Board of Directors

Warwick Negus

Chair and Independent Director

BBus, MCom, SF Fin

Appointed to the Board on 1 February 2021 as an Independent Director, Warwick Negus became Chair of Dexus Funds Management Limited on 27 October 2022. He is also Chair of the Board Nomination & Governance Committee, and a member of the Board Audit Committee, Board People & Remuneration Committee, Board Risk & Compliance Committee and Board Sustainability Committee.  

Warwick is Chair of the Bank of Queensland and a Non-Executive Director of Virgin Australia Holdings Limited, Terrace Tower Group, New South Wales Rugby Union Limited and Tantallon Capital Advisors. He is also Deputy Chancellor and a member of the Council of UNSW.   

Warwick has more than 30 years of funds management, finance and property industry experience in Australia, Europe and Asia. Through his experiences as an executive and a non-executive director, Warwick brings expertise in the management and governance of complex organisations particularly in the fields of fund management and finance.

His most recent executive roles included Chief Executive Officer of Colonial First State Global Asset Management, Chief Executive Officer of 452 Capital, and Goldman Sachs Managing Director in Australia, London, and Singapore.  Warwick was formerly Chair of UNSW Global and Pengana Capital Group, and a Non-Executive Director of Washington H. Soul Pattinson and FINSIA.

Ross Du Vernet

Group Chief Executive Officer CEO and Managing Director
Executive Director

BBus, MBA, AMP

Appointed to the Board on 28 March 2024, Ross Du Vernet is Group Chief Executive Officer (Group CEO) of Dexus and an Executive Director of Dexus Funds Management Limited.

Ross has more than 20 years experience investing in real assets with a background in corporate transactions, strategy, and funds management in Australia and abroad.

Ross holds an MBA from MGSM and a Bachelor of Business (Finance, Banking) from the University of Technology Sydney. He has also completed the Advanced Management Program at the Wharton School of Business.

Paula Dwyer

Independent Director

BCom, FCA, SF Fin, FAICD

Appointed to the Board on 1 February 2023, Paula Dwyer is an Independent Director of Dexus Funds Management Limited, and a member of the Board Audit Committee, Board Nomination & Governance Committee and Board People & Remuneration Committee.

Paula is Chair of Allianz Australia Limited, Elenium Automation Pty Limited and a Non-Executive Director of AMCIL Limited, TPG Telecom Limited and Lion Pty Limited, where she is Chair of the Audit, Risk and Compliance committees.  She is a member of the Committee of the Melbourne Cricket Club. 

Paula has been a Non-Executive Director for over 25 years following an executive career in investment banking and funds management.  She has significant experience across financial services, investment management, healthcare, energy, utilities and infrastructure, property and construction, corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions. Paula brings to the board her diverse leadership experience including in corporate strategy development and implementation across a broad range of industries and in navigating complex stakeholder relationships.

Previous roles include as Non-Executive Director of ANZ Banking Group Limited (where she was Chair of the Audit Committee), Suncorp Group Limited, Astro Japan Property Group Limited, Fosters Group Limited, David Jones Limited and Promina Group Limited. Paula was formerly Chair of Tabcorp Holdings Limited, Healthscope Limited, Blackmores Limited and Deputy Chair of Leighton Holdings Limited.

Mark Ford

Independent Director

Dip. Tech (Commerce), CA, FAICD

Appointed to the Board on 1 November 2016, Mark Ford is an Independent Director of Dexus Funds Management Limited and Dexus Wholesale Property Limited, Chair of the Board Audit Committee, and a member of the Board Nomination & Governance Committee and Board Risk & Compliance Committee.

Mark is a Director of Prime Property Fund Asia.

Mark has extensive property industry experience and has been involved in Real Estate Funds Management for over 30 years. He also has experience in equity and capital funding and corporate transactions. Mark was previously Managing Director, Head of DB Real Estate Australia, where he managed more than $10 billion in property funds and sat on the Global Executive Committee for Deutsche Bank Real Estate and RREEF. Mark was also a Director in the Property Investment Banking division of Macquarie and was involved in listing the previous Macquarie Office Fund and a number of other REITS.

