Midsumma is brought to you by a volunteer Board of Management, elected by the membership. The Board directs all aspects of the festival, working with part time administration and event production staff, plus over 150 volunteers and various contracted agencies.
Lisa Watts |
Chair |
Lisa is the Commercial Director of The Conversation, after serving as CEO of Arts Hub for two years. Lisa brings to the board a wealth of management, sponsorship and communications experience. |
Dean Hamood |
Treasurer |
Dean Hamood is both the Manager of Purchasing Services - Corporate Support Hub, and Payment Services at Monash University. Dean is responsible for all financial processing and accounting for Midsumma. |
Aaron Hockly |
Legal |
Aaron is a lawyer and chartered secretary with over 12 years experience in corporate governance, commercial law, property finance and M&A. He is currently Company Secretary/General Counsel for a large ASX-listed property group. |
Dale Spencer |
Media |
Dale Spencer is CEO and sole Director of media360 Australia/New Zealand. He is considered one of Australasia's leading media professionals, with 25 years in media and prior to setting up media360 in 2003 was General Manager of Mediaedge:CIA. |
Rat Simpson |
Visual Arts |
Rat (Rachael) Simpson is the Art Director for Smash Enterprises by day and artist by night. In her spare time (!) she is the director of an award winning publishing company, Detour Press. Rat is the convener of the Midsumma Visual Arts Working Group. |
Jane Daniels |
Government Relations |
Jane is the Director of ThinkPlanReport, which manages projects, designs and implements planning frameworks, working across both government and non-government sectors. Jane assists with planning and all government submissions. |
Kate Wickett |
Corporate Relations |
Kate is a lawyer and currently works as an Environment & Advisory Leader at a multinational consulting firm. Kate specialises in commercial law, procurement and corporate strategy. With over 12 years experience in commercial negotiation with government and private sector clients, Kate assists with corporate relations and sponsorships. |
Aaron O'Shannessy |
Education |
Aaron is the Manager of International Programs at the Asia Education Foundation, overseeing a number of projects funded by state/federal government and philanthropic foundations. With over 10 years experience in grant writing and project management, Aaron assists with submissions and reporting. |
Adam Gardnir |
Performing Arts |
Adam is a Set and Costume Designer who has worked with Victorian Opera, Malthouse, MTC and The Australian Ballet. He assists with the performing arts portfolio and strategy. |