Our Team

Lesley Jordan

Interim CEO

Lesley joined HeartKids in January as the Interim CEO with significant executive experience across government, for-profit and for-purpose sectors, working namely in health, community and human service areas.  Lesley is a former nurse and midwife, bringing both clinical expertise and senior executive experience to HeartKids. Following a number of senior roles in health, both in the public and not-for-profit sectors Lesley has been providing Interim CEO / Executive support to organisations since 2013.  This has included work in aged care, the community sector, children's services, disability services and ophthalmology providing support in the areas of strategy, leadership, governance, quality and risk management.  

Over the coming months Lesley will work with the Board and senior management to continue to drive the organisations strategy, establish operational systems and improved governance systems. On a personal note, Lesley is a mother of 3 adult daughters, one of which was diagnosed with a neural tube defect at the age of 4 ½ yrs old, so brings a level of empathy and understanding to the role. 

Marcus Sandmann

Chief Operating Officer/Chief Marketing Officer

Marcus Sandmann joined HeartKids in February 2023 and is a senior management professional with over 25 years of experience in marketing and sales for products and services to businesses and consumers. He has supported the launch of products and services into new markets across 10 countries in Asia Pacific. Marcus has industry knowledge across diverse sectors including Information Technology, Media, Professional Services, and Telecommunications. Within the Not-for-Profit sector, he has built experience in both board member and senior executive positions, supporting fundraising and growth objectives for several NGO’s and Community Services organisations.

Paul Harris

Chief Financial Officer

Paul joined HeartKids in March 2023 as the CFO with significant senior finance and corporate services experience in both the For Profit and NFP sectors. Paul is a qualified accountant and has been a Fellow CPA Australia for over 35 years and is a Councillor on the CPA NSW Divisional Council. Paul’s experiences in the NFP sector have included CFO and GM Corporate Services roles with the Royal Institute for Deaf & Blind Children and most recently with Relationships Australia NSW including responsibilities in the areas of finance, audit, risk & governance, HR & payroll, property, IT and Boards & company secretarial.

Paul has also completed interim senior finance contract roles for Surf Lifesaving NSW, Good2Give and JewishCare in the NFP sector.

On a personal note, Paul is the father of 3 adult daughters, has and continues to enjoy volunteering in a number of areas contributing, for example, at the Invictus Games in 2018, for the McGrath Foundation Pink cricket test in 2023 and as an adjudicator for the Australasian Annual Reporting Awards.

Paul holds a B.Ec. and M.Ec. from Macquarie University, an MBA from Deakin University and was selected and attended the strategic NFP executive education program at Harvard Business School in 2013.

Holly Williams

State Manager, HeartKids QLD Division 

Holly joined HeartKids in July 2014 and during her time with HeartKids has established strong relationships with key stakeholders, identified and developed support programs, and introduced successful fundraising initiatives such as HeartKids Two Feet & a Heartbeat Charity Walk.

Holly has also held a number of Board positions within Australia and New Zealand, her most recent Board appointment was with HeartKids QLD. Holly joined the HeartKids QLD board as a Director in 2012 and was elected vice president in 2013. During Holly’s time on the HeartKids QLD board, the organisation saw significant increases across all services.

Before joining HeartKids Holly led a successful career in the mining and resource sector for over 9 years; she held a number of engineering roles throughout Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand. Holly worked for both contractors and owner-operators allowing her the ability to engineer solutions which are both optimised and cost-effective.

Holly is mum to three children and in her spare time she loves to spend time with her family and when she is not acting as their taxi services she loves to swim. Holly fully understands the HeartKids journey as her middle child is a heart kid and Holly herself is 100% pacemaker dependent.

Norman Hutton

State Manager, HeartKids VIC/TAS Division

Norm commenced his career within the Charitable sector around 30 years ago when he took up a role at St John Ambulance.

After almost 10 years of developing their first aid programmes including working with Unions and Government to introduce a First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice, Norm found at The Brotherhood of St Laurence reshaping their donated goods and retail Op Shop strategy.

After completing an MBA he settled in for 11 years at Variety the Children's Charity creating a number of new initiatives for children with special needs including taking on the development of a purpose-designed and built Wheelchair Swing which is now a feature in parks and playgrounds around the Variety world from Australia and New Zealand to Canada and Ireland.

Norm finally made his way to HeartKids in 2013.

With 4 children and 6 grandchildren, plus his passion for Golf, the Richmond Football Club, and HeartKids, Norm enjoys a fairly full agenda both during the week and at weekends.......and he would not change a thing.

Tania Potts

State Manager, HeartKids SA/NT Division 

Tania has twenty-five years of experience in fundraising, marketing, and management in the not-for-profit sector.

She has worked with international, national, and state-based charities such as World Vision Australia (World Vision Victoria and World Vision SA/NT), CARA, The Royal Flying Doctors, and Orana Australia Limited.

Tania's fundraising experience includes major events, capital campaigns, lotteries, appeals, grants, corporate partnerships/sponsorship, social enterprise, wills and bequests, volunteer management, ambassador programs, digital fundraising and much more.

With experience in marketing, management, communications, and branding and leading teams from six to thirty staff and volunteers, she brings a wide range of skills to the SA / NT team.

In her time off Tania loves to read. Having recently celebrated a significant birthday, she set herself a challenge to read 50 books in one year. She’s looking for recommendations for good books to read, so when you drop by the new SA / NT state office don’t forget to suggest a title or two.

Simon Keen

State Manager, HeartKids WA Division 

Simon joined HeartKids in November 2021 having worked in a diverse range of roles in the arts and cultural sector.

Simon completed his Masters in Management at the University of Technology Sydney, and has held leadership positions at Sydney Festival, Perth Theatre Trust, and recently completed a five year tenure as General Manager at WA Youth Jazz Orchestra (WAYJO). During his time at WAYJO, the company grew its audience and donor bases substantially, enabling more opportunities for the annual cohort of young musicians who make up WAYJO's three ensembles.

Simon has developed a passion for bettering the lives of young people and their families. He refers to his commitment to working with donors and corporate partners as "friend-raising", building engaged networks to support the work of the organisations he works with.

Prior to his behind the scenes work in arts administration, Simon trained as an actor, with appearances on stage, in commercials and on television, as well as writing and producing his own plays.

Simon is the father of two boys, and is a member of their primary school Board. He enjoys listening to music, following far too many sports, and spending time with his extended family.

Jessica Keating

Action Plan Project Manager - National Strategic Action Plan Team

Jessica joined HeartKids in April 2020 to lead the delivery of the National Strategic Action Plan for Childhood Heart Disease. Jessica is a Registered Nurse and holds a Master’s of Public Health and a Master’s of Health Administration. She is passionate about patient-centered models of care and health innovation with a strong focus on improving the health outcomes of people with complex health needs. 

Jessica spent the first part of her career working as a primary care nurse, with a special interest in the care and management of patients with chronic conditions in the community. This interest led her to step away from direct clinical contact and move into public health project roles. She has since worked on and lead many public health initiatives and pilot projects, all with the general themes of patient-centered care, health reform, using innovative technology to improve patient outcomes, and improving the health care journey for those with complex health needs. 

In her spare time, Jessica frequents the local music scene in Melbourne and volunteers for a dog rescue organisation, with unruly rescue puppies often attempting to join her in video conference meetings.