Professor Wesley Enoch AM is a proud Quandamooka man from Minjerribah, an internationally acclaimed playwright, and artistic director.

Most recently, Wesley was the Sydney Festival Director for five years and a Director at Sydney Theatre Company for his production, Appropriate. His previous positions include five years (2010-2015) as artistic director of the Queensland Theatre Company, and artistic director at Kooemba Jdarra Indigenous Performing Arts and the ILBIJERRI Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Theatre Co-operative.

Wesley has also held the 2002 Australia Council Cite Internationale des Arts Residency in Paris and was the Australia Council’s Artistic Director for the Australian Delegation to the 2008 Festival of Pacific Arts. He was creative consultant, segment director, and Indigenous consultant for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

Wesley has written and directed many iconic Indigenous productions including, The 7 Stages of Grieving and Black Medea. The Story of The Miracles at Cookie’s Table won him the 2005 Patrick White Playwrights’ Award. He has directed productions of The Sapphires, Black Diggers, I am Eora, The Man From Mukinupin, Yibiyung, Parramatta Girls and Black Cockatoo. He directed Riverland in 2004 for Windmill Performing Arts which premiered as part of the Adelaide Festival of the Arts and won the 2005 Helpmann Award for Best Presentation for Children.

Wesley has a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and is the Indigenous Chair in the Creative Industries for QUT.

Rosheen Garnon is a Non-Executive Director with current roles in Infrastructure, Financial Services, Technology, Public Policy and the Arts Sector.

Prior to this Rosheen had a distinguished career in the accounting profession as a chartered accountant and taxation advisor. She was a senior partner with KPMG and held senior executive leadership roles with the Firm in Australia and at a global level.

Ms Garnon’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Economics (Accounting Major) and Bachelor of Laws from the Australian National University. She is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants in Australia and New Zealand, a Chartered Tax Advisor and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Rosheen’s prominence in the accounting profession was recognised in her appointment in March 2020 as Chair of the Board of Taxation, an Independent Advisory Board, that advises the Federal Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer on Australia’s Taxation System.

Rosheen has a passion for the Arts having served as a Director of Creative Partnerships Australia since 2013, was a member of the Major Performing Arts Panel at the Council from 2017-2020, and a current member of the Multi-Year Investment Finance and Governance Advisory Panel.

Adrian Collette AM became CEO of the Australia Council (now Creative Australia) in January 2019. Adrian’s leadership has brought us through the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2023, the successful transfer of the people and functions of Creative Partnerships Australia into the Australia Council, and our transformation to Creative Australia. He served on the National Cultural Policy Advisory Group, which was appointed to provide overarching strategic advice to inform the development of the 2023 Policy.

Previously, he held the position of Chief Executive of Opera Australia (Australia’s largest performing arts company) for 16 years, and has also worked in book publishing for a decade – including as Managing Director, Reed Books, a division of Reed Elsevier. As Vice-Principal (Engagement) at the University of Melbourne his responsibilities included managing the University’s museums and galleries and its many arts sector partnerships.

Adrian also served as a member of the Australia Council Board between July 2013 and December 2018 and chaired the Major Performing Arts Panel.

Adrian was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2008 for service to the performing arts, particularly through executive roles with Opera Australia, as a mentor to young artists, to publishing, and to the community.

Larissa Behrendt AO – a Euahleyai / Gamillaroi woman – is an award winning author and an award winning filmmaker. She is the author of several books and writes and directs for film and television. Larissa is a Distinguished Professor and the Laureate Fellow at the Jumbunna Institute at the University of Technology Sydney.

Larissa is a Fellow of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities, and a founding member of the Australian Academy of Law. She is a member of the Australian Writers Guild and the Australian Directors Guild.

Larissa is a Director of Sydney Dance Company, a Trustee of the Australian Museum and the Chair of the National Library of Australia. She is the host of Speaking Out on ABC Radio.

Caroline Bowditch is the Chief Executive Officer/Artistic Director of Arts Access Victoria. She enjoyed an acclaimed career in the UK for over 16 years as a performance maker and industry leader. Caroline returned to Australia to lead Arts Access Victoria.

During her tenure, Caroline has developed strong partnerships with Arts Centre Melbourne, Regional Arts Victoria, MAV (formerly Multicultural Arts Victoria), Melbourne Fringe Festival, Music Victoria and many more.

Caroline’s strong advocacy has resulted in significant reform of funding programs for Deaf and Disabled artists. Caroline has overseen the organisation’s transition to hybrid delivery which emerged throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Arts Access Victoria’s vision is cultural equity for all Deaf and Disabled people. Caroline’s leadership is grounded in delivering on this vision in the years ahead.

Alexandra (Alex) is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Nunn Dimos Foundation, a structured philanthropic organisation dedicated to investing in and supporting the arts and creativity sector in Australia.

Alex’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Engineering (Geological, Environmental Engineering, Honours) and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Governor’s Leadership Foundation. She works across both the commercial and philanthropic sector.

She has also held a role as the Executive Director of the Advertiser Foundation, a foundation delivering targeted campaigns with the view of engaging staff and the South Australian community to give to causes that they care most about.

