Our People
CASS is an acronym for:
‘Contributing to Australian Scholarship and Science’.
The objective of CASS is to fund programs and projects which have the capacity to provide a significant benefit to a sector of the Australian community.




David Abraham AM
Executive Director & Chair
As well as being a Director of CASS, David is Chairman of four syndicates of Chief Executive Officers. He was formerly Chairman of the Board at The Knox School Limited and Sirius Telecommunications Limited, Chairman of the Australian Health Service Alliance Limited, Thirteenth Beach Golf Links Limited, The Liberty Group (County Court of Victoria), and Deputy Chair of Generation Victoria. He was the Facilitator on the Melbourne City Link Project, the Probity Adviser for the Melbourne Cricket Ground redevelopment, Due Diligence Adviser to the Vice Chancellor at The University of Melbourne and Commissioner investigating governance at Nillimbuk Council. David was involved in the Education sector as a Director of Taylors Schools, Study Group International, Ruyton Girls School and as Chair of the Council at Ormond College, The University of Melbourne. He was Chair of the Interim Board of Directors of Human Variome Project International Limited. David is a lawyer and was formerly Managing Partner at a city legal firm. David became a member in the General Division of the Order of Australia for his significant service to the community through health and medical research, education, and corporate governance organisations.
David Aitken
Executive Director & Secretary
Tamara Abraham
Executive Director & Grants Manager
Peter Wade
Non Executive Director
Peter was a founding Director of PhillipsKPA Pty. Ltd. and its predecessor, KPA Consulting, until the end of 2016. He is one of Australia’s most respected experts in the operation of universities and in particular, in financial and corporate management. Peter is actively engaged in the governance and management of major educational and private sector corporations. In May 2012, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa from Monash University. Before joining KPMG and then KPA consulting, Peter was General Manager of Monash University for 15 years, overseeing many of Monash’s financial, international and commercial initiatives. He has also been Deputy Head of the Treasury of Victoria and Deputy Director-General (Finance) of Transport. Peter was for many years Chair of Open Universities Australia and a Director of The Knox School Limited.