Meet our Team
The Hush Foundation would not function without the skills, support and abilities of our part-time project managers and committed volunteers. The considerable expertise of our team, many of whom have extensive experience in health, the arts and business management, helps keep the organisation on track to achieve its goal of humanising health care.
If you have any queries about The Hush Foundation; Hush Music; HealthPlays; Advocacy; Or how Hush could work with your organisation, please get in touch with us through our contact page HERE.
To learn more about the Hush board, click HERE
Benjamin Northey, Hush Music Artistic Director
Australian conductor Benjamin Northey is the Chief Conductor of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and the Principal Conductor in Residence of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. He has previously held the posts of Associate Conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (2010-2019), Resident Guest Conductor of the Australia Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra (2002-2006) and Principal Guest Conductor of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra (2007-2010).
Ben appears regularly as a guest conductor with all major Australian symphony orchestras, Opera Australia (La Bohème, Turandot, L’elisir d’amore, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, Carmen), New Zealand Opera (Sweeney Todd) and the State Opera South Australia (La Sonnambula, L’elisir d’amore, Les Contes d’Hoffmann).
His international appearances include concerts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, the Malaysian Philharmonic, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Auckland Philharmonia.
To read Ben's complete biography, click here.
Laura Harper, Hush Music Label Manager
Laura's an experienced leader specialising in advocacy, strategy, and project management in the creative industries. As the Music Label Manager for The Hush Foundation, Laura collaborates with Australian composers to transform healthcare through the healing power of music. Prior to this, she played a pivotal role in the growth and promotion of the Tasmanian music industry as the CEO of Music Tasmania. Laura also programs music for festivals, including Homebrewed at Falls Music & Arts Festival, Festival of Voices, and The Unconformity, and works with a diverse bunch of clients on music projects.
Laura was awarded an Australian Institute of Company Directors Scholarship in 2017. She has made significant contributions as a Board Member of the Australian Music Industry Network, The Tasmanian Creative Industries Council, and The Women in Music Mentorship Program. Additionally, she has served as a Grant Assessor and Industry Advisor for the Australia Council for the Arts, Regional Arts Tasmania, APRA AMCOS, the City of Hobart, and Arts Tasmania.
Laura holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours), majoring in art and cultural theory.
She is passionate about collaborating with artists, creative organisations, and communities to make magic happen and enable positive change.
Lucy Mayes, Engagement Manager
Lucy Mayes is an award-winning leadership development and engagement professional, a published author and sought-after presenter and facilitator. Lucy’s unique skill set draws on her training as a lawyer, social worker and company director and her work across multiple settings and sectors including corporate, education, local government, healthcare, the arts and not for profit.
Her interest in human-centered and sustainable healthcare cultures stems from the research and publication of her book: Beyond the Stethoscope: doctors’ stories of reclaiming hope, heart and healing in medicine, inspired by her GP husband's journey with burnout. The research and publication of this book sparked Lucy's awareness of the desperate need and hunger for more humanism in workplaces in general, and in the world.
Lucy also runs her own consultancy specialising in facilitation, leadership and stakeholder engagement, often working with creative approaches including the arts, horses and nature. Lucy is deputy Chair of the Castlemaine State Festival, Australia's longest running regional Arts Festival, is a Community Advisory Council member for the Murray Primary Health Network.
Andrew Gill, Gathering of Kindness
Andrew Gill has had an involvement and interest in public health since the late 1980’s. Working with The Quit Campaign he developed and presented health messaging to schools children and families across Victoria.
As a performer he gained insights into the experience of patients, clinicians and volunteers at bedsides and in wards.
The breakthrough way the then Victorian Cancer Council approached changing opinions to tobacco advertising in the 1960’s (to the huge success of Quit and Vic Health today ) is formative in his outlook and the possibilities to changing opinion and behaviour in healthcare.
His company Agent Creative works with corporations and brands on campaigns and projects including online, broadcast and experiential events.
Andrew believes that communicating important messages and developing programs about health and patient care is central to improving patient and staff experience.
Amy Maddison, Communications Manager
Amy Maddison is an organisational development consultant who has a keen interest and experience in workforce culture, wellbeing and internal communications practices.
She has consulted to the Hush Foundation and their workforce culture movement, the Gathering is Kindness for over five years. Since 2020, Amy has worked with Hush to develop tailored wellbeing and team building packages which have been successfully rolled out to several healthcare organisations including NSW Health, St Vincent’s Health Australia, WA Health Service, Eastern Health, Bass Coast Health, Latrobe Regional Hospital and Albury Wodonga Health, among others.
Amy is trained as a Counsellor and Educator and holds further tertiary qualifications in Communications and Theatre. She is the Director of String Words and a Principal Consultant with L&A Surveys, and was previously Deputy Chair on the Board of Writers Victoria and a “LASA Next Gen Ambassador” for Young Aged Care leaders across Victoria and Tasmania. She’s also the very proud mum of Maisy.