As a Non-Executive Director, she has held roles in the education, the not-for-profit and the arts sectors, including the State Theatre Company of South Australia, the State Theatre Company of SA Foundation, and the Foundation Adelaide Festival.

She currently serves as a Member of Creative Australia (Australia Council), a Director of Philanthropy Australia and vice-chair, of the Scotch College Foundation.

Starting his involvement in the theatre in the 1970s with Strand Electric Stage Lighting, Stephen went on to co-found Bytecraft in 1984, building theatre infrastructure and lighting systems around the world.

After divesting Bytecraft, Stephen’s company Foundation Theatres acquired full ownership of the Capitol Theatre in 2009, followed by the Sydney Lyric in 2011. Under Stephen’s stewardship, the theatres have become thriving operations programmed well into the future with a wide variety of commercial theatre productions sourced from around the globe.

Stephen has previously served on Boards of ABAF (2009-2015), Creative Partnerships Australia (2013-2015), Australian Centre for Moving Image (2001-2006) and Rally Australia (2010 – 2020).

Amanda Jackes is the Managing Director of Woodfordia Inc, producers of the iconic Woodford Folk Festival, innovative festival The Planting and the national regional touring programme Festival of Small Halls.

She is the Co-founder of Woodfordia, a 500 acre cultural parkland dedicated to the arts and humanities which is underpinned by strong environmental responsibility.

Woodfordia Inc is a creative and ambitious organisation whose ideology is uniquely expressed in its 500 year plan. Amanda is passionate about the power of the arts to enrich and transform people both individually and collectively.

She is inspired by the opportunity of large-scale creative gatherings to strengthen our social cohesion and help define our core values through creative expression, by participating in community and being engaged with our environment.

Lauren is a former Minister in the Northern Territory. She oversaw a range of social and economic portfolios, delivering on transformative initiatives including the Arts Trail program, the Gender Equality Strategy, and increased funding and support for the tourism sector, screen industry, and students with additional needs. She remains passionate about driving outcomes that enhance and uplift communities.

Hannah Pelka-Caven is a musician and lawyer. 

Ms Pelka-Caven’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Music, a Diploma in Languages and a Juris Doctor from the University of Melbourne.  She serves on various arts Boards including the National Folk Festival, Music Theatre Workshop and Happy Haps Productions. 

Ms Pelka-Caven currently provides strategic employment and industrial advice and representation to workers at the Australian Education Union, and has experience in a wide variety of employment and industrial relations matters including discrimination complaints, general protections disputes, underpayment claims, and general employment matters including workplace investigations, enterprise bargaining, sexual harassment and bullying.  She previously worked for a corporate law firm as well as at the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, primarily providing advice to workers in the music, live performance and screen industries.

Hannah started her career as a busker, and continues to work as a professional musician, composer and singer. She is a founding member of folk duo The Raglins which has played at every notable folk festival in the country. She has played in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Sydney, sung for Victorian Opera, performed at the Adelaide and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals and has recorded and performed backing vocals for various high profile artists. 

Caroline Wood AM is co-founder of Centre for Stories – a place where stories are shared and kept and where the craft of storytelling is taught and learned.   

A migrant of Indian origin from Singapore, Caroline has had a long-standing interest in multicultural cultural diversity, the arts and human rights. She co-founded Margaret River Press and the national Australian Short Story Festival, produced the national Margaret River Short Story Competition in 2011 and is a founding member of PEN International (Perth). Caroline has served on several boards including Amnesty International Australia, Small Publishers Network and Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival. 

Courtney Stewart is an acclaimed director, dramaturg, actor and teaching artist with a deep passion for intercultural works and multicultural dramaturgies. She is the current Artistic Director and CEO of La Boite Theatre. 

A proud Queenslander, Courtney started her professional career as an actor before honing her talents as an artistic leader, diversity specialist and change maker for some of the country’s most prolific companies and organisations including Sydney Theatre Company (as Directing Associate and Richard Wherrett Fellow), Belvoir and Contemporary Asian Australian Performance (as Artistic Associate).  

Courtney was previously Chair of the Equity Diversity Committee, a delegate to the National Performers Committee, and a former board member for Contemporary Asian Australian Performance.  

Courtney’s production of The Poison of Polygamy by Anchuli Felicia King premiered at La Boite in May this year and had a subsequent season at Sydney Theatre Company. Courtney’s production of Miss Peony opened at Belvoir in July and is currently touring nationally.  

Kitty Taylor,  Co-Founder and Executive Co-Director of RANT Arts in Tasmania, is a passionate visual artist known for her commitment to socially engaged practice.

She specialises in creating programs that uplift both individuals and communities, drawing from her expertise in project management, curation, creative and community development. 

From practising artist to arts administrator, Kitty has developed a diverse skill set. With her experience managing the Regional Arts Fund for both Tasmanian Regional Arts and RANT, she has gained an informed perspective on the needs and challenges facing regional artists. Recently, she contributed her insights as a member of the Cultural Policy Advisory Committee for the National Cultural Policy—Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place.  

Kitty’s focus on supporting artists in regional areas shines through her leadership at RANT Arts, where she continues to foster meaningful creative experiences that promote empowerment and connections both locally and nationally.