Art Gallery Board Members

Helen Cook (Chair)

Executive Director, Australia, of KPMG’s Energy and Natural Resources Group, Helen has over 20 years experience in strategic business planning, business development and marketing for the corporate sector with over 7 years in the resources sector. Helen has served on the Board of the Heart Foundation of Australia (WA), Council of the Friends of the Perth International Arts Festival, the Board of the Volunteers Taskforce of WA, and resource industry group committees and councils.

Fiona Kalaf (Deputy Chair)

Fiona Kalaf is a business development, strategic planning and marketing communications professional with experience in commercial, corporate and non- profit environments at general manager level. Ms Kalaf has held senior executive positions at HBF, Asgard Wealth Solutions, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Wesfarmers Limited, and is currently director of management consulting firm Buro. Ms Kalaf holds a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) and a Bachelor of Architecture from The University of Western Australia, and a Graduate Diploma of Business (Distinction) and Master of Business Administration (Advanced) from Curtin University of Technology. Ms Kalaf is a member of the Board of the East Perth Redevelopment Authority and the Western Australian Planning Commission’s Central Perth Planning Committee.

Dr Stefano Carboni (Director)

Stefano Carboni was appointed the 11th Director of the Art Gallery of Western Australia starting in October 2008. Previously he was Curator and Administrator in the Department of Islamic Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Visiting Professor at the Bard Graduate Center in New York. He joined the curatorial staff at the Metropolitan Museum in 1992 after completing his graduate studies in Arabic and in Islamic Art at the University of Venice and his Ph.D. in Islamic Art at the University of London. At the Metropolitan Museum he has been responsible for a large number of exhibitions, including the acclaimed Venice and the Islamic World, 828-1797 (2006-2007).

His publications include authoring and editing several exhibition catalogues, among which are Glass of the Sultans (2001); the prestigious Barr Award winner The Legacy of Genghis Khan. Courtly Arts and Culture in Western Asia, 1256-1353 (2002); and Venice and the Islamic World; another major publication is the catalogue of the Islamic glass collection in the National Museum of Kuwait (Glass from Islamic Lands. The Al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait National Museum, 2001).

He lectured widely in the museum and outside and taught courses in Islamic Art and Curatorial Studies on a regular basis at the Institute of Fine Arts (NYU), Hunter College (CUNY), and the Bard Graduate Center for the Decorative Arts in New York.

Allanah Lucas (ex officio)

Director General Department Culture and the Arts. Allanah has over twenty five years experience in the arts in Australia and the UK. She is a professional arts administrator, a performing arts producer, presenter, researcher, consultant, tutor. She embodies a diversity of business, management, creative, industrial and academic skills and knowledge. Allanah was appointed the Director of Arts WA in 2000 and in 2005 Allanah was appointed as the Executive Director, Culture and Arts Development.

Hamish Beck

Managing Director of Beck Advisory, an independent Corporate Advisory and a Property Funds manager. Hamish is State Treasurer and Division Counsellor of the Property Council of Australia, Chairman of the Property Education Foundation, Chairman of the Curtin University Advisory Committee, Board Member of the University of Western Australian Planning Advisory Committee and a member of the Rottnest Island Marine Advisory Committee and other industry groups.

Kellie Benda

Senior executive with the Royal Automobile Club of WA (Inc). Kellie is an experienced board member who has held several leadership and senior executive roles.  She has extensive experience advising and working with Boards, and has had a long career as an investment banker and corporate finance advisor, as well as practicing as a corporate solicitor. 

Adrian Fini

Adrian Fini is Non-Executive Director for The Mirvac Group. He is a current Board member of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Little World Beverages Ltd, the University of Western Australia Business School Board, plus a committee member for the Australian Business Arts Foundation (WA Chapter).

Kieran Kinsella

Chief Executive Office of the Midland Redevelopment Authority. Kieran has previous managerial experience with several government departments and local authorities.   He has previously been on the boards of the Gascoyne Arts Council, Country Arts WA and Regional Arts Australia.

Helen Carroll

Helen Carroll is Curator of the Wesfarmers Collection of Australian Art and oversees Wesfarmers’ extensive commitment to support of the performing and visual arts in Western Australia and nationally. Prior to joining Wesfarmers in 1999, she held the position of Public Programmes Coordinator and Curator of Australian Art at Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, The University of Western Australia. She has curated several exhibitions and written on Australian art for a range of publications. Her previous Board appointments include Art on the Move Western Australia, of which she was Chair from 2003 to 2005 , Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery Advisory Board and Swan Bells Foundation.

Helen received the Business Leadership Award for her work in support of the arts in the 2008 Western Australian Business and Arts Awards.