Meet our team

SMG Board

Mark Gower

BA (Accounting); CA; GAICD
Mark Gower has been Chair of the board of SMG since November 2018, and served as a director and treasurer for 5 years before that.

A Chartered Accountant and Company Director, he is married, with 3 delightful adult children.

He is part owner of Forsyte Consulting, which provides tailored advisory services designed specifically to improve the business outcomes of organisations of all sizes.

Mark hopes that SMG can become even more effective in the school chaplaincy arena and as it is his desire to see the people we support reach their full potential.

John Anderson

John Anderson has served on the SMG board since 2014, but his involvement  with SMG goes back to the late 1990’s.

He is married to Cathy and they have 6 children and 2 grandchildren, and they are actively involved in their local church in the southern suburbs.

His company, Distinctive Window Cleaning, specialises in window and solar panel cleaning. As a small Business owner and operator, he understands how important it is to be ethical in business and in life.

John has seen over many years that Chaplaincy is important for the growth and wellbeing of our young people and our communities, and he hopes that every child has a chance to grow to their maximum potential.

Demi Kastanos

MBA(HRM); GCert (HRM); GDipBkg&Fin; GAICD Demi Kastanos joined the SMG board in 2015, and is the chair of the Governance Committee.

Demi is the Head of Career Development Learning and Employability at the University of South Australia (UniSA) where she oversees the development and delivery of career education of more than 38,000 students.

She is a leader in higher education career development and a credible voice in higher education career services in Australia.

Demi is passionate about people, and works to ensure they can succeed in life. She is a long-serving faithful parish member of the Greek Orthodox Church.

Hugh Ballantyne

Hugh joined the board of SMG in 2022. 
Hugh is married with two children and nine wonderful grandchildren. 

He has undertaken studies in sales, marketing, senior management, and philanthropy. Hugh currently works in the homeless and disability sector. 

Hugh hopes to make a meaningful contribution to SMG and its ministry and believes that we each have a unique calling, designed by God.

Andreas Konrad

Andreas joined the SMG Board in May 2022. 
Andreas is married with two adult children, and they attend their local Lutheran Church.

He has a Bachelor of Commerce and is a Chartered Accountant. Andreas is currently working in the wine industry and has previously worked in packaging, medical and the auto industries.

Andreas believes it is important to contribute and hopes that he will be able to do this at SMG and through the wonderful work they do. 
He hopes to see SMG grow across more school networks through the impact of education programs and PCW work .  

Sanj de Silva 

Sanj is a new Director who joined the SMG board in May 2022.

Sanj is married with teenage boys. Her experience includes corporate affairs, marketing, and sustainability, having completed her Master of Business Administration at the University of Wales. 

She is currently employed by a company that specialises in recycling and repurposing materials destined for landfill.

Sanj believes that “nothing is impossible” and hopes that our next generation will experience a better world, if action is taken now by us with no further delays.