Who we are

Founder, Pancare Foundation

Dr Mehrdad Nikfarjam is one of the country’s leading liver, pancreas and biliary surgeons with extensive training and education, gained in both Australia and the USA. His belief has always been that no cancer patient should be denied an opportunity for the best available care.  He completed his medical degree MBBS (Hons) at Monash University in 1997. During his surgical training that followed he was awarded a PhD from University of Melbourne, supported by a Surgeon Scientist Scholarship from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (R.A.C.S). He completed his surgical Fellowship in Australia in 2007 (F.R.A.C.S), before continuing with specialist’s surgical training in the USA.

He has publications in leading surgical journals, including the highest ranked surgical journal, Annals of Surgery and he has been involved in pancreatic cancer studies published in the highest ranked journal, Nature. He is the lead investigator on several prospective studies on the treatment of pancreatic and liver disorders and is collaborator on the pancreatic genome project with the Garvin Institute, NSW. Dr Mehrdad Nikfarjam has also contributed to the supervision of several surgical trainees, Honours and PhD students.

Treasurer, Pancare Foundation

Rod Cairnduff is a CPA with more than 25 years’ experience working across the finance sector. For the past six years Rod has run his own firm while serving on the board of a number of not-for-profits, giving valuable advice and direction in regard to financial sustainability and longevity.

Douglas’ experience in the metals industry began with his family’s Victorian business since 1977, which led to a management role with the Poseidon Group of Companies before moving to the mining, mineral and metal oxide industry. Douglas founded Southern Recycling in 1992 and Ecocycle Industries in 1996. Douglas founded Recycal in late 2010 and took over his old silver and mercury business CMA Ecocycle in late 2013; growing each nationally. Douglas enjoys devoting his time to those less fortunate and is involved in a number of charities and mentoring programs.

David Trussler has worked in the Advertising industry for 30 years and has been a major shareholder partner in two successful Melbourne agencies. In 1987 he co-founded respected Melbourne agency Words at Work Advertising. He has a keen interest in the retail market and has worked on some of Australia’s largest and most successful retail brands including The Good Guys, Duncans Liquor, Mitre 10, Thrifty-Link Hardware. A passionate proponent of marketing strategy, his qualifications include a Bachelor of Business (Distinction), and a Graduate Diploma in Marketing. David is also a CPA and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Paul has over 40 years of national and international industry experience in the engineering/property design, construction, development, and funds management sectors. He has an Honours degree in Civil Engineering & a Science degree in Mathematics & Psychology. Among many senior executive roles over this period, Paul was most recently an Executive Director with Lend Lease (Melbourne and Sydney), the founding CEO of the MAB Corporation (Melbourne) and Managing Director of Chord Capital (Melbourne). Paul currently holds several Board positions and is passionate about his role with Pancare.

Angeline Nicholas is currently Head of Digital Advertising at The Australian (News Corp) and specialises in digital strategy and operations. Having held leadership positions at eBay, Qantas.com and Federal Government, she is a great supporter of non-profits utilising online assets to champion their cause. She has a Masters of Commerce (International Business) and Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from the University of NSW and has held director positions on boards both in Australia and in the UK.