Our Founders

Our Founders

Snow Medical Research Foundation is the creation of Canberra’s Snow family and is a vision of businessman and philanthropist, Terry Snow. It was established to create a new, powerful stream of funding to develop the next generation of exceptional, visionary, biomedical research leaders.

Terry Snow

Terry Snow is Executive Chairman of Canberra Airport as well as owner of Willinga Park.  In 2006, Terry was awarded an Order of Australia for his contribution to the city of Canberra, as well as for his charitable work through the Snow Foundation. In October 2009 Terry was announced as the inaugural recipient of the Canberra Business Council’s Chairman’s Award for his significant individual contribution to the economic development of Canberra and the capital region.

    Ginette Snow

    Ginette Snow is a driving force behind the establishment of Snow Medical, and is on the Scientific Review and Advisory Committee. A former pharmacist, Ginette worked at Canberra Hospital for 11 years during which time she completed a Bachelor of Science at the Australian National University. She is also director of The Snow Foundation and an accomplished photographer and author of three books which include many of her own photos: Where did we come from? A Family History: Condon, Snow and Byron; Canberra Airport: A Pictorial History; and Two Dads, written for her 14 grandchildren as a memento of how the babies of son Tom Snow and his husband Brooke ‘were made’. Ginette is a keen campaigner for gay and lesbian rights and marriage equality.

    Ginette has had photographic exhibitions in Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. As official photographer of Canberra Airport, Ginette has documented the transformation of the airport since 1998 when the Snow family acquired it from the Commonwealth. Ginette divides her time between Canberra, Sydney and their property at Willinga Park on the NSW South Coast. She and Terry have been married for more than 40 years.

      Tom Snow

      Tom Snow is Chair of the Snow Medical board and was a founder and Co-Chair of the Equality Campaign, which led and won the successful YES postal plebiscite on marriage equality. He is a Rhodes Scholar, with a Masters in Economics, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Economics (Actuarial Studies).

      He is a founder of Whitehelm Capital, one of the world’s largest independent infrastructure managers with $6 billion in assets under management.  As a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, he has had roles including director of Perth Airport, Canberra Airport, Bankstown Airport, Port of Adelaide / Flinders Ports, Etihad Stadium, Peninsula Link, International Parking Group and Whitehelm Capital. Tom Snow was born and raised in Canberra and has served as chair of the Canberra Convention Bureau, chair of Equality Australia, director of the Australian Science Festival and director of the Rhodes Scholarships in Australia. He is also a proud father of three kids.

        Scarlett Gaffey

        Scarlett is an experienced Speech Pathologist and has been working with children with disabilities and complex communication needs for over ten years. She has her own practice in Canberra and focusses on providing early intervention for children and language support for adults with disabilities. 

        She holds a Masters of Speech Language Pathology (Honours) from Sydney University and a Bachelor of Commerce from Macquarie University, and spent time in Ghana, Africa working as a Speech Pathologist in community settings. Prior to qualifying as a Speech Pathologist, Scarlett worked in consumer research running qualitative and quantitative research and coordinating communication campaigns.

        Scarlett is passionate about providing evidence-based therapy that is practical and family focused and lives in Canberra with her husband and three children. In addition to her responsibilities with The Snow Foundation Board, she sits on the Foundation’s Small and Medium Grants Committee and oversees the assessment of all individual grant applications.

          Georgina Byron

          Georgina was appointed CEO of the Snow Foundation in 2006 and has broadened the reach and impact of the Foundation from the Canberra region to include large social change projects, including the Marriage Equality campaign and eliminating Rheumatic Heart Disease and scabies in Indigenous communities, through on-the-ground, community-led action and education as well as political advocacy.

          Georgina is passionate about creating social change to improve the lives of Australians, especially women and girls and First Australians. She is a director of Good360 Australia, Sydney Community Foundation and Chair of Philanthropy Australia’s Family Foundation Network, and the Sydney Women’s Community Fund Advisory Council. She has also served as a director for the Australian Women Donors Network, and Hands Across Canberra Community Foundation.  Collaboration is central to the Foundation and Georgina has led several co-funding initiatives and brought innovative programs to the ACT. 

          Before her roles in philanthropy, Georgina had 13 years in the corporate sector holding senior executive positions in David Jones and AMP. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and holds a Bachelor of Business Degree and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance & Investment. Georgina lives in Sydney with her husband and four daughters.

            Stephen Byron

            Stephen Byron is Chief Executive Officer of Canberra Airport and the Capital Airport Group.  Stephen has led the 21-year transformation of the Canberra Airport precinct with a focus on excellent customer experience and sustainable design. He oversaw the addition of $2 billion in airport infrastructure, a new terminal, a retail precinct and three business parks which now cater to more than 10,000 people working for government departments and private enterprise tenants.  Stephen also managed the Snow family’s expansion into real estate development at Denman Prospect, a new Canberra residential suburb and Constitution Place, an urban commercial precinct in the Canberra CBD. 

            Stephen grew up in Canberra and is now Chair of the Canberra Grammar Board and a member of the Council of the National Museum of Australia.