer MSF Switzerland and Chair of the Operating Centre Geneva Finance Commission.  She is also a Board member of MSF Korea and representative on the Asia Pacific partnership.

Jana has more than 20 years of experience in global health and humanitarian sectors in management and consulting roles.  She was the Executive Director for the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative and with MSF has worked as a kidnap crisis advocacy and family liaison; financial controller and grant manager for missions in Angola, Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Dagestan, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Kazakhstan, and as Deputy Head of Mission in South Sudan.

Jana has an MBA in International Management and International Diploma in Humanitarian Affairs (IDHA).  She is a US native and currently resides in Switzerland. 

Dr  Wilson Li

Wilson was appointed to the Board in August 2025. Wilson is an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in trauma surgery. He was the orthopaedic chief of Hong Kong's largest hospital and the President of the Hong Kong College of Orthopaedic Surgeons before he left public hospital service. He has been a faculty member of AO, the world's largest organisation for trauma education, for many years, teaching and volunteering in many LMICs over all five continents. 

In 2007 he joined MSF as emergency surgeon, and had worked in Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, and different parts of Africa. Wilson was first elected to the Board of MSF HK in 2010, and currently is their vice president.  He also holds honorary professorship at universities in both Hong Kong and Beijing. 

Danielle Al-Ani 

Danielle was appointed to the Board in August 2026. She joined MSF in 2010, working in project, country and headquarters roles and having held finance, human resources and administration responsibilities. Her assignments and portfolios have spanned Sudan and what is now South Sudan, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Türkiye, Yemen and Palestine. She held regional positions with MSF Spain (OCBA) — first as Regional Development Manager, deputising on the decentralisation of OCBA headquarters to Amman, and then as Regional Operational HR Advisor on the Middle East desk.

Outside the movement, Danielle was Director of People and Culture for Mercy Corps' regional Syria response and has since led client services at the Women's Legal Centre ACT and now at Cancer Council ACT. She holds an MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration from SOAS, University of London, and has lived and worked in the Middle East for over a decade. Danielle contributes expertise in gender, diversity and inclusion, people and culture, safeguarding, financial stewardship and organisational transformation.

Michael Hoey (Financial vacancy)

Michael was appointed to the Board in August 2026.  Michael has a unique profile, coming from a health background in both nursing and health services management, with international field experience in finance and human resources.  Michael joined MSF in 2021 and has undertaken five assignments, with the most recent being as Deputy Human Resources Coordinator in Palestine.   Michael brings expertise in organisational leadership, corporate governance, marketing and financial management.