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Certa Cito Foundation
Certa Cito Foundation
The Official Charity of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals
Who we are // Board Of Directors //

Our relationship with the Army and the ADF is enhanced by the appointment of five directors on the Certa Cito Foundation board who are also appointed by the Chief of Army as Colonels Commandant to RA Sigs and they act as ambassadors between the Corps and the 
​wider RA Sigs community. 

Brigadier Alison Creagh AM CSC

President Certa Cito Foundation


Brigadier Alison Creagh AM CSC (Retd) is a board director and strategic adviser with expertise across the veteran community, defence industry, cyber security and sports governance.  She is President of the Certa Cito Foundation and chairs the Veteran Community Business Chamber. She is a Trustee for the Commando Welfare Trust and a Non-Executive Director for GME, the Veterans Film Festival and The Hospital Research Foundation. Alison is President of Paralympics Australia and on the board of Rowing Australia. 

Alison has held roles as Strategic Defence Adviser for the Queensland Government, Defence Ambassador for the Australian Capital Territory and chair of the ACT’s Ministerial Advisory Council for Veterans and their Families. She was a Council Member on the Australian War Memorial Council, Strategic Adviser for UNSW’s Defence Research Institute, a member of AustCyber's Canberra Node Industry Advisory Group and President of Rowing ACT.


Major Leanne (Pip) Iseppi OAM CSM


Major Leanne (Pip) Iseppi is a current serving member of the Australian Army and has significant experience as both a Senior Enlisted Leader and Officer. She completed her Senior Enlisted Appointments as the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 2nd Division, Command Warrant Officer of Joint Task Force 633 and Warrant Officer Joint Operations prior to commissioning in January 2022.

Her extensive understanding of the management of sensitive and complex personnel matters; and supporting the implementation of wellbeing initiatives allows her to draw significant insight from this experience to support the mission and values of the Certa Cito Foundation and its members.

Major Iseppi was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2006 and a Conspicuous Service Medal in the Australia Day Honours List in 2020. She is a Life Member of the Australian Defence Force Hockey Association.


Kristian Howard


Kristian Howard is a senior executive at PentenAmio and leads the AU Next Generation Secure Mobility initiative. In this role, Kristian is responsible for driving high-impact, scalable secure mobility solutions across PentenAmio markets, strengthening engagement with National Technical Authorities, and identifying near-term business opportunities that align with Australia’s evolving Defence priorities.
 
A founding executive of PentenAmio, Kristian brings more than 30 years of experience across Defence and Government technology programs. His career spans the Australian Defence Force, Defence Industry, the US Department of Defense (Army), and NATO, with deep expertise in secure communications, AI-driven cyber defence, electronic deception, cryptographic systems, and technology modernisation.
 
Kristian also serves as Chair of the Australian Defence Information and Electronic Systems Association (ADIESA), fostering collaboration between industry, Defence, and Government. He holds a Master of Systems Engineering, a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems (Honours), is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and holds multiple industry certifications.


Colonel James Roche


James is the Vice-President of the Certa Cito Foundation, where he chairs its Governance and Risk sub-committee. A seasoned and highly trusted strategic advisor within Defence and the public sector, he brings deep expertise in cybersecurity, risk management, and organisational governance. His capabilities are further strengthened by a solid foundation in command and leadership, policy development, training, and strategic planning.


Currently, James serves as a Principal Cyber Security Advisor at Cisco Systems Australia. Previously, he played a critical role in the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games as Director of Security Risk and Integration for event transport. He is a member of ISACA and completed the Company Directors Course in 2016. His credentials include top-tier cybersecurity and risk management certifications.


Over the course of his career, James has held significant command and leadership positions, culminating in his appointment as Commandant of the Defence Command Support Training Centre. He continues to serve in the Army Reserve, applying his extensive operational experience from deployments in Western Sahara, Bougainville, and East Timor. His broader contributions within Defence encompass training, international engagement, and strategic planning.

 


Cleon Walters


Cleon Waters joined the Board in 2020 because she believes it is a good thing to do – it is essential to do good things, primarily when it supports those who have served and their families and those currently serving and their families. 


To CARE, CONNECT, and COMMEMORATE.


Cleon brings 23 years of experience as a volunteer executive and non-executive director in the Not-for-Profit sector. She attributes her readiness to support NFPs because of her experience and learning during her career in the Australian Defence Force.


1995 – 2000, Director, Women Sports & Recreation ACT, elite athlete's portfolio. 

2005 – 2011, Director, PRASAD Australia, Communications. 

From 2005 – 2019, Executive Director, Secretary & Public Officer the Australian Peacekeeping Memorial Project Committee established and closed the project. 


Cleon retired as a WO2, Senior Communications Manager in 1995 after 21 years in the Royal Australian Corps of Signals, joining the Australian Public Service and focusing on her field of expertise in communications equipment, retiring in 2017 as the Capability Coordinator for approximately 140 different types of High Assurance Communication equipment's. 


Cleon enjoys time with her family and friends and still loves to teach and learn, a by-product of her time in the Corps. This sees her learning fine woodworking and teaching children woodwork, a passion inherited from her parents. 


Fun fact: On one of Cleon's promotion reports, her OC used the word 'altruistic'. She often reflects on this.


Colonel Christopher J. Rule 
psc(j), BSc, BE(Elec), MSc (MESE), Grad Dip (Management), FIEAust, CPEng, GAICD


Chris is the RA Sigs Colonel Commandant for Victoria and Tasmania and is a Non-Executive Director of the Certa Cito Foundation. In a fulltime capacity Chris is an experienced Defence sector executive leader and trusted advisor known for his integrity and successful background in command, policy, program management, engineering, training and consulting roles. 

He is currently General Manager Defence and Security with GME, following a 27 year career in Army and business experience with Elbit Systems, Cisco Systems and Indec Consulting as well as long term service with the Leadership and Management Committee of Engineers Australia.

Chris is a former Commanding Officer of the Defence Force School of Signals and Commandant of the Defence Command Support Training Centre. His operational experiences traverse deployments in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan and his wider Defence roles included Acquisition, Capability Development and Diplomatic appointments. Chris retired from the Regular Army in 2016.


Yvonne Butler


Yvonne Butler is a thought leader in strategy, governance, program management and risk management. She is highly regarded for her unique combination of deep industry knowledge, business consulting expertise and global general management experience across most industry sectors.  A skilled facilitator and transformational change agent, she is both a strategist and a tactician, known for “getting things done”.  


Yvonne is highly regarded by industry for her professionalism and deep insight.  Yvonne has held senior positions in leading professional services firms such as Allens, Mallesons Stephen Jaques, Ernst & Young, Kaplan & Norton, Palladium Group, and major infrastructure organisations such as APP Corporation and Transfield Services.  


She is currently undertaking Gateway Reviews on major Government programs for the Department of Finance (Cth), where she also guides and supports SES to improve policy outcomes. Yvonne has extensive Board experience and is Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and is a member of the OECD Corporate Governance Roundtable.

 

Yvonne has deep experience in Defence, starting as an RA SIGS officer. She has been External Board Member for the Department of Defence, supporting some of our most complex capability projects and programs.  She has held embedded positions in Defence including for the Chief of Navy and the Chief of Air Force.  Her deep expertise in delivery led to her being invited to become the CEO of the Australian Institute of Project Management, which is the peak body for project management in Australia was instrumental in developing project management competencies, standards, education, certification and advocacy at national and international levels. 


Yvonne is a Member of the  Certa Cito Foundation Scholarship Fund (CCSF): a new initiative dedicated to advancing education, supporting training, and preventing hardship within the Signals Community.