The Walkley Directors are the members and directors of the company Walkley Foundation Limited, which is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission.
Adele Ferguson is a Gold Walkley award winning journalist with The Age and Sydney
Morning Herald and is a regular guest reporter on Four Corners, 7.30 and 60 Minutes. She is the author of the bestselling books Banking Bad and an unauthorised biography on Gina Rinehart. Adele started her career at The Advertiser in Adelaide and over her career has worked across various mastheads including BRW and The Australian. She is an eight-time Walkley Award winner and other awards include two Gold Quill awards, two Gold Kennedy Awards, a Logie and the Graham Perkin Journalist of the Year. In 2019 she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her services to print and broadcast journalism. She has a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Adelaide University.
Morning Herald and is a regular guest reporter on Four Corners, 7.30 and 60 Minutes. She is the author of the bestselling books Banking Bad and an unauthorised biography on Gina Rinehart. Adele started her career at The Advertiser in Adelaide and over her career has worked across various mastheads including BRW and The Australian. She is an eight-time Walkley Award winner and other awards include two Gold Quill awards, two Gold Kennedy Awards, a Logie and the Graham Perkin Journalist of the Year. In 2019 she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her services to print and broadcast journalism. She has a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Adelaide University.
Karen Percy is a freelance reporter with extensive experience including a stint as a foreign correspondent for the ABC in South East Asia and a freelance correspondent based in Russia. Her career began with the ABC in Adelaide more than three decades ago, and has taken her to Alice Springs, Darwin, Toronto, Sydney, Bangkok and Moscow. She has also worked for Channel 10 and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Karen is the Federal President of the Media section of MEAA. She’s a passionate advocate for ethical, trauma-informed journalism From 2020-2022 Karen was Chair of the Dart Centre Asia-Pacific which focuses on trauma and journalism.
Michael Brissenden was a political journalist and foreign correspondent for the ABC for 35 years. He began his career covering Federal politics and has been a correspondent in Moscow, Brussels and Washington. He was the political editor for the 7.30 Report in Canberra from 2003 to 2009, the ABC's Defence and National Security Correspondent between 2013 and 2015 and the host of the AM national radio program. From 2017 to 2021 he was a reporter with the 4 Corners program. Michael is a two-time Walkley Award-winner. He has written for a number of newspapers and magazines and has published both fiction and nonfiction books.
Erin Delahunty is a Victorian-based freelance journalist. After completing a print journalism cadetship, Delahunty spent close to 20 years as a news, sports and features writer and editor for major media groups in Australia and in the UK, before going freelance. She has established herself as one of Australia’s pre-eminent netball writers and pundits, regularly filing for Guardian Australia and Fox Netball and appearing on ABC radio and Fox Sports' netball show Centre Circle. She is currently co-writing a book about netball for a UK publisher. Delahunty is a Federal Vice-President of the Media section of the MEAA, a trustee of the MEAA's Media Safety & Solidarity Fund and the union's national freelance committee member.
Victoria Laurie is a former senior reporter and feature writer for The Australian newspaper. She worked in current affairs for ABC TV and radio and freelanced for The Bulletin, The Monthly, HQ, Australian Geographic and The Weekend Australian Magazine. Victoria is founder and national co-patron of Women in Media, a not-for-profit initiative to support women working in the sector. She is the author of natural history books The Kimberley: Australia's Last Great Wilderness and The Southwest: Australia's Biodiversity Hotspot (UWAP). She has been a three-time Walkley feature finalist.
Leigh Tonkin has worked in national and regional newsrooms for 15 years and is the editor of features and context for ABC News. Previously, she was comment editor at the Sydney Morning Herald, where she worked in various roles for six years, online editor at the Newcastle Herald and a sub-editor at the Cairns Post. She has been a house committee and national media section activist with the Media, Entertainment and Arts’ Alliance for nearly a decade and represents Asia-Pacific on the International Federation of Journalists’ gender steering committee. Her priorities include workplace fairness for women, diverse and young journalists and building a union culture that helps journalists thrive.
Sharina Simnett is a MBA Executive and CPA qualified senior commercial manager with 13 years of experience across a diverse range of industries including Media, FMCG and E-Commerce in both London and Sydney. Simnett has served on the D&I boards at 20th Century Fox & Frucor Suntory, where she implemented meaningful change for all employees through the creation of ‘Back to Work’ training for all parents returning from parental leave and flexible working arrangements. Simnett actively promotes the empowerment of women through volunteering at Dress for Success and has written a children’s book that showcases inspiring Australian sportspeople. In recognition of her passion for gender equality, Simnett was awarded the Sir Walter Scott Scholarship to complete her MBA at AGSM.