RSL VICTORIA STATEMENT ON ANNUAL CONFERENCE ELECTION

RSL Victoria today announced that a contested election for the role of State President will not be required at this year’s RSL Victoria State Annual Conference.

State Executive member Dr. Mark Schröffel will be elected unopposed after the nomination process closed two weeks ago.

Dr. Schröffel will assume the role from current State President Des Callaghan OAM BJ JP at the close of the Annual Conference on 12 July 2025.

“That Dr Schröffel will be elected unopposed ensures a smooth and unified transition, and I look forward to handing over after the Annual Conference,” Mr Callaghan said.

Dr. Schröffel joined RSL Victoria’s State Executive in February 2025.

An Army Captain in the Royal Australian Corps of Signals, he served in peacekeeping operations with the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia.   After leaving the ADF he has had a 30-year career in in corporate governance, strategic advisory, and organisational transformation, most recently as a co-founder of Schroffel Renwick Beeson.

Dr Schröffel has been President of Bentleigh RSL Sub-Branch since 2023, holds an MBA and earned his PHD through his 2023 study Standing at the Crossroads: A Study into How Australian Army Reserve Soldiers Re-Establish Their Civilian Identities After Overseas Operational Duty.

“RSL Victoria has been essential to Victorian veterans and their families for more than a century, and I feel honoured for being entrusted to lead it from 12 July,” Dr. Schröffel said.

“I am committed to supporting the network through the challenges that lie ahead and ensuring we are positioned to deliver on our mission well into the future.”