Our Board

Rowena has had a series of leadership, financial and commercial roles at Rio Tinto since joining the company as a Commercial Analyst for Hamersley Iron in 1999. She was appointed Chief Financial Officer for the Iron Ore group in June 2018. In this role, she leads the finance function with strong focus on decision making and commercial governance.

Before joining Iron Ore, Rowena was Chief Financial Officer Growth & Innovation where she established PACE consulting to provide management consulting and data analytics services to the business and governance and financial oversight of Oyu Tolgoi as a Board member since 2013. Rowena holds a Bachelor’s degree majoring in Economics and Finance and a Masters in Business Administration, both from Curtin University, Australia.

James Arvanitakis is the Director of the Forrest Research Foundation.

He moved to Perth, Western Australia to take up the position and was formerly the Pro Vice Chancellor (Engagement and Advancement) at Western Sydney University, Principal Consultant at the Astrolabe Group, and Executive Director of Fulbright Australia. After a successful career in finance and human rights, he has worked with universities for more than 15 years establishing innovative education and research programs including The Academy at Western (awarded the Australian Financial Review Excellence in Education Award).

He has a regular segment on ABC News 24 and The Drum discussing complex and controversial topics and has over 100 publications.

James is a Fulbright alumnus, having spent 12 months at the University of Wyoming as the Milward L Simpson Fellow.

In 2021, he was appointed the inaugural Patron of Diversity Arts Australia in recognition of his commitment to a cultural sector that reflects the rich diversity of Australia.

In 2022 he founded Respectful Disagreements, a brave spaces project that promotes the lost art of civility in political disagreement as well as the educational power of discomfort.

Fiona Kalaf is an experienced chief executive and board chair. She is currently General Manager of Markets and Innovation at the Perth-based international human services organisation APM and the Deputy Presiding Member of Healthway.

Ms Kalaf is a former chief executive of Youth Focus WA and Lifeline WA, a former chair of the Art Gallery of Western Australia and a former board member of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority and the Australian Institute of Management, WA.

She also has held senior executive positions at Wesfarmers, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Asgard Wealth Solutions and HBF. Her qualifications include degrees in fine arts and architecture at the University of Western Australia, an MBA at Curtin University and a course in Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management at Harvard Business School.

Ben Lisle is the Managing Director of Hesperia. Ben has extensive experience in all facets of property development including due diligence and acquisition structuring, planning and environmental approvals, development management and financing of commercial and industrial property.

Ben was previously a Director and Founder for Linc Property, a Director and Co-Founder of Azure Capital and a Director of Poynton and Partners. His work included management of numerous significant capital raisings and IPOs, the structuring and execution of large project finance packages, the management of mergers and accustoms and provision of strategic corporate advisory services.

Ben is involved in and ongoing commitments with a range of not-for-profit organisations including Youth Focus and the Ride for Youth, the Noongar Charitable Trust and SAS Resources Fund.

He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Western Australia, a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from the Financial Services Institute of Australia and has completed the Management Development program at Harvard Business School.

Michelle is Managing Partner of PwC Australia’s Perth office, and she leads the market focus of a team of more than 50 partners and 600 staff across the firm’s three businesses - Assurance, Financial Advisory and Consulting. Michelle also is the COO for PwC’s National Govt, Health & Infrastructure Consulting practice. 

Michelle has a demonstrated passion for the arts and has been proactive in her personal support for local emerging artists. Michelle also is a board member of the Arts and Culture Trust, a statutory authority which manages and operates cultural venues in Western Australia. She is also a board member of the Foundation for the WA Museum and a member of the Curtin University Business School Advisory Council

Admitted as a partner OF PwC Perth in 2004, Michelle has more than 25 years' experience on indirect taxation matters, particularly in the property, infrastructure, mining and energy industry sectors. Over her career Michelle has led PwC teams advising on some of Australia’s largest public and private transactions. She plays a key role in negotiating with the Australian Tax Office on behalf of her clients and the firm and works with both State and Federal governments. 

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Murdoch University (double major Accounting and Asian Studies), is a CPA and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and the Tax Institute. Michelle also has a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment.