Accordion

Mr Steven Skala AO joined the Board in January 2016 and was appointed Chairman. Mr Skala is a banker and company director, and previously practiced law for many years. He is Vice Chairman, Australia of Deutsche Bank AG, Chairman of BlueChilli Technologies Pty. Ltd., Deputy Chairman of the General Sir John Monash Foundation and a Director of the Centre for independent Studies. A former Chairman of both the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) and Film Australia, Mr Skala also has been a Director of the Australian Ballet, the Australian Exhibitions Touring Agency and the Walter &amp; Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, and retired in 2015 from the Board of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation where he served for 10 years. A Member of the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York since 2003, Mr Skala was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for his service to the arts, education, business and commerce in 2010.
&nbsp;

Steven Skala AO (Chair)

Alane Fineman joined the Board in May 2022. Alane is a Chartered Accountant and Senior Finance Executive with over 25 years of experience in Big 4 and major listed multinational organisations. She is highly skilled in the areas of financial control, reporting, policy, governance, treasury and capital management. Alane is currently Group Financial Controller for the Asia Pacific Division of Bupa where she is accountable for the financial reporting integrity of the region including treasury and capital management oversight. Alane is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, current Vice Chairman of Windermere Family Services and former Treasurer of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale.

Alane Fineman

Lisa Gorman joined the Board in 2019. She founded women’s wear brand Gorman in 1999, and remained Creative Director until her departure from the brand in 2021.
Prior to fashion,  Lisa qualified as a Registered Nurse at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, but opted for a career change.  She cut her teeth in the fashion industry with couturier Mariana Hardwick, learning the trade from the retail floor up, eventually developing her own label.  Well known for extensive collaborations with local and international artists and designers, Lisa has presented over one hundred collaborative collections in the past decade, including with Heide darling,  Mirka Mora.  Lisa is currently focused on her own sculpture practice.
&nbsp;

Lisa Gorman

John Lee joined the Board in April 2013 as a State Government appointee. John is a Registered Architect, Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects, Executive Director of the Melbourne studio of PMDL McGlashan Everist and a Director of ME Arch Pty Ltd (formerly McGlashan Everist Pty Ltd). McGlashan Everist is one of Victoria’s oldest architectural firms, operating in all sectors of architectural practice for more than sixty-seven years. The practice has been recognised with many national and Victorian architectural awards including the RAIA Bronze Medal for the Best Building in Victoria for Heide II in 1968 and the Enduring Architecture Award for Heide II in 2015. John is a regular awards juror and a member of the Association of Consulting Architects Australia, a member of Learning Environments Australasia and a recent member of the Deakin University School of Architecture and Built Environment Education Advisory Board.

John Lee

Cassy began her career as a lawyer though she has spent most of her career as owner/operator of her own family offices; LJCB Investment Group and 5 Pillars Capital. Cassy is passionate about impact investment and using her financial resources to benefit our community and our environment whilst also working within and towards traditional financial return metrics. She has written and successfully published a series of children’s books that aims to inspire Australian children to follow their dreams and believe in themselves, titled Inspirational Australian Women. Cassy is a passionate supporter of the Arts, Health and Education. Her previous non-commercial Board and Committee positions have been with the Women’s Hospital Foundation, One Disease, the Centre for Community Child Health and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

Cassy Liberman

Dr Nancy Underhill joined the Board in January 2016. Dr Underhill is an author, curator and art historian. Educated at Bryn Mawr College and the Courtauld Institute she was Foundation Head of Art History and Inaugural Director of the University Art Museum at the University of Queensland. She has served on the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council, chaired the Art Association of Australia and the Museums Association of Australia, been a Visiting Fellow at the Humanities Research Centre at ANU, and the Centre of Australian Studies, Kings College, London. Her books include Sidney Nolan: A Life (2015), Nolan on Nolan: Sidney Nolan in his Own Words (2007), Letters of John Reed (co-edit 2001), and Making Australian Art 1916–1949 (1991). She is currently Deputy to Lisa Gasteen AO for the Lisa Gasteen National Opera School.
&nbsp;

Dr Nancy Underhill

James is the founder of atticusnow, a consulting firm that advises government and business on complex strategy, policy and economic issues. Previously a Partner at PwC, where he led PwC’s Victorian Government practice, the Melbourne Economics and Policy team, PwC’s Reconciliation Action Plan and the establishment of PwC’s Indigenous Consulting. Before this he was CEO of The Allen Consulting Group, and also a Senior Executive in the Victorian Treasury. B.Sc (Hons) from the University of Melbourne. MBA from the Melbourne Business School, where he was also a Senior Fellow lecturing on public policy topics. Fellow of IPAA Victoria. Board member of Venso Labs, a technology start up company. Advisory Board member of the Indigenous Eye Health Unit at the University of Melbourne.

James van Smeerdijk

Sharni Zoch joined the Board in April 2013.Sharni is the General Manager, Internal Audit, Origin Energy and was a partner in KPMG’s Risk Consulting practice and has over twenty years audit and risk management experience, working in corporate and Big 4 professional services environments with large, multi-national clients. Sharni is a Chartered Accountant who has worked in Melbourne, New York, London and Asia and has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne.

Staff and Board

Our Board

Our Staff