Our Team
Emily Molenaar
Emily is the Managing Director of The Winston Foundation, as well as a member of the Research Committee. She has completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Sydney, majoring in Politics and International Relations. She also went on to complete a Masters of Commerce, majoring in Finance and Corporate Law. Currently, Emily is close to completing her Certificate in Herbal Medicine for Companion Pets, and her goal is to further her studies in the area of canine nutrition. She also has a broad range of work experience from Agribusiness to Financial Markets, which provides her with a variety of skill sets that have proven useful behind the scenes of The Winston Foundation. As you can see, she is eager to learn as much as she can about caring for these beautiful creatures.
Her love affair with dogs began with her first pet, a West Highland White Terrier called Flossie. After Flossie, Emily and her family raised and bred Scottish Terriers and Neapolitan Mastiffs. In her adult years, Emily welcomed other breeds of dogs into her life, from Chihuahuas to Bulldogs. It has been a firm belief of Emily's that dogs are man's (and woman's!) best friend, and this is evident in her passion for pooches of all shapes and sizes, but especially through her involvement with The Winston Foundation.
John Molenaar
John is the Chairman of The Winston Foundation, and is also a member of the Research Committee. With his ten years of executive management experience within the Australian agribusiness market, John has strong operational knowledge-he is familiar with franchises, JV's, member-based organisations, agencies, as well as a plethora of other equity-based models.
Although his key area of expertise lies in agriculture, the managerial responsibilities have given him extensive experience in real estate, trading commodities, the provision of financial services, supply chain management and retailing. John has a solid understanding of business principles and practises, and is especially skilled in team building and people management. He also recognises the necessity of change management skills, as the world is constantly in flux.
Apart from his commercial prowess and experience, John is passionate about animal welfare and the importance of animals, both domestic and wild, within the global ecosystem. His knowledge of the importance of commercial animal production and management is an important piece of the Winston Foundations solutions.
Professor Jus St. John
Jus is the Scientific Director of The Winston Foundation and a member of the Research Committee. He is currently based at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research where he is Head of the Centre for Genetics Diseases. His research program into mitochondrial genetics uses a combination of assisted reproductive technologies and state-of-the-art genetic analyses. Jus is the inventor on two patents directly related to assisted reproductive technologies. He completed his degree in Physiology at the University of Sheffield in 1995, followed by his PhD at the University of Birmingham, entitled "The role of mitochondria in male fertility". Jus has since remained in the world of academia and research, pursuing his passion of mitochondrial genetics -in particular, endeavouring to understand how mitochondrial DNA is replicated, transmitted and segregated during development so that cells, tissues and organs function efficiently. In the UK, he advised Government, Parliament and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists on policy relating to stem cells and reproduction. He also advised the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority on stem cells and embryo policy. In 2013, he received the Society for Reproductive Biology's Award for Excellence in Reproductive Biology.
Jus has numerous publications in international journals, including The Lancet, Nature Chemical Biology, Nature Cell Biology, Nucleic Acids Research, Cell Death & Differentiation and the Journal of Cell Science (among others!). He also reviews submissions for a number of journals and grant-awarding bodies, and is the Reviews Editor for Molecular Human Reproduction. He is applying his extensive knowledge to develop new assisted reproductive technologies to provide enhanced genetics for animal breeding purposes, and is thus a key member of The Winston Foundation.
Kay Sprague
Kay is a Director of The Winston Foundation. Kay has a wealth of experience and knowledge in financial services, as well as a passion to help people and animals succeed and thrive. Kay is a C-suite executive with a 30-year career in financial services behind her, possessing strong technical knowledge in many areas, including investment management, funds, superannuation, trade finance, broking, mergers and acquisitions, and various banking products. Throughout the last 21 years, Kay has worked with Citigroup as Managing Director and Product Head, and was also a board member for Citigroup Asset Management HK for many years. She has worked on very challenging and complex assignments with large corporate investment clients on a global scale, but after recently returning from overseas, Kay has commenced a consulting business to assist smaller businesses on their path forward.
Kay also has a passion for animals -particularly horses and dogs- and is currently puppy raising for Guide Dogs Victoria. Her puppy Indigo is now two years old and has recently graduated into the breeding program at Guide Dogs Victoria. Kay's home is often filled with other puppies needing temporary care and assistance to graduate successfully. Her passions extend to breeding animals and breeding heritage. Having studied horses in the racing industry where detailed documentation of parentage and outcomes is available, Kay now breeds and races a few horses along the Sadlers Wells and Sir Tristram parentage lines.