Our leadership team is made up of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissioner, Associate Commissioner, and a team of Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners and a Chief Operating Officer.
Louise Glanville – NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissioner
Louise is an experienced Chair, CEO and Deputy Secretary across legal, social and government sectors.
For 25 years, she has led policy development, service delivery, major reform and systematic change at federal, state and local levels through working with individuals and communities.
As CEO of Victoria Legal Aid, and Chair of National Legal Aid, she headed a team of over 1400 staff offering legal assistance to those who need it most and providing system leadership, strategic litigation, law reform and advocacy input to senior levels of industry and government.
As former Deputy CEO of the National Disability Insurance Agency, Louise was part of the Executive Team which led the roll-out of the NDIS pilots across Australia, working with people with disabilities, and established the new statutory agency that is the NDIA.
Commissioner’s functions
As the leader of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, the Commissioner is an advocate for the health, wellbeing and safety of people who access the NDIS and related services.
The Commissioner is responsible for the investigation, management, conciliation and resolution of complaints relating to the supports and services of NDIS providers, as well as promoting nationally consistent approaches and higher standards.
There are a number of ways that NDIS participants, NDIS service providers, and other stakeholders in the sector can interact with the NDIS Commissioner.
- Anyone – including an NDIS participant or their family and support networks – can complain to the Commissioner about issues with supports and services from an NDIS provider, even if the provider isn’t registered with the Commission.
- The Commissioner also has the power to initiate his or her own investigations into the supports and services provided to an NDIS participant under their NDIS plan, if it is suspected that there are issues.
- It is a requirement of registered providers to report certain types of incidents to the Commissioner, which may result in further investigation or action.
The core functions of the Commissioner are determined under the NDIS legislation, and extend both outside of the sector and to policy issues.
For example, many NDIS participants receive services that are not provided under the NDIS (known as ‘mainstream services’) such as dental or hospital care, and the Commissioner can ask questions about these if necessary to deal with a complaint or reportable incident.
The Commissioner leads policy, such as development of a national approach to quality and safeguards for people with disability; developing and promoting delivery of higher standards; and overseeing design for a national workers screening framework.
All NDIS providers and their employees are required to abide by the NDIS Code of Conduct which sets out expectations for how providers and workers conduct themselves when providing supports and services.
Natalie Wade – Associate Commissioner
Natalie is a respected disability rights lawyer and advocate.
As Chair of the NDIS Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce, she works with people living with disability to ensure provider and worker registrations lead to better outcomes for NDIS participants.
As the Founder and Principal Lawyer of Equality Lawyers, she is also a leader in providing premium legal advice and representation to people with disabilities and their families.
In 2021, Natalie authored Disability Rights in Real Life, a practical handbook for disabled people, their families and allies on everyday disability rights law.
Sian Leathem – Deputy Commissioner, Complaints & Engagement
Sian Leathem is the Complaints Commissioner. She commenced in the role in January 2022 and has two decades of senior executive experience in both State and Commonwealth agencies across a range of dispute resolution and regulatory areas. Prior to joining the Commission, she was the Registrar and CEO of the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), which is responsible for conducting independent merits review of administrative decisions made under Commonwealth laws, including a range of decisions relevant to the NDIS.
Sian led the project team responsible for merging twenty-two existing tribunals into the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) and performed the role of Principal Registrar of that amalgamated tribunal.
Prior to her role at NCAT, Sian was the Registrar of the Workers Compensation Commission of NSW. She also has a wealth of legal policy experience that she gained through various roles in the NSW Attorney General’s Department and in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Sian has received an Excellence in Government Legal Service Award from the Law Society of New South Wales and an Excellence in Leadership Award from the NSW Department of Justice. In 2011 Sian was the recipient of a Young Public Sector Leader Award by the Institute of Public Administration Australia.
Alisa Chambers – Deputy Commissioner, Regulatory Policy, Insights & Review
Alisa Chambers started as General Manager Policy, Markets and Insights 2022. Her role provides strategic policy development and advice, which focuses on the regulatory framework, participants rights, the provider market and workforce quality, data and analysis activities, the grants program and other major projects and initiatives.
Throughout her career, Alisa has worked in areas that deal with highly sensitive and complex social issues, such as aged care, child protection services, early childhood education and environmental regulation. She is committed to improving communities, particularly for the most vulnerable. Alisa has designed and delivered major reform and cultural change programs on behalf of government and organisations. She has an inclusive leadership approach, coupled with qualifications in change leadership, which allow her to skilfully manage diverse stakeholder priorities to deliver the best outcomes.
