Arts Centre Melbourne Foundation Board of Governors
Graham Smorgon (Chairman)
Mr Smorgon is currently Chairman of the Print Mint Group, the GBM Group, Smorgon Consolidated Investments, Scental Pacific Pty Ltd and Director of Fed Square Pty Ltd, OneSteel Limited and Incitec Pivot Limited.
He was Chairman of Smorgon Steel Group Ltd from 1994 until 2007 and has been involved with the Carlton Football Club, Melbourne Health, Bialik College, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuroscience Centre, and Playbox Theatre Company.
Graham practised as a solicitor and partner in the law firm, Barker Harty & Co, specialising in commercial and taxation law.
Carrillo Gantner AO (Vice Chairman)
Mr Gantner was President of the Victorian Arts Centre Melbourne Trust from 2000-2009. He has also served as Chairman of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Chair of the Performing Arts Board and a member of the Australia Council. He is a member of the National Advisory Councils of Musica Viva and the Adelaide Festival, a member of the Australian International Cultural Council (chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs) and a member of the Cultural Network of the Australian National Commission for UNESCO.
Carrillo is also Vice President of The Myer Foundation and a Trustee of The Sidney Myer Fund, the family’s two philanthropic arms. Since 1992 he has served as Chairman of The Asialink Centre at the University of Melbourne.
He is also Chairman of the Myer Family Company, a private family investment group with significant interests in Australia and the Asian region. From 1985 to 1987 Carrillo was Counsellor (Cultural) at the Australian Embassy in Beijing responsible for bilateral programs in the arts, science and technology, education, conservation and the environment, agriculture and the China based programs of the Australia-China Council. He was also a Governor of the Federation for Asian Cultural Promotion in January 1995 and was Deputy Chairman of this regional organisation from 1999-2001. He was a member of the Australia-China Council 1989-1994.
Betty Amsden OAM
Miss Amsden is one of Arts Centre Melbourne’s most generous and loyal donors. In 2009 Betty pledged the largest single gift to the performing arts in Australia when she committed $5M to establish the Betty Amsden Arts Education Endowment for Children.
However, Betty’s involvement in Arts Centre Melbourne extends beyond generous gifts. She has been involved for almost 25 years as a member, and most recently, the Chairman of the Philanthropists’ Council (previously the Arts Angels Council).
Her contribution on the Council included advocating for the establishment of an Arts Centre Melbourne Endowment Fund.
She brings the same passion and gives the same amount of time to her other causes which include the Guide Dogs, the Australian Ballet School, the Royal Women’s Hospital and Orchestra Victoria (to name but a few).
Sandy Clark
Mr Clark is Chairman of The Myer Family Office Limited, Aviva Australia Holdings Ltd and Brown Brothers Holdings Pty Ltd. He is also involved with the William Buckland Foundation, The Myer Foundation, the Sidney Myer Fund, Melbourne Grammar School and St Paul’s Cathedral Restoration.
He previously served as Director Select Harvests Ltd, Director Southern Cross Broadcasting (Australia) Limited, Director and Chairman of the Brotherhood of St Laurence and was the Australasian representative of the Banque Francaise du Commerce Exterieur.
John Denton
Mr Denton is Partner and Chief Executive Officer of leading Australian law firm, Corrs Chambers Westgarth. A former diplomat (having served in Moscow, UNNY, South Asia and Baghdad), John is also one of the country’s most respected experts on labour law.
In demand for his commercial and legal expertise, John was appointed in 2008, Chairman of the Australian Government Business Advisory Group on Workplace Relations, is a Board member of the BCA and Chair of its Global Engagement Taskforce and one of three Australian members of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC).
He has advised business and government on a wide range of trade law and industrial relations issues, provided strategy advice on major power privatisations, mining and maritime labour negotiations, and corporate restructuring in a range of industries including manufacturing and airlines.
John chairs the Australian Government’s Trade and Investment Experts Group on Indonesia, is a board member of the Asia Society and of the Commonwealth Business Council, and plays an instrumental role in the Australian American Leadership Dialogue.
John is a founding member of the Grattan Institute for Public Policy and is on the Advisory Board for the Centre for Australian and New Zealand Studies at Georgetown University, Washington DC.
John is Chairman of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees Australia, Deputy Chair of the Melbourne International Arts Festival, and actively involved in the Australian Business Arts Foundation and Australia Asia Young Leaders Program.
He has a double degree in Arts and Law, and is a Harvard Business School alumnus.
Debbie Dadon
Mrs Dadon is a member of the second generation involved in the Besen Family Foundation which was founded 38 years ago.
Raised in a philanthropic environment and holding the position of Executive Officer of the Besen Family Foundation for the past twelve years, Debbie has developed an acute and insightful awareness of the issues and needs of local communities. Armed with this knowledge, Debbie has immersed herself in the world of philanthropy; liaising, researching, assisting and guiding Not for Profit organisations through the grant making process and requests for funding. In order to facilitate the Foundation’s grant making process, Debbie has developed and built a significant system, evaluated its effectiveness, and continued to modify it as appropriate.
Debbie’s commitment and contribution to the community is evidenced through her involvement in many organisations. Debbie has taken on the role of Chair at the recently formed Australian Jewish Funders which is a body specifically aimed at optimising the impact of philanthropy within the Jewish community.
Her current positions include Executive Officer & Trustee, Besen Family Foundation, Director, Highpoint Property Group , Chairperson, Australian Jewish Funders (AJF) and Member, Friends of AICE, Australian Israel Cultural Exchange (AICE)
Dana Hlavacek
Ms Hlavacek is an experienced finance executive. She spent 15 years with Rio Tinto Treasury where she was most recently Head of Treasury Operations for Asia Pacific. Prior to that she was with KPMG.
She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) and Master of Accounting. Dana is also on the boards of RSPCA Victoria and Australian Friends of the Asian University for Women.
Dana was involved with the Industry Task Force on Leadership and Management Skills that produced the report entitled "Enterprising Nation" (The Karpin report). The report provided advice to the Australian Federal Government on measures to strengthen management development and business leadership within Australian enterprises.
She has worked with the Rio Tinto Aboriginal Fund which believes that all Indigenous communities should have the opportunity to share in the benefits of resource development.
Dana’s Committee for Melbourne team developed and piloted a school based program to encourage parents to engage in their children’s learning with the aim of improving school retention.
Mem Kirby OAM
Mrs Kirby has been very involved with Village Roadshow Limited for the past 30 years. She was involved with the creation of the Jam Factory and the new Rivoli Cinema complex design. Other projects include Village Cinema Europa and the innovative Gold Class Cinema concept.
Mem also owns and operates a cinema circuit called Peninsula Cinemas. These cinemas are situated in Sorrento, Rosebud and Warragul.
Mem is a Life Governor and Vice President of the Youth Music Foundation of Australia. This Foundation has been an outstanding success in fostering some of the brightest young musicians in Australia, including the soprano Leanne Keneally and the pianist Piers Lane.
She is presently Co-Chair of the Peter MacCallum Art Committee, member of the National Gallery Women’s Association (former Vice-President) and has had a long association with the Gawler Cancer Foundation.
Mem was a Trustee of the Victorian Arts Centre Melbourne from 2003-2009.
Mem and her husband Robert have vineyards in Victoria and New Zealand. Their labels include Yabby Lake, Heathcote Estate and The Escarpment.
Jennifer Prescott
Mrs Prescott was a Board Member of The Bionic Ear Institute for more than a decade.
She and her husband John Prescott AC recently established the Prescott Family Foundation. John and Jennifer Prescott became Patrons of Arts Centre Melbourne in 1991.
Doug Shears
Mr Shears is Chairman of ICM Australia, a privately owned integrated agribusiness and industrial group operating locally and internationally.
Doug is also Chairman of the Botanical Foods Group, Executive Chairman of the Australian Primary Trust, Deputy Chairman of Ultragas and Founding Chairman of the Uncle Toby's Company and also Berri Limited.
Over the past years he has been a member of the Prime Minister's Science and Engineering Council, the Agrifood Council and a board member of CSIRO and a founding member of the Asia Society Australasia.