His previous directorships include Comrealty Limited, Property Council of Australia, Deutsche Asset Management Australia and he was also Founding Chair of Cbus Property Pty Limited and Chair of Kiwi Property Group and South East Asia Property Company. Mark previously held senior roles with Price Waterhouse, Deutsche Bank and Macquarie Bank.

Rhoda Phillippo

Independent Director

MSc Telecommunications Business, GAICD

Appointed to the Board on 1 February 2023, Rhoda Phillippo is an Independent Director of Dexus Funds Management Limited, Chair of the Board Risk & Compliance Committee, and a member of the Board Nomination & Governance Committee and Board Sustainability Committee.

Rhoda is a Non-Executive Director of APA Group (ASX: APA) where she chairs the Risk Committee and a Non-Executive Director of Waveconn Group Holdings Management Pty Ltd. 

Rhoda has been a Non-Executive Director for over 15 years, following an extensive executive career leading operations across infrastructure, energy, telecommunications and technology in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Her experiences have gained her deep skills in operational and change management, mergers & acquisitions, risk management, technology and cyber issues.

Previous Board roles include Non-Executive Director of Pacific Hydro, Datacom Group Limited, LINQ, Vocus Group Limited (ASX: VOC) and Managing Director of Lumo Energy. Rhoda also held the role of Chair of Snapper Services NZ, Chair of Kinetic IT Pty Limited and Deputy Chair of Kiwibank NZ. 

The Hon. Nicola Roxon

Independent Director

BA/LLB (Hons), GAICD

Appointed to the Board on 1 September 2017, Nicola Roxon is an Independent Director of Dexus Funds Management Limited, Chair of the Board Sustainability Committee, and a member of the Board Nomination & Governance Committee and Board People & Remuneration Committee.

Nicola is the Independent Chair of large superannuation fund, HESTA, and of the statutory public health agency, VicHealth.  She is also on the board of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.  She is Chair of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 

Trained as an industrial lawyer, Nicola served in the Commonwealth Parliament for 15 years including a period as Minister for Health, and also as Australia’s first female Attorney-General. She was a Non-Executive Director of ASX listed housing company, Lifestyle Communities. 

Nicola’s skill set from more than 20 years’ experience in government and law provides strong insights into strategy, public policy and accountability. Her non-executive career across not-for-profit, unlisted, government and listed organisations in the last decade has allowed her to develop further expertise in ESG, health, investor relations and remuneration. 

Elana Rubin AM

Independent Director

BA (Hons), MA, SF Fin, FAICD

Appointed to the Board on 28 September 2022, Elana Rubin is an Independent Director of Dexus Funds Management Limited and Dexus Wholesale Property Limited, Chair of the Board People & Remuneration Committee, and a member of the Board Nomination & Governance Committee and Board Risk & Compliance Committee.

Elana is Chair of the Australian Business Growth Fund (ABGF) and Victorian Managed Insurance Authority, and a Non-Executive Director of Telstra Corporation. She is also a director of several infrastructure, private and social enterprises, and a member of the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Elana has been a Non-Executive Director for over 20 years. She has extensive experience across technology, financial services, property, infrastructure and government sectors. Her non-executive directorships have spanned listed, unlisted, private and government companies.

Previous roles include having served as Chair of Afterpay, Chair of AustralianSuper and Chair of WorkSafe Victoria and as a director of Mirvac and ME Bank. Elana was formerly a member of the Federal Government’s Infrastructure Australia Council and Climate Change Authority, and a member of the AICD Victorian Council.

Elana brings a strong investor and stakeholder focus and understands the positive role well managed real assets can play to create stronger communities.  She has been a strong advocate for the benefits of diversity in the workplace and building strong cultures to drive performance.

Elana was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2021 for services to corporate governance and community.