Catherine Myers – Deputy Commissioner, Regulatory Operations (Registrar)
Catherine Myers is an experienced regulator, having most recently headed up the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) as their Chief Executive Officer. Catherine has held various Committee of Management and Board positions for not-for-profit organisations. She holds a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Business Administration and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Catherine is passionate about people and performance. She has a focus on building strong organisational culture, leading transformation and inspiring teams to deliver outstanding results. Catherine has leveraged her experience in change management and communication to deliver practice improvements in regulation. She has overseen the design of risk-based regulatory tools and implemented significant change programs resulting in improved capability, service delivery and regulatory outcomes.
In 2019, Catherine’s contribution was recognised by the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) in the Top 50 Public Sector Women (Victoria) which recognises women for their leadership, inspiration and accomplishment. Also in 2019, her organisation was awarded the IPAA (Vic) Innovative Regulation Award for the development of a new digital risk assessment tool.
Rod Carracher – Deputy Commissioner, Practice Quality Division
Rod Carracher joined the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission in September 2023 as Assistant Commissioner in the Practice Quality Division. In his role as Assistant Commissioner, Rod has supported the Division through a restructure and changes in leadership and business priorities. Rod is currently Acting Deputy Commission, Practice Quality Division.
Rod is committed to safeguarding the rights of people with disabilities and ensuring supports and services provided for people with a disability are of the highest quality.
Rod was the Chief Practitioner for a large disability service provider for seven years prior to joining the Commission. He has extensive senior executive leadership experience in the human services sector and in direct disability service delivery across state government departments and not-for profit organisations. He brings to the Commission experience in practice quality leadership and management of large disability and human support services, and behaviour support and clinical practitioners. Rod has worked as a senior executive within the former Victorian Department of Health and Human Services in areas of disability services, youth justice and social housing and led disability services through the transition into the National Disability Insurance Schemes. He was the A/Victorian Senior Practitioner for an extended period, and he has been a sitting member of Victoria’s Youth Parole Board
Rod holds an Executive Master of Public administration (EMPA) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company directors.
Kenneth Teoh – General Counsel and Assistant Commissioner, Legal & Internal Integrity
Kenneth Teoh is the NDIS Commission’s General Counsel and Assistant Commissioner, Legal and Internal Integrity.
He joined the NDIS Commission in November 2022. Ken leads the provision of legal advice to the NDIS Quality & Safeguards Commissioner and the full range of legal services across the NDIS Commission. He also oversees the Commission’s accountability functions, such as handling of complaints about the Commission, requests under the Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act 1982, disclosures under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013, and review of decisions made by the Commission.
Ken has over 20 years' experience working in legal roles within Commonwealth regulators, and has also spent time in regulatory and enforcement roles. Prior to that, he was a solicitor at the Australian Government Solicitor specialising in administrative/government law litigation.
Lisa Pulko – Chief Operating Officer
Lisa Pulko commenced as the NDIS Commission’s acting Chief Operating Officer in April 2022 for a 12-month period. Prior to this role, she was the Assistant Secretary, Finance Enabling Groups in the Department of Defence.
Ms Pulko has worked in a number of roles across the Department of Defence and the Department of Home Affairs and its previous iterations. She has been responsible for improving financial systems, policies and processes at Defence, as well as contributing to the design of sustainable budgeting arrangements. Ms Pulko delivered the Commonwealth Budget for Home Affairs, designed prioritisation frameworks and business improvement approaches, negotiated large contracts and delivered high quality and timely advice to support sound decision making by government.
Ms Pulko also has previous experience in a big four advisory firm and in a small Commonwealth Government agency.
Pier Robinson-Tafft – Assistant Commissioner, Planning, Performance & Delivery
Pier Robinson-Tafft commenced in the role of Assistant Commissioner, Planning and Performance and Delivery in February 2024 and was the Acting Assistant Commissioner, Planning and Performance and Delivery from July 2023. Pier has also held the dual role of Executive Director, Office of the Commissioner since March 2023.
Planning, Performance and Delivery (PPD) leads the Commission’s annual performance cycle that includes delivery of the Corporate Plan, the Annual Report, ensuring compliance with Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and alignment with the Commission’s five-year strategic outlook. PPD collaborates with other areas of the Commission on whole-of-Commission initiatives and works to establish coherent and consistent approaches to the development, co-ordination, delivery and reporting of enterprise wide projects. The Office of the Commissioner and Parliamentary Services also sit within PPD and provide executive level support and advice to the Commissioner and the Executive.
Pier has extensive experience in the human services holding senior roles in federal, state and non-government organisations in the portfolios of disability, women, housing and homelessness. She has been involved in significant whole of government policy reforms.