Jennifer Isaacs AM, Chair

Jennifer Isaacs has worked with Indigenous artists and communities for 46 years. She was involved in conceiving and establishing the Art Centres in many remote areas, has mentored individual artists and guided stellar art careers, advised and curated the collections of significant donor collectors from acquisition to exhibitions and the eventual transfer of the works into major International museum collections. She writes on culture, art, history, biography, food and herbal medicine. With Robert Edwards and Adrian Newstead, she co-founded the ABF in 2004 and has undertaken two terms as Chair. She remains a Director and significant consultant on the Board.

Simon Chan, Chair

Simon Chan is the Director of Art Atrium, an art gallery exhibiting contemporary Australian, Asian and Aboriginal art and also a practising architect and Director of SCA Architects. He holds several directorships and sits on various boards spanning the arts, multiculturalism, Chinese community and local government. In 2013, he was awarded the inaugural NSW Premier’s Multicultural Award for Arts & Culture in recognition of his work and expertise in this area.

Simon is a Director on the Board of VisAsia at the Art Gallery of NSW and a Council member of the Power Institute, Foundation for Art and Visual Culture at the University of Sydney. He is also a Board member of Multicultural NSW Advisory Board and a Director on the Board of Parramasala, an annual multicultural arts and culture festival. He is a Committee Member of the NSW Government Chinese Garden of Friendship Advisory Committee and an Executive Committee Member of Contemporary Asian Australian Performance. Simon is the President of the Haymarket Chamber of Commerce and member of the Woollahra Council Cultural Committee.

John Coffey, Treasurer

John Coffey recently retired from the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) where he was responsible for regulating remediation of contaminated sites. He is now consulting in this field, a part time farmer as well as President of the management committee of the North Sydney Community Centre.

Adrian Newstead OAM

Adrian Newstead is a former President of the Indigenous Art Trade Association and Director of Aboriginal Tourism Australia and is the immediate past President of the Art Consulting Association of Australia. An Aboriginal art consultant, dealer, and art commentator he has 35 years experience working with Aboriginal communities and indigenous artists.

Shelley Indyk

Shelley Indyk is Director of Indyk Architects, a practice that can range from bespoke carpet design to high end residential projects to large commercial cinemas to particular community projects in remote communities. Indyk Architects collaborated to design the concept for the Yirrkala Healing centre as part of one of the ABF projects in 2010.

Adam Flynn, Company Secretary

Adam Flynn is a lawyer with over 10 years of experience in the private, not-for-profit and public sectors. Adam received an Arts Law Centre of Australia Pro Bono Print Commission Award in 2010 for providing legal services to artists and arts organisations. Adam has served on the Board of the UTS Haberfield Club Ltd (2001), as Chair of the Arts Committee of UTS Union (2001), on the Management Committee of the Copyright Society of Australia since 2007 and on the Board of the Australian Government Legal Network since 2